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!

Today is a great day!

tWell, it's been a long time coming, but today's the day I got my new ride. I just thought I'd share some pictures of the "opening ceremony".

Cheers,
Ryan

Greetings from the new team addition.

Ride for Heart

Today was a great day of riding for Marty, Cam and myself as we completed a 50km stretch on the Gardiner/DVP. The morning was a little cool but with continuous spinning our bodies quickly warmed up. A ton of participants as usual and saw a lot of little ones in their Chariots (can't wait to pull Justin next year). What a great way to spend our Sunday. They should close the Gardiner/DVP at least once a month...hmm, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't go over too well.

Spring 8 hrs

Mansfield. Yesterday Black Fly Racing was one of the best represented clubs at the event with 10 guys racing on 2 different teams. It was pretty cool knowing you had a clubmate out on the lap with you. Both teams worked hard all day and one of us even got on the podium. Marty, Ian, JonD, Denis and Dean were in 4th and 5th place most of the afternoon, and kept closing the gap until we overtook the team ahead of us for a 3rd place finish. What an effort!

The 11km circuit was challenging as usual, with an opening 750 metre climb straight up. The next 5km was fairly "easy" until about the 7km mark where we were hit with numerous steep climbs and technical descents down to the finish line. It was also a little sandy in some parts especially after thousands of sets of wheels went flying through the corners. This resulted in minor crashes by Chris H. and the Deaner.

Cabin #3 was our home away from home where a few of us stayed over on Friday night and the whole group hung out after laps. The weather was perfect with only a couple of drops of rain on Saturday afternoon. This event is defintely a staple in our season and who knows, maybe we'll send 3 teams next year.
Clockwise from top left:

1. Jonny D. at the start.
   
2. Dean flying down to the finish
3. Chris H handing off at the transition.
4. Stitt 1st race after nearly a year off.
5. Denis with his head down at the start.
6. Tony after his first lap
7. Mr. Muller is done.
   
8. "Dirt Face" (not a teammate of ours but a funny image nonetheless!)
9. Ian around the last turn.

Good 'ol Durham

Durham-Glen Major. Not a cloud in the sky today on a sunny, yet cool day at Durham Forest. It's been over 3 years since I rode here for fun (except for races) but for Stitt, it's his new backyard. Lucky guy! We started out on the Glen Major side, went all the way to the bottom before we worked our way back to the cars. After a short break we tackled a little more of the Durham trails and then headed home for some family time and good eats. Nice day!

P2A Cont'd

Here are a couple more photos of the deceivingly nice-looking day. I was uncomfortable enough just spectating and taking pictures. Great Job guys! The two spectators staying warm in the wagon agree (they're just wondering where their buddy Justin is hiding.)

Paris - Ancaster

Ancaster. Yesterday, many of us were tested like never before. Paris, Ontario to Ancaster, Ontario is predominately an easterly direction and the wind yesterday was OUT OF THE EAST by at least 35km/h. This provided for an extremely exhausting day for all racers. Many of us bonked before the dreaded uphill finish and which made it even more painful (you can tell by the body positions and looks on our faces) but in the end, like the troopers we are, all Black Fly's finished and are much stronger by doing so. Great effort lads! Can't wait to do the 35km St.George to Ancaster next year?

Icebreaker 2009 Podiums

Black Fly Racing - 2nd place, Team Challenge!

Dean - 2nd place, Men 40-49 and our old teammate, Keith in 3rd

Denis - 1st Place, Men 30-39

The Icebreaker

Durham Forest. What started out to be a very cold morning ended up being a fairly warm day - thanks to the sun. I think all of us were overdressed because of the early chilliness and during the race we were trying to peel off some extra layers when we could. The course had it's snow and ice patches requiring some extra patience and skill but overall it was pretty "floaty".

The Black Fly's were out in full force today bringing home lots of early season hardware: Our 5 person team came in 2nd overall, Dean finished 2nd in Men 40-49, and Denis won his Men 30-39 category. We also welcomed Ian into our team and he kicked some butt today even after racing in the Tour of Pelham the day before. Good job fellas! For the full results, click here.
Clockwise from the top:

1. Derrick and Drew before the start.
2. Dean, Marty, Justin and Ian enjoying the sun after the race.
   
3. Marty, Drew, Denis, Dean and Jody are ready to race!
4. Marty finishing.
5. The Vanderhoek's
   
6. Jody finishes (on a cross bike!)
7. Ian looking at the end.
8. The Hurricane is blowing through!
9. Post race chat with Dean, Marty and Jody.
   

Roster update

We added a few more guys to the team this spring. Ian will be joining us for a few MTB events this year and Jody will be with us at the Icebreaker tomorrow. Welcome aboard gentlemen!

Now this fellow on the right was tough to negotiate with. He had some pretty specific requests in his contract - warm milk in his bottles, extra-extra-extra small jersey, matching bib, lots of nap time - you get the idea. But I think we'll keep him.

Return of the Black Flyette!

It's been a long time since The Mrs. last pedaled her white MTB with pink highlights - Squeezer '07 to be precise. Today, Brenda and I hit the paths and checked out the Don, which is very dry for this time of year I must report. Totally rideable. We didn't go through the whole trail today - maybe next week, but it was still great to be out. Less than 1 month til Paris-Ancaster!!!

Tactical and Technical Development

This message is brought to you by Denis and Black Fly Racing’s Bike Fitting and Racing Tactics Development Squad.

Do you suffer from lower back or knee pain while on the bike?

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Would you like to learn how pace lines and echelons are formed, and how easy it is to maintain high speeds without wasting valuable wattage or power?

If your answer is ‘yes’ to any of the questions above, then the Bike Fitting and Racing Tactics Development Squad can help. Our intensive bike fitting sessions can identify probable causes for soreness, pain and insufficient pedaling power; and various racing tactics can be taught to prepare any rider for personal success on their next race.

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Two choices at the Rouge: winding fire road or billy-goat up the side

Hills.

Spring time is their time.

An upcoming bike season always makes me think about how brutal and lung-busting the first few hills of the season always are.
Gasping, burning, seizing, and barfing are all likely.

Everyone's got their own hill. The hill that gets in your head days before you're even at the bottom. Who's already thinking about the Paris-Ancaster finish? Albion's Wall? Durham's Sneaky Valley?
Brimley for the roadie in you?

One of my favourites and most hated is the winding fire road at the Rouge (above). It never fails to kick my ass and with spring around the corner...bring on the gasping, burning, seizing, and barfing!

Much needed

Today was a gorgeous day. 4 degrees and sunny in the middle of winter. A long winter. A very long winter. Let's see, since mid November it's been consistently cold with lots of snow in Ontario, preventing us from exercising outside and getting in some much needed km's. Today, Stitt and I headed out to Toronto's Leslie Spit for a ride along the car-free roads and we enjoyed every minute of it - even though it was still only 4 degrees. Thanks for the ride, Ryan.