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World Cup #5, Quebec |
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Written by Adam Craig
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Friday, 24 June 2005 |
I’ve been coming here for a long time to race bikes. The first time was the Cadet downhill at age 14 in 1996. My first World Championships were here in 1998. It’s always been a great time. This year especially. Keeping with the theme of no proper goals for the 2005 season, I didn’t want to “focus” on Mont Saint Anne, but I was keenly aware that it was on the horizon. After racing on silly smooth tracks in Europe for a while, I was fired up to get on some proper burly trails. The event organizers didn’t disappoint, delivering the GOODS!
I could describe the course, but it would take forever because every inch is worth talking about. Let’s just say it’s perfect, short steep climbs, tons of technical singletrack, and just enough smooth terrain to get a drink every once in a while, key this year because it was around 90 degrees and quite humid….
As a random aside that I didn’t think I’d be writing right now, Carl Decker had a proud, and diverse week. Electing to stay in Park City, UT for Elite Road National Championships on Wednesday instead to coming to the east coast to get in tune with the roots and mud seemed a bit odd to me. I guess it was the call though, as, after just under five hours and 125 miles of racing, Carl made the move of the day to cross the finish line first, ahead of the best non-pro roadies in the country, earning the stars and stripes jersey of Elite National Champion. To cele! brate, Carl woke before dawn the next day, flew to Maine, then drove six hours to Quebec, arriving in the early morning on Friday to prepare for Saturday’s world cup. Proud.
The race for me was pretty much awesome. Carl stopped and soaked his heat swollen feet in the creek once a lap, which he also claimed was awesome, although not very fast. I finished the melee of the first lap in third place, after being beind fellow Giant guy for a bit as the lead duo of Christoph Sauser and Frederick Kessiakof opened a gap of twenty seconds. Over the next three of six laps I rode alone in third place, bringing the gap to the leaders down to single digits. They were definitely watching though, and making sure I didn’t make contact. On the fourth lap Geoff Kabush emerged from the distant chase group (I’m amazed there was a group of any kind on this course) and starting closing the gap to me. We started the fifth lap together and stayed that way for a bit until Geoff decided to turn it up a bit and try to reel in the leaders, who were gradually distancing themselves on the climbs. I rode the last lap smart and steady, holding Liam Killeen at bay to cross the line fourth, 1:45 behind the winner, Sauser. I was pretty stoked on the day, but not 100%, as my legs never felt really strong and I definitely never was riding as fast as I’m capable of, close, but that extra ten percent would have been the difference for sure. Still, on the podium, and moving up to ninth in the overall standings after racing as close to my backyard made this kid pretty happy. We’ll see what Brazil brings, the three guys in front of in QC aren’t going.
Sunday was a bonus play day for the Team Gaint XC boys, Carl borrowed my Super-D bike and did downhill runs off the Gondola. I somehow finally had the stars align and was able to paddle a borrowed kayak down the Taureau Section of the Jaques-Cartier river on a beautiful summer day. I’ve been trying in vain to run the Taureau, the king of all creeks east of the Mississippi, for years now, so it made for a nice cap to an already amazing weekend.
Adam |
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