Subaru Cup Pro XCT 2011

I think I have put off this post as long as I possibly could, because I would rather forget about it. As far as the racing went I didn't deviate too far from the plan, but the fact that both plans A and B did not go as hoped was a disappointment. Starting off well from the front row I was sitting just behind a South African rider up the first climb, not going any harder than is usual for a XC race. This however was to backfire unexpectedly on me, when the next climb came I no longer had any oxygen to power up as per normal, it felt like I was racing at 3000m elevation. And so I began my slow progression towards the middle of the pack. Plan B was to find someone riding well and hold their wheel, this was possible on the descents but went backwards when the track turned upwards. It continued in this fashion for almost all 4 laps, on the last lap getting a tiny bit more oxygen to the legs and feeling a bit faster, although unable to repair the damage that had already been done.

Finished up about 10 minutes behind the winner, and 7th in the u19 category... Fingers crossed for some form this weekend in the Mont Sainte Anne World Cup.