Lake to Lake 29er

Some BlackFly's before the race (on the left)

Yesterday a few of the Black Fly's embarked on the "new" L2L course.  We were all quite used to the previous 50km course across the Niagara Peninsula with the mix of road, gravel and singletrack so we weren't sure what to expect this year.

This new course had some sections of the old L2L course as well as parts of the Squeezer, albeit in a backwards direction.  The bottom of Hydro Hill was our start, which they made us climb twice.

The starting point was at Brock and the finish was only 15 minutes drive away.  This was a great bonus for the drivers as they didn't have to spend an extra 1/2 hr in the car.

It ended up being a great MTB course with plenty of great singletrack riding.  Hopefully they will run it again next year because if they do, I'm sure we'll be there again.

Marty in the start

Riders making their way up Hydro Hill.  No Black Fly's walking here.

Lake to Lake 2011

HOLY SEIZING LEGS, BATMAN!!!

I heard that one a few times after the race.   Another one was the near-perfect riding conditions.

A couple of teams were entered this year and the team of JohnL, Adam, Cam, ChrisB, and Muller came in 3rd, just a few minutes ahead of the other Black Fly team of Drew, Tony, ChrisL, Will and Fox.  Ian, Stitt and Marty all finished in the top 100. 

Too bad the BBQ portions were a little skimpy since I heard the Drew-man burned over 4000 calories!

Nice riding guys.

Lake to Lake 2010

St. Catherines.  If you were asked what event is the hardest, what would be your answer?  It very well could be the Lake to Lake.
It's long at 50km.
Even when it's "dry", you still end up getting muddy by the end of the day.
The terrain is for mountain bikes yes, but it's not like Albion or Mansfield which have been designed as mountain bike centres.  ATV's and motor bikes use the course they make us race on.  Which means ruts.
It's almost always hot.
Throw in a crash or a mechanical and it can be very discouraging as well.  A test of your mental strength as well as physical. 

But there is a giant lake to hang out in after!

Pre Race Dinner

Lake to Lake

Niagara. M-U-D-D-Y. Ya, that's what you get when it rains for 3 days leading up to a mountain bike race. Don't get me wrong, it was tons of fun out there - slipping and sliding, jumping through puddles, getting covered head to toe with wet, unknown mucky dirt. Tony even described the conditions as "icy". Not too far from the truth.

For our efforts we were all rewarded with a dip in the lake, a huge plate of BBQ goodness, a nap in the park and for some, a podium appearance. Not bad. Not bad at all.


Six very muddy and very happy finishers!


The Drewman with his derailleur-less ride.


Happy Father's Day!


2nd Place - 2 years in a row!

Lake to Lake 2008

June 15, 2008. Niagara. We're back! I don't think I've mentioned that they always run this event on Father's Day. How appropriate. It was pretty cool this year being the defending champs and all but we weren't quite able to repeat our awesome performance from 2007. Second place was still very good, though. It proves we're a force to be reckoned with in future L2L's, that's for sure. We also had an honourary Black Fly in our group in Laura who had a fantastic race and came within seconds of winning the overall women's title. Once again, nice work out there guys!

Lake to Lake 2007

June 17, 2007. Niagara. It was a great day for MTB racing. The weather was hot, but not that humid, and the course was fast and dry. The corporate team was made up of Dean, Stitt, Tony, Fox and Marty and we ended up winning that category by placing 1st out of 19 teams! The prize was being able to keep a beautiful trophy for the following year. And the funny thing was we didn't even know we had won until some time after. A nice surprise, for sure. Our other riders also kicked butt by either having a very strong ride (Denis, Drew & Muller), finishing after a nasty crash (Sandy), or fixing a flat tire (Brenda). I know you've read this before, but an awesome job by all!
Brenda's bike on the top of the pile.

Lake to Lake 2006

June 18, 2006. Niagara. This was a painful one in a couple of ways. Mike had just passed away a few weeks before and he was definitely on our minds and in our hearts. A bunch of us taped his picture to our stems and top tubes for a little extra inspiration. The race was also very hot (30C + humidity) this year, and at the finish I ended up in the First Aid tent due to heat exhaustion and dehydration and, yes I admit pushing myself a little more than I should have. Along the way I found myself riding most of the 50kms with Dean, which was very helpful to both of us. In the end, a tough and emotional day but like always couldn't wait to do it again next year.

Lake to Lake 2005

June 19, 2005. Niagara. Ryan, Julie, Brenda and I decided to stay in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake the night before so we wouldn't have to leave from Toronto in the early hours of a Sunday morning. I think Derrick and his family stayed in the Falls that night, too. Here we are walking through the town, probably making our way back to the hotel. The next day we met up with Mike, Dean, Drew and Derrick at the start line in Port Colborne and raced to another finish on the beach in Port Dalhousie.

Some more mismatched jerseys!

Lake to Lake North 2004

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!

The First Race - Lake to Lake 2004

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.