Day 3

This is going to be a quick one, because we have to catch a ferry tomorrow at the crack of dawn. AV and I rode fast today. We finished in front some very fast teams and even passed three teams comprised of pro racers (albeit a mixed team and ladies team) in the last stretch of super-tech 1track. It was so technical today I actually blew my rear shock out. Luckily, a BC shop called Obsession Bikes is travelling with the race and they are replacing the seals for me this evening.

SLR got some pictures of the start and finish, but those will have to wait for another day as I need to get ready for tomorrow's epic journey, which includes getting to the venue from our hotel at 4:45am, two ferry rides, and a challenging course of about 60km on some of BC's finest trails.

Thanks for reading,

Blue Star

Day 2

Today's stage began with a 10km pavement rollout from the small town of Lake Cowichan. We had an auto escort that took us out of town to a short fire road climb. As soon as the car pulled off, the battle was on. As we crested the first climb, we settled into a pace line with a bunch of fast racers taking turns on the front. This train was motoring and we soon caught the main peloton that was comprised of about 50 other racers including all of the race's leaders. It was really cool to be sitting on the wheels of North America's top pros including Kelli Emmett and Katie Compton. At about 50km, the group hit the first mandatory check-in where the race volunteers scan your number plate. Chaos ensued as three hopeless volunteers tried to scan and write down as many numbers as possible. The pros bolted, AV and I stopped and filled our Camelbacks and bottles. The next 50km involved me setting a blistering pace that I felt I could maintain until the end. We would catch a team or two, sit on their wheels for a couple of minutes, then pull into the wind and hammer until we could reach the next group. At about 100km or so, the heat was getting oppressive and we dialed back the pace a touch to make sure we could finish. We suffered up the last climb and hit the day's token piece of singletrack with the dexterity and bike handling of beginners due to haze of fatigue that was taking over our bodies. After the singletrack it was short jaunt on some pavement and a drop down to a recreational track for the finish.

Some totals from the day:
5 hours, 3 minutes racing.
Just over 125km covered.
27th place overall out of 92 open men teams
Three 60 ounce Camelbacks consumed by me alone
5 Gu's
1 Pack of Clif Bloks
1 Pack of Sharkies

Tomorrow is going to be a tough one. 85km with four very big climbs and the day ends with some super-technical 1track.

Sorry, no pictures today. We were faster than our support crew anticipated and beat them to the finishing town of Port Alberni. Be sure to check out AV's blog over here and the Grande Americanos here.

Thanks for reading,

Blue Star

Day 1

All the planning and preparation came down to a simple announcement over the race audio system... "GO"! 275 teams of 2 (some with 4 riders) departed on the journey north on Vancouver Island. You know the race is the real deal when there is a helicopter shooting footage and it is supposed to be on TV around the world on some channel that I don't think is available in the States. The race kicked off with two allegedly "neutral" laps around the Shawnigan Lake School Campus. All I can say is chaos. Crashes, broken bikes because the route crossed a freshly mowed field and the grass wrapped around the rear derailleur like a boa constrictor until it sheared from the frame, and it certainly was not neutral. Last year's race winner, Jeff Schalk fell victim to such a calamity and had his mechanic fixed it (a violation of race rules that will not be enforced). AV and I made it through relatively unscathed, but the adrenaline was definitely pumping as we narrowly avoided several high speed crashes involving riders get tangled up. Someone even broke a collar bone before getting off campus.

We settled into our pace and were racing strong for a few hours. We suffered through some of nasty steep hike-a-bike sections, but were rewarded with some sweet sections of 1track. AV experienced some heat and possibly some lingering viral issues during the main climb of the day. So, we dialed back the pace to make sure we finished strong as a team. After what seemed like 25 miles of climbing, we finally topped out at the much needed feed zone. We stopped to refill our Camelbacks and bottles and proceeded to bomb the next 15km downhill at 40+mph on gravel logging roads. After the killer downhill, we jammed into Lake Cowichan team-TT-style on a doubletrack multiuse trail. We finished the 55miles in 5 1/2 hours, which was good enough for 38th overall (not sure on our category).

Refuel, work on the bikes, sleep like a champ, and we repeat tomorrow. Tomorrow's stage is 125km (which is a bunch of miles on the MTB). It's mostly logging road, so it should be a fast pace. Oh, and it is supposed to be 90+ degrees. Ouch!

Here's some pictures from today....

Start line.


Team Mafia Racing lined up in the race corral waiting to start.


Just a few racers.


Mafia going out on lap 2 around Shawnigan Lake School.


Rolling across the line with a grin.


AV ends his day too.


Be sure to check out the BC Bike Race website for their race updates including professional photography.

Thanks for reading,

Blue Star

Day Zero

Blue Star and AV are busy working on their bikes, packing up the Camelbaks and dialing in all the gear for the official start of the BC Bike Race tomorrow. So, today's update comes from me, SLR, official support team member for Mafia Racing.

