Ontario Cup #2

On May 9 the race was at Albion Hills Conservation Area in Bolton. Our new team outfits had just come in and we were so looking forward to showing them off. The rain came down hard on Saturday thus causing the pre-ride to be cancelled for much of the day. On Sunday when we went to the race we needed very warm clothes as the temperature was hovering around the freezing point. In fact at some points in the morning there were snowflakes in the air. The condition of the course turned out to be better than expected with all the rain that had fell prior to the race. This was because the great guys at Chico Racing did not letting anyone on the course while it was raining. This was another “chocolate milk race” and we had no trouble keeping the milk cold with the temperature being so low. I think some people would have preferred hot chocolate on this day instead of the ice cold chocolate milk that was given to them at the finish line.

In the races the action was heating up in spite of the cold temperatures. Paul, Duane and Mike finished 24^th, 31^st and 33^rd respectively in their group. Bob had strong race with a 4^th place finish, just missing the podium. Ryan was not having a good day and did not finish. Danielle rode to a strong 3^rd place finish and Samantha finished a very respectable 6^th. At the 1:30 race Corey rode strong again to a 13^th place finish while Zoltan improved on his last race with a 20^thplace. Nathan, feeling the effects of being on his honeymoon and not riding his bike did not finish. In the Elite race Logan rode to a strong 18^th place while Simon and Jamie finished 24^thand 25^th respectively.

Photos by Angie Wagler

Ontario Cup #1

Finally the season has begun. After a lot of training over the winter months, both indoors and outside, we got to start racing our mountain bikes. With Scott as our new bike sponsor for Two Wheel Express we are eager to see how these bikes are for racing. As a team we were very thankful for the opportunity to train at Iron Heart Fitness over the winter. It has been great to have them come on board as a sponsor of Two Wheel Express. Many on the team have done at least one race already this year at either the Good Friday road race in Hamilton, Tour Bronte in Oakville or Paris to Ancaster. Even so the race in Mansfield on April 25 is thought of as the start of our season.

As the day approached we were all watching the weather forecast and it was not looking good.After the 2009 season when we had a lot of wet and muddy races we were eager to have a good start to 2010 on a dry race course. After a good day of pre-riding the course we all went home to rest up for the big day. On the way to the race on Sunday morning it was raining but as we got closer to Mansfield the sky began to clear. We drove out of the rain by Orangeville and later in the day drove back into the rain at the same spot. There was no rain in Mansfield all day which seemed like a miracle and we were all very thankful.

The course was fast and the racing was tons of fun. Our four old guys were in the 9:30 start and they all battled hard to the end with Duane finishing 22^nd, Paul 24^th and Mike 30^th in the Master Sport 45-49 group. Bob earned a very good 7^th place finish in the Master Sport 55-59 group. At 11:30 Ryan, Samantha and Danielle were eager to test their skills on this fast course.Ryan placed 12^th in Junior Sport, Samantha was 8^th in Junior Expert and Danielle was 3^rd in Senior Expert. At the 1:30 race the speed increased as the best racers of the day took to the course. Corey got his season off to a great start with an 8^th place in Senior Expert while Nathan was 24^th and Zoltan 28^th in the same group. In the Elite men group Simon was 25^th and Logan was 29^th. Jamie did not finish his race as he was sick and could not continue.

One of our main sponsors over the last two seasons has been the Dairy Farmers of Canada.They will be sponsoring us for at least 2 more seasons. We have been promoting chocolate milk as a sports recovery drink. With this there have been several chocolate milk giveaways at Ontario Cup Mountain Bike races as the racers cross the finish line they are given a cold chocolate milk to drink. This race at Mansfield was a “chocolate milk race” and everyone really loved getting their chocolate milk after their race to “recharge with”. Riding your mountain bike and drinking chocolate milk – two of the best things in life – made for a great day to start the 2010 season.

Photos by Angie Wagler