Heart of The Rockies Triathlon

Once again, we had a great time at the annual Heart of the Rockies Triathlon in beautiful Invermere BC. We had excellent results with Cameron Hyder taking 8th place overall. Cam had a great swim and a solid bike ride and held his own during the challenging and hilly run. With over 190 participants, an 8th place finish is very solid!

The team results were as planned as the dynamic team of Smith-Goralski-Nighbor tore up the course and placed well ahead of the 2nd place group. Tony Smith took time out of his busy Sunday and drove up to Invermere from Canmore first thing in the morning and blasted through the water to come out in 4th giving Joel Goralski a head start on the Bike. Joel set a hard pace from the get go and passed two riders early on the course and then held his lead to the end and got the quickest bike split as well as bested his last year ride by over 3 minutes. Dave Nighbor, who was a last minute replacement for Niklas Team member Brian Green (who was on the sick list), had an amazing sub 40:00 run which sealed the deal for Team Niklas.

Young Hearts Triathlon

This year was the first time for the Young Hearts Triathlon. Daniel King (10 years old) competed on behalf of Team Niklas and did a fantastic job for his first triathlon. His favourite part was the bike and his least favourite was the swim (FREEZING!).

Annual Campout and Potuck at Fairmont Hots Springs

A special thank to all the employees and fans of Niklas Group who came out and cheered us all on as well as took part in our annual potluck dinner at the Fairmont Hot Springs Campground.

The potluck was fabulous and there was so much delicious food to go around. People are already talking about next year!

Stampede Road Race

We had racers all over at different events this weekend. However, we did have two riders (David Pick and Darren Nielsen) out for the Masters Road Race. Here is the race report from David Pick:

Darren and I did the Stampede RR on the weekend. We were in the 40-49 category with 20 other riders. This was a hilly course: 4 loops of 25km.

The weather was great and the winds fairly calm for that area (around Madden). The pace was pretty quick right from the start and, unfortunately, Darren cramped up almost from the beginning. I managed to stick at the front of the peleton which was down to 10 guys by the end of the first lap. We stuck together until the start of the last lap when Gary Alexander picked up the pace and blew up the race. I could only stay with him for about 2-3 km (Gary is a former semi-pro racer, although he recently had back surgery). By then, almost everyone else was gone out the back.

I hooked up with a Calgary Cycle rider and we worked together to try to catch up with the 3 guys ahead. With 500m to go, I dropped the Calgary Cycle guy and caught the third man on the road and passed him with 200m to go to finish in third. Gary won the race by a wide margin (sandbagger!). That was a great result for me (unfortunately no points as this was a masters race). Darren struggled mightily but had to pull out after the third lap due to leg cramps.

Provincial Hill Climb Championships

HUGE congratulations to Darren Nielsen for spanking the CAT 5 field at this weekend Provincial Hill Climb Championship at Mount Norquay. Darren posted an impressive 14:56. Kudos to CAT 4 Stephen Lund who came in 4th with a time of 16:03. Stay tuned for a more thorough recap of the event. Click HERE for FULL RESULTS

Iron Man Canada August 30 2009

Jane McCurdy

To do list:

Swim 3.8 km

Bike 180 km

Run 42.2 km

Sunday August 30, 2009- Up at 4:01 am. I needed that extra minute so I wasn’t getting up at 4:00. 4:01 is mentally easier to accept. There were 5 of us in the house getting breakfast and getting our last minute things together for the race. We were out of the door by 5 and at transition at 5:30. After pumping up my tires, I gave the volunteers my special needs bags for the 120 km point on the bike and the 21 km point on the run, and added last minute things to my transition bags.

I headed to the beach at 6:40, just in time to hear “Oh Canada” and see the pros start at 6:45. I met up with some friends and headed into the water to start the swim. The water was warm and I was concerned about overheating in my wetsuit. To regulate my temperature I loosened the neck of my wetsuit so I would get some water flow from the lake. The gun went off at 7 and I together with 2800 athletes started the 3.8 km swim. The beginning was absolute chaos as each person fought for their space in the water and tried to keep their line. I had athletes swim on top of me, punch me in the face (knocking off my goggles), elbow me, and kick me. I tried to find my space and get into a rhythm which worked well until the next swimmer got into my space. Although the aggressiveness did not cease for the entire swim, the time went by really fast. After 1:08.33 I finished the swim in 22^nd place. Swim 3.8 km- check.

Running into the transition area, I grabbed my transition bag, and went into the women’s change tent and changed into my biking gear. My transition plan was well practiced the day before and the transition went smoothly. After grabbing my bike, I raced out to the “mount area”. Starting off with my bike, I had a great tail-wind carrying me out to Osoyoos (60 km mark). My heart rate was quite high from the hype of the swim and the transition so I worked on getting it down before starting to eat. The bike ride to Osoyoos was relatively flat and fast. It allowed me to bank some time before starting the hilly section- Richters Pass, the rollers, and finally Yellow Lake. The bike ride went quite smoothly and I was able to regulate my temperature by pouring ice cold water on myself at the aid stations. The volunteers and spectators cheering on the course were amazing and their encouragement was very motivational. After 5:45.58 I was finished the bike in 9^th place. Bike 180 km- check.