I guess you could call Day Zero the official start of the race. A full day of travel and logistics to get us started and ready for the next 7 days. Day Zero brought us first by Ferry to Vancouver Island, not far from Victoria and then to Shawnigan Lake School for check in and pre-race meeting.

BC Ferries rock!


Grande Americanos and Mafia Racing with support ladies on the ferry


I think these two teams will go 1 & 2, don't you?


A little time to spin the legs out before dinner.


Pre-race meeting at Hogwarts, I mean Shawnigan Lake School


Off now for some rest and an early morning tomorrow. Breakfast at 7 and the gun goes off at 9. More stories and photos to come. Thanks for reading.
-SLR

BC Bike Race: Day -1

The first official day of the BC Bike Race is tomorrow. It is called Day 0 and consists of registration, swag bag handout, and a racer meeting. AV and I also hope to get a short ride in to make sure the legs are firing on all cylinders.

So, today, the night before Day 0 is Day -1. We all went to our respective jobs for a few hours and then rendezvoused at our house to pack.

Packing the Rig


A few items are needed for a 7-day stage race.


After packing, we made the quick drive north to Delta, BC. Tomorrow AM, we roll to the Tswassessen ferry which will take us through some beautiful waters over to Victoria. Day 0 and the start of the race are just north of Victoria at the Shawnigan Lake School.

More pictures and stories to come, so check back often. SLR may post in my stead if I don't have the energy over the next few days.

Thanks for reading,
Blue Star

72 Hours in Bed

What does it take to get me to update this blog? Well, being absolutely insanely bored because I've been bedridden for 72 hours due to gastroenteritis will do the trick. I'm still not 100%, but I'm functioning well enough to want to do something besides sleep and listen to the TV. Looking back over the past 4 months, I should not be surprised I'm sick. I've racked up nearly 20k frequent flier miles and have slept in my own bed twice on the weekends during that span. GO, GO, GO, will catch up to you at some point.

Here's a quick recap of what has gone down. Sorry for the lack of detail, but there's a lot that has happened in 2 months. I hit Sea Otter in Monterey during mid-April. For the first time in three years of attending this event, it did not rain. I had my best go ever at the race and posted a fast time that I was happy with. Given the field size and quality of the competition, I was pleased with my placing in the low 30's. Click here for some pro photo's of me digging deep.

Soon after Sea Otter, Blue Star Racer Blog lost one of its biggest fans to cancer. A tough blow to endure following so soon after the loss of my Dad. Cancer just plain sucks, no other way to put it. I now often find myself thinking that RAL and my Dad are giving me the needed support to accomplish my racing and training goals. Mt. Snow is going to take on extra special meaning this year. Here's RAL and SLR last year at Nationals sporting some Blue Star t's.


I went back down to CA in mid may for NMBS #3 held near Solvang in wine country. A side note; the hotel I stay in down there was the one that the guys stayed at in the movie Sideways. I sucked at this race last year due to the heat, but felt like I was carrying some good fitness to do well this year. Not to be though because Mother Nature squashed those plans with another nasty heat wave. During the races, temperatures creeped up to 100+ degrees. Our top women Olympian MTB racer was evacuated from the course after going unconscious while riding due to heat stroke. My cool Pacific NW blood hates heat, so my engine had to keep the power down to avoid a massive overheating and a similar trip to the ER. My results for both the XC and short track reflect my lack of heat tolerance.

The next weekend, A-dogg, SLR, and I went up to Squamish, BC for a recon weekend of the trails used for the Test of Metal race and the 6th stage in the BC Bike Race. Got about 13 hours of hard saddle time over the course of the three-day weekend.

Views weren't bad from the trails.


Team Mafia Racing getting dialed for BC Bike Race.

Last weekend, Test of Metal was on my plate. It's a 42km race over some super-technical trails. My race plan was to attach myself to the wheel of a couple of fast locals and pedal as hard as I could for 3+ hours. The plan worked and I came in 2nd place out 100 finishers in my 30-34 age group. In addition, I was about 35th (out of 900+ racers) overall including the pros.

How do you stage almost 1000 racers for a mass start? 1 hour before race time the staging corral is opened and you save your spot by flipping your bike over. I was close to the front immediately behind the pros only area.


The feed zone was several hundred yards long with hundreds of people feeding their respective racers from both sides of the road. Chaos! That many people coupled with a DJ spinning tunes made for a party like atmosphere for SLR as she waited for me to come by twice.


The podi shot, minus 1st and 3rd place who both bailed to catch a ferry back to Nanaimo.


Blast off! And they keep coming, and coming, and coming...


This week was supposed to be some fine tuning of the form in preparation for the BC Bike Race that starts next Saturday. It is kind of bad timing to get sicker than you've been in almost 10 years the week before a 7-day stage race. I see the light at the end of the tunnel though and should be out of bed soon. Hopefully, this little set back does not have any lasting effects that impact me during the race.

Now, let's see if I can keep up this momentum and get some posts on here at regular intervals.

Thanks for reading,
Blue Star