This past weekend, for the second time in 3 years, I decided to head back to Gatineau for some serious ski action.
Thinking back, I'm not sure why I didn't race in 2011, although to read my blog entry at this time last year, I see it was to "spend more time with family". I'm guessing that I was getting a lot more grief on the home front for not spending time with the kids on the weekends. Kathleen was wanting to train for the Hardwood Loppet and had wanted to put in some longer ski sessions.
This year I wanted to do both the Classic and Skate events again, and so I got out on the skis for exactly 8 times prior to toeing the start line. Fortunately a few of those were longer sessions, 5 of them over 3 hours, so I knew, at least, that I'd be able to finsh. It's more than quite a few people I talked to at the race got, some of them having only been on snow once or twice this season due to warm weather in their region.
For the first time, I packed up the family and brought them along. Recent experience with cyclocross racing holidays turned out fairly well, and since the kids had never been to anywhere where anything but English was spoken, this was a good opportunity.
So we packed the car to the roof, and blasted off towards the Ottawa Valley, hoping to arrive before I started to panic about not getting enough sleep. I remember rather enjoying the trip solo two years ago, as a bit of a vacation, so when we rolled in to pick up my bibs, at 5:30, not having checked into the hotel yet, I was questioning our choice.
Rant 1 - For what's supposed to be a top tier event, it seems odd to me that you'd only be able to pick up your bib/chip the evening before the event. Not even the afternoon prior.
Thankfully this year I got seeded into the "C" wave. Right in the middle.
Once getting through the snail paced line up that was bib pickup, the family rolled back to the Hotel. If you are every coming in from out of town for the Gatineau, the Holiday Inn, Plaza La Chaudiere is a good bet. It's close enough, opens the restaurant early for breakfast, has a small wax area in the parking garage, and also has a sauna and whirlpool.
We picked up some rice noodles on the way over, got short changed on the entres and I "accidentally" ate my kids noodles back in the hotel room.
Then it was off to wax.
For the previous week, I, along with many others I suspect, was watching the weather incessantly. Would I freeze my nuts off? Would I need to buy new skis to match the conditions? I constantly checked the XCOttawa website for wax tips and trail condition updates. Now, as the hours ticked by, information seemed scant at best. XCOttawa had some good tips for Vauhti wax, and Toko posted something on twitter, but there was no Swix rep to be found.
I had spent the 24 hours before the race seriously sweating that I would miss the wax, as I usually do. Rumour had it that a universal klister would be the call, and I just happened to grab some Start Universal Klister at the bib pickup as a certain someone was buying discount clothing. One can never have too much wax.
Rant 2. Seriously. How can Swix, a leading XC sking brand not at least show their faces at an event like this? I truly don't get it. And, if you don't exist on twitter, then for me, you're not on the radar. A few people mentioned this to me and were having trouble with swix wax selection. It also didn't help that the Swix iphone app is Norwegian only and didn't have all their waxes in it.
First the glide wax. Two years ago I had had great glide, and wanted a repeat of that, so I threw on the expensive stuff. High fluoro all the way. Then to decide on the kick wax.
I went with the rumour and ironed in a base klister and applied the Start Universal over top. Upon doing this, and being up far too late the day before a race, the Swede's waxing next to me informed me that I was doing it wrong. The wax was far too thick to be of any use and would collect ice instantly.
They then proceeded to school me on how to apply klister. I can't put into words just how happy I was to gain this new knowledge. Historically I've avoided sking on klister at all costs. Now I've got a bit of confidence.
So I stayed up a bit later, scrapped off my ski's and did them again, with some Swedish help.
Fortunately @philvilleneuve does actually exist on twitter. The morning of the race he confirmed that the wax I had on, would work.
@GatineauLoppet wax testing... #StartSkiWax of the day: Start Wide Universal Klister yfrog.com/klktpdjj #bomberkick
— Phil Villeneuve (@PhilVilleneuve) February 18, 2012
While Phil was out wax testing, and getting ready to gab with people at the Solomon booth, We made our way over to the race start. My back was killing me from sleeping akwardly, which never happens, but at least a quick test of the skis showed they had some grip.
The race started as it usually does, people milling about, lining up and then giving a half-hearted cheer. The waves go off, everyone gets aggressive for 100m until someone falls and causes a huge pileup and several broken poles.
Unfortunately this year the guy falling was me, for no reason, and a straight section. Fortunately nobody hit me and no poles were broken.
Of we went onto the Parkway, through some flat sections and into some woods where everyone demonstrated their inability to negotiate small downhills without snowplowing.
By the first 10 minutes I could tell my skis were slower than those around me. I got killed on the flats and downhills the whole day. I kept up on the uphills.
Unfortunately my back never did get better, and the double poling, of which there was a lot, was not strong.
And so we climbed. If there's one thing that can be said about this race, is that there's loads of climbing. Some steep, some gradual, but all hills seem to go on for ever. I was even wishing that some of the downhills would end they were so long.
My favorite moment, of every Gatineau Loppet is this view. Taken by Fil, it shows what's pretty close to the highest point of the race, overlooking the valley, ready for the decsent to the bottom.
Once the majority of the climbing ceased, I started to get passed again although I was feeling good other than my back.
Gels were consumed. Thank you Clif! Energy drinks were drunk. Thanks Refresh!
So I skied home. Repeating various mantra that would best be forgotten.
This year there were no tears of pain, but I did hammer the last km or so and passed a few people, possibly making them nervous as they snowplowed the twists in the last section.
I finished in 3:49. 11/20 in my age group. This was just the third time I've done the Classic race, and looking back, it's my best result out of the overall men ranking.
2012 - 44th Percentile
2010 - 48th Percentile
1998 - 58th Percentile
Seeing as I don't actually do much sking, I think there's room for improvement. I plan on buying some rollerskis and doing 1 hour a week minimum on them to do even better next year.
This was my 10th Gatineau race, and third double. I'm just sad I took a decade off. Next year I'll be back, but since my wife wants to do the skate race, I'll likely just do the classic in 2013.
Edit - I need to add. Not only did I beat the Prime Minister of Estonia, I also caught Saul, the owner of Velotique. I'm moderatly proud of beating guys 25 years older than me.
