School Bike League

School Bike League from HIDEF Productions on Vimeo.

The School Bike League is one of the (many) reasons as to why Victoria is the Cycling Capital of Canada. This April marks the first time that track cycling will be included in their calendar of local cycling events, starting with the inaugural BikeJam on April 6 at the West Shore Velodrome.

London World Cup - Race Report

The London Olympic Velodrome! Photo by Steve Sleep.

In February, I was selected to the Canadian National Track Cycling Team travelling to the UK for the fourth and final World Cup of the season (and the 2012 Olympic Test Event) in London. With this event being our biggest priority race leading up to the Olympics, we headed out from our training base in LA a little earlier than usual, and spent a week training and recovering from jet lag in Wales before settling down in London.

Team Photo at the Welsh National Cycling Center in Newport. 

The girls (and Zach!) stayed at The Granary - a beautiful bed and breakfast in Caerleon.

After several days of quality training on the track in Newport, plus daily (!) sessions with our amazing therapist, Jenn, I was feeling fit and fast. The team was riding well and all three of us were excited to lay it all on the line in London.

Women's Team Pursuit qualifying. Tara - Me - Jasmin. Photo by Rob Jones.

Racing against the clock in one of the earliest heats, we rode faster than we'd ever gone before, breaking the Canadian record with a time of 3:20.785. The team and staff alike waited with bated breath (and skyrocketing heart rates!) as the Kiwis, Aussies, Dutchies, and finally the Brits failed to topple our time from the top of the leaderboard. We were into the gold medal final!

In the final against GB. Me - Jasmin - Tara. 

We faced off against the experienced British squad in the final, and rode another brilliant race to capture the silver medal in another Canadian record of 3:18.982, the second fastest time in the world to date. To say we were pleased would be an understatement - after only training together for one week before competition, Tara, Jasmin, and myself rose to the occasion and proved we have the speed to compete among the best in the world. 

Huge thanks to our coaches, physiologists, videographer, mechanics, and all the other support staff that made everything run so smoothly and efficiently! I cannot wait to be back with the team in August for another crack at the top step of the podium.

Bike Check

Last month I received this shiny track whip courtesy of the Canadian Cycling Association. Although I shed a quick tear over the thought of retiring my well-loved aluminum Dolan to the harsh world of flat pedals and riser bars, I fell in love with my new LOOK 596 from the first pedal stroke.

I really can't say enough about this bike - it's light, stiff, and rides insanely fast. Huge thanks to the CCA and LOOK Bicycles for hooking me up big time!

Frame/Fork - LOOK 596

Cranks - Shimano DA track w/ SRM (not pictured)

Chainring - FSA track (training), Shimano (racing)

Chain - Izumi

Bars - Ritchey

Saddle - Adamo Racing

Wheels - Mavic