June 20, 2004. Niagara. This was the one that started the whole thing. If Jeremy hadn't invited us down to St. Catherines and try out this 50km MTB race called the Great Lake to Lake, the rest as they say could have been history.
And then, if Dean, Drew and Mike hadn't come over and started talking to us, Brenda and I might not have decided to do the Lake to Lake North in August. I guess everything happens for a reason.
As far as the race went, it was pretty crazy waiting for the start in the middle of 1000 people but
Steve Bauer was there and chatted with us about his days as a pro and then we were off! The course was (and is) pretty fast with nice combos of road, gravel and singletrack to make it an interesting ride. It ended on the beach on Lake Ontario and I remember thinking it was the funnest 2 hours I had ever spent on a bike. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked to this bicycle race thing.
August 15, 2004. Orillia. I was hoping to go in some kind of an order with these "historical race reports" but then I remembered this photo (I'm 3rd and looking for the pass!) I got from L2L's website. Anyways, this was our 2nd race, the one where Brenda and I hung out with Dean, Mike and Drew before and after the event. Remember your flat tire minutes before the start, Dean? Drew to the rescue of course! I also remember this huge crash at the beginning and finding out later that Deaner was in the middle of it. After the race, we celebrated Drew's 3rd place in the Clydesdale category with some Labatt 50's and a dip in the spring-fed lake at the Horseshoe Valley Resort. Good Times!
