Volley for Day 0 of BC Bike Race June 30
The last week has seen me run around like a chicken with no head - it has been insane. And, to boot, I was sick. Still, I got out for a couple of short (under 5km) jogs around my house but definately nothing to be proud of! Trail time: minimal. Couch time: huge. Oh well, kinda served me right running around at mach 3 trying to do everything and be everything. By Friday I was feeling tons better and was stoked to be able to honor my promise to volunteer at Day 0 of BC Bike Race in Shawnigan Lake. It was awesome to go back to Shawnigan (just moved from there in January so I do miss it sometimes!) and especially on a hot, sunny day.
I’ve got to admit, there was more to my volunteering than just the desire to be useful. I wanted to see how this race was run, to see if it really is worth the $2000 per person. At first glance, this event was totally worth it. After volunteering for 8 hrs, it was still worth every penny. The free swag would totally make it for me! For over an hour we packed 450 awesome wheelie Dakine luggage with custom white Synchros bars, boxes of protein bars, multi tools, TONS of clothing and treats! Right from the time I got there to the time I left, everyone had a big smile on their face. There was staff for everything and nothing was left undone.
After helping with set up we were given a killer bagged lunch (delicious cookies!) and started to organize the main check-in area. Kathy, the woman I was working under, was simply amazing, unflappable and highly organized. I would take part in any event this woman organized! There were a few very minor gliches but she handled everything with a big sincere smile on her face and honestly wanted all racers and non-racers to have the best time ever. One of the best things about the day was people watching. There were racers from all backgrounds and all ages: from super fit 25 year old pros to my favorite, a couple in their late 60’s who had only been mountain biking a short while. I’m cheering for them! So, the long and the short of it is, aside from the price tag, I want to do this race with Kitt next year!
In preparation for the race nest year, we went for our first single track ride of the year yesterday afternoon at Hartland in the searing heat. My skills are just shy of non-existant (I am missing this pair of male anatomy that makes mountain biking so much easier!) so Kitt was extremely patient with me (as always) and laid out a sweet little figure 8 track for me to ride over and over again till I mastered it. The first lap some of the obstacles looked gigantic and scared the crap out of me, but on the 2nd lap I could bump through them, and the 4th time was fine. After about 8 laps I felt confident enough to try everything at as much speed as I could manage, and VOILA, I am still alive to talk about it! After we mastered if frontwards, it was time to try it in reverse. I think the worst part was riding the loop backwards and seeing how tiny the obstacles really were and I felt rather foolish. I guess that’s how we learn though eh? My biggest joy was bumping over enough rocks and roots and struggling up rock faces to gain the confidence to not rip my feet out of my clipless pedals when it got a little hairy. I had a nasty crash 2 years ago because I did just that and landed with my left leg straight. Word of advice: Don’t do it!! Overall a great day, but I think I am still rehydrating!