News: 2018 Race Calendar

It’s MY Year!
I love racing.
I.  LOVE.  RACING!
I’m really not a good racer, but I sure love it.  The thrill…the camaraderie…the bikey stuff…the pushing myself to my absolute limit.
Love it.
But how the heck do I top last year?  Seriously, in 2017, I did 18 big, gnarly, very boss races (plus a bunch of weekly series rips).  I called it TC:17, and by any name, it was AWESOME.

That’s sort of ridiculous you know.  How on earth did a chumpy, Joe rider, like me enter AND COMPLETE 18 epic bike races in one season?

Well, it was easy.  First, I entered 18 races.  Second, I woke up on the morning of each race, and then raced.  Third, I ignored every instinct to stop, DNF, or just give up…and finished 18 races.

18 races.  It was over 1,000k of white knuckle, heart pounding, lung exploding, leg cramping, thigh busting, MTB rippage.
The elevation gain was like climbing Mount Everest.  And then coming back down and riding halfway up again–at race pace.
I shattered personal bests, slaughtered courses that I never thought possible, and had more fun and more pain than my body was prepared for.  So much pain.  So much horribly awesome, gruesomely wicked, very rad, pain.

I even won a few medals.

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Okay, full disclosure.  These are ALL of the medals I’ve won in Dan Marshall’s Substance Projects races, and EVERY one of them is either second place (because there were only two of in my cat, or third place because there were three).
2017 was wickedly cool, and full of mind exploding awesomeness.
Check out these race plates:
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  • #100:  my first marathon distance (and then three more, in the XC Marathon–and three of them were on my single speed)
  • #250:  my first 24 Hour race (and my first night ride!)
  • #18:  my first three cyclocross races–all on the same day
  • #83: the Fall Epic 8 Hour, (which I did SOLO–and bonked so spectacularly)

Oh, and can’t forget my track certification at Milton Velodrome

So what next?

Um, ride, that’s what’s next.  I’m going to ride.  This year, I’ve been eating better, riding smarter, and even working out a bit.  I.  Am.  Ready.
I am not a weapon.  Heck, I’m not even a good rider.  But I love racing.  It’s my story, and consumes a good portion of my life.  Really, it’s just playing bikes after all, but I’m having the time of my life, and there is no way I’m slowing down.
So, here, in chronological order is my plan for 2018.  The ones in BOLD are pretty certain, and the non-bold ones are cool, and I’d love to do them, but you know, family and other stuff.  Click on each name for a direct link to the race organizer’s website.
I’m calling this season Year IV. I figure the roman numerals give it some gravitas.  I’m taking the year a bit more seriously (although not really), so why not jazz up the numbers.
Here it is, Year IV:

March

April

May

June 

July 

  • July 8:  O-Cup #5 @ Sir Sam’s
  • July 14:  SUMMER EPIC 8 HOUR p/b Pulse Racing @ Hardwood Hills
  • July 21: EL BANDITO (Cannondale Stuporcross #1 p/b Dukes) @ Port Hope
  • July 28: O-CUP # 6 (Great Albion Endur O-Cup @ Albion Hills 

August

September

October

I tried to list all of the races I know about.  If you’re an organizer (or if you just know about a cool race) and you want a race listed, just let me know.

Most, but not all of the above races are on the OCA website.

Here are some links to race organizers:

To help you organize a few of the big series, here’s a list of race series that I love:

Substance Projects XCM 

Substance Projects Stuporcross (presented by Cannondale)

Epic 8 Hour

  • May 12 @ Mansfield (Chico Racing)
  • July 14 @ Hardwood (Pulse Racing)
  • September 22 @ Hardwood Hills (Pulse Racing)

O-Cup (p/b Superfly Racing)

  • April 22 @ Mansfield
  • May 6 @ Woodnewton
  • June 10 @ Horseshoe Valley
  • June 16-17 @ Hardwood Hills
  • July 8 @ Sir Sam’s
  • July 28 @ Albion Hills
  • August 27 @ Kelso

Weekly Series

If you read this and see a mistake or omission, or if you want to say anything else, please let me know. You can always comment on the blog, comment on my Facebook page, or send a message to: TeamColinBlog@yahoo.com

Also, if you’re thinking about contemplating considering perhaps maybe possibly doing a race, reach out to me or someone else.  It’s such an awesome experience, and I’m happy to talk you through the process. Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can (spoiler alert:  it’s not difficult or scary or intimidating or anything else, it’s just awesome).

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My OCA Citizen Permit.  Gotta take these thing seriously…

 

Published by teamcolinblog

I am a 50 year old father of two. I know, right? Half a century. I work full time, try to parent as much as possible, and I ride as much as I can. These days, it seems I ride gravel more often (an Ibis Hakka), but MTB has my heart, and when I ride a mountain bike, it's usually my Trek single speed (which is currently being warrantied for a broken frame), or my Norco Revolver (with gears). I live in Toronto, Ontario, and when there's a race, I do it. I've always had a bike, but I only started RIDING about ten years ago. Cycling (and writing about it) has changed every aspect of my life. I'm writing this blog because a few good friends suggested I share my cycling journey. I'm not sure where it's going, or who reads it, but I gotta say it's been one heck of a ride.

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