Part Two: Touchdown
I've flown East on a number of occasions to visit Indonesia and Australia, but I've never been further West than Dublin. I hadn't really thought about the consequences of a ‘good' flight to Canada from Heathrow... (by ‘good' I mean a leisurely late breakfast at home in Northumberland, connect to Heathrow and straight through to Calgary).
But believe me it's a long day. You are actually chasing the sun for what seems like an endless day. The sun finally went down, (twenty six hours after we got up!) just as our bus left Calgary for Canmore. I resisted sleep to be sure I was fully shattered when we finally got to the hotel and a bed.
As we approached Canmore, the huge silent mass of the mountains blocked out jagged shadows in the star lit sky. You could sense the scale of the peaks around you even in the darkness. However nothing could prepare us for the scene that met us in the morning...
Still shattered from the long day before, Charlotte (my wife) and my dad stumbled along the hotel corridor to take the lift down for breakfast. The landing has a top to bottom window and the way it framed the incredible view was surreal. Huge cliffs rise up from behind Canmore with rock faces and pinnacles that are literally hundreds of meters high. I had a feeling the riding would match the scenery...
After a brief meander around the relaxed and spacious streets of Canmore I hurriedly put my Ironhorse Bootleg together and pedalled up the hill to the Nordic Centre, World 24hr Solo Championships HQ. Seeing the event advertised on the electronic bill board as I entered the centre sent a chill of excitement down my spine...
Well, I use the term ‘chill' loosely, it is currently red hot over here; around thirty degrees and very humid. I set off on my first foray into Canadian singletrack and soon found the quality of the trails to be everything I had imagined. Twisty turny rooty swoopy and fast with some pretty severe steep drops thrown in. Like English woodsy singletrack on steroids. And the trails are bone dry... I would hate anyone at home to feel jealous of course, so I'll tell you now; it is forecast to rain on the Sunday of the race! And then be red hot and sunny again for the rest of the week.... will I ever get a dry 24!
The organisers have slowly been finalising the course during the week. Apparently some riders criticised the course last year saying it was not technical enough. As a result, the race crew have swung the pendulum well and truly the other way and created the most technically challenging endurance course I have ever ridden. This will not be a fitness bash... The singletrack is relentless and punishing. Apart from some brief sections of fireroad the trail snakes its way through dense pine trees with inches to spare and already many trees have groves cut in at about bar height! If I hadn't sorted out my low speed cornering skills, courtesy of my man Dougie, I would have been dead in the water on this trail... My Exposure lights will also prove to be a real advantage through the twisty turny stuff.
And then there is the ‘Tale of the Coal Shute'... The organisers were so keen to silence the critics of last years course that they played an ace by slipping in a section so steep and so long that it even raised the eyebrows of the local downhill fraternity. One line in. One line out. Switchbacks slap bang in the middle with a big drop on one side. Now I like super steep stuff but each time I got to the top in practice I had to take a deep breath... How would this work twelve hours in, in the pitch black! So, to ‘get over it' I rode it again and again and again. Even then it gave me the judders...
As the week has progressed, the organisers have received further criticism for including the Coal Shute so they've removed it and rerouted the course. As much as I like the challenge of sections like this, (that sorts out racers by nerve and skill) it was the right decision to remove this section. Many team riders, (and I imagine a number of soloists) would not be able to ride this, nor would they be prepared to risk it, particularly in the dark and the only way to get down was walk the line. (I had a similar experience at Ten Under the Ben a few years back when Nessie was included. Even if you could ride it, you were lucky to get a clear run). So I'd sent myself down this heart stopper time after time for no reason.... The organisers just laughed and told me I was now a better rider! That sums up the riding here - it pushes your skills every time you head out.
The whole area around the Nordic Centre is riddled with tracks and sections like this. Even though many of the trails have been ‘cut' they do not feel built, and it's a fantastic place to hone singletrack skills. Speed here is all about efficiency and accuracy and the top placed riders in this weekends World Championships will have earned their positions as real bike handlers.
So what about the race field? I'm really in the dark on that one. No Tinker. No Eautough. No Gordon. No Ross. Nor is James Williams here, last year's winner. However, the field is full of strong Canadians, Americans and huge numbers of Australians still fuelled by the ‘Gordon Effect'. (Ah well, the Aussies sporting week can only get better!) Thing is, I'm feeling pretty darn good myself. Well trained, completely fresh and a much improved bike handler.
The plan? Give it some gas for the first five hours, take all the risks on the descents and then evaluate the fall out... This is going to be a do or die effort. The fun starts 11:45 this Saturday the 25th. I'll let you know how it goes....
One lesson learned already though; never ride your bike without a bell. I nearly found this out the hard way yesterday. I have NEVER used any kind of bell on a bike before but yesterday morning Charlotte bought me a bear bell. Never has there been a better first time for anything.... I was flying through the singletrack when a fully grown Grizzly took off in front of me, putting my trail skills to the test. It was breathtaking to see the huge animal flying down the track and another ‘ambition box' ticked.
It's been a great week so far. That time difference has meant breakfast in bed whilst watching Le Tour, ripping the singletrack with Yogi in the afternoon, and relaxing in one of the most scenic spots on earth in between. As they say in these parts, ‘Have a nice day y'all!'