Once again at the transition area and I gave a volunteer my bike, grabbed my transition bag, and ran into the transition tent. I got ready for the run and headed out on the course. The run felt surprisingly good and I was really pumped knowing that I had a good ride and was on the last leg of the race. I was forewarned not to go too fast at the start of the run and burn myself out. My watch tracked my pace and I made sure I did not run faster than an 8:30 mile. This was hard to do with all the adrenaline I had and all the spectators lining the streets and cheering for the athletes. The run had its highs and lows but besides some aid stations and hills, I only walked once between two lamp posts. With the walk breaks I maintained about a 9 min mile pace. After 3:59.16, I finished the run in 3^rd place. Run 42.2 km- check.

My final time was 11:00.51 giving me a standing of 3/73 in my age division. This final standing allowed me to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona and I plan to participate in the World Championship this October.

Overall, the Ironman was a great experience and I met my goal of smiling throughout the race. It was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone. With the proper training, it is totally obtainable.

Special thanks to all the support I received from Team Niklas, Coach Cal from Critical Speed and my Critical Speed teammates for the 100’s of hours of training together. In addition I want to thank the amazing “See Jane- Run, Bike, Swim” cheering squad- consisting of my parents from Halifax and friends from Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary.

Masters Road Race – August 30, 2009

Results in brief:

Master A (16 racers): Darren Nielsen – 8th

Master B (37 racers): Stephen Lund – 9th; Bryon Howard – 15th; Joel Goralski – 20th; David Pick – 21st

The Masters Road Race last weekend was a blast…a 20-40 km/h blast straight out of the south, that is. Crosswinds and headwinds were the order of the day, and they did a superb job of shredding the field…not to mention the spirit of many a racer. Still, all Niklas Group riders showed real grit and true character, finishing the race despite a variety of challenges.

Post-race Analysis

MASTER A

Darren Nielsen was the sole Niklas Group jersey in the Master A race, and he did the team proud with a fantastic 8th place finish. His sentiments about the race pace echo those of most of our Master B riders: "I was expecting to ease into the race. I wasn't prepared for the blistering start. I soon got dropped, but I knew at that pace more people would be dropped as well." Working both individually and with other dropped riders, Darren managed to reel in a number of other racers and splinter groups. When he found that the riders he was working with weren’t pulling their load, "I dropped them, Contador style." Darren's top-10 finish was a terrific result...especially considering he managed to top a number of Cat 2 and 3 contenders.

MASTER B

After the 'neutral' first five kilometers, the frontrunners in the Master B pack broke out hard. The crosswinds along Highway 574 as we headed east were divisive; and with the pack leaders hugging the gutter, there was simply no way to ease into a slipstream. Not surprisingly, the field of 37 broke apart early. Here are some individual accounts of the Master B experience:

Joel Goralski

"Despite the usual nervous apprehension, I felt good and decided to go for it and try to stick with a break. I managed to latch on, but it was virtually impossible to get a spot in the top of the pack. I ended up falling back a bit where I could get some respite but that ended up being to my detriment as a few of us got caught snoozing on an attack. A Herculean effort got me back into the pack, but before I could catch my breath another attack dropped me off the back." Like Darren, Joel worked on and off with small splinter groups, found his rhythm, overcame a fleeting urge to call it quits, and finished with a strong climb and sprint to a 20th place finish.

David Pick

"Things didn’t start out too well for me: I got spat out halfway through the first lap! I hooked on to a group of four, and about 10 km later a Dead Goat rider and I shed the others and we gradually started picking up other riders who had been shed from the leading pack. Heading north with a tailwind, the group got going about 55. With my compact crank set, it was all I could do to spin fast (probably 120-some RPM) and keep up. When we turned the corner, the crosswind caught me and I was on my own again. Shortly thereafter, another group came up from behind and we worked together for about a lap. With about 20 km to go, on the south leg near the downhill, a car behind us honked. It startled the rider behind me, who went down hard. His handlebars found their way into my rear spokes, completely shearing off one and cracking three others. We waited a few minutes for a wheel van but eventually decided to carry on. Heading back, Joel caught up with me and we rode together for the last half lap. There was no one we could catch and no one behind us so we just plugged along at a reasonable pace. Thankfully my wheel held together but I had major leg cramps, having run out of water. Getting up that last hill at the finish was killer!" Leg cramps and broken spokes notwithstanding, David finished in a very respectable 21st place.

Bryon Howard

"I loved the race...and the idea of racing as a team. I was about 15 km in and knew Stephen was ahead, but I was uncertain where Joel and David were. At the first SE corner the lead group went. I considered chasing...and started...but then held back. At this point, my heart rate was beating about 175. I slowed and was quickly joined by a small group, which I considered letting pass…but my solo tri-athlete mentality wouldn't allow it! I hung on (and occasionally took my turn) until about 90 km. Finally I let them go...and met a nice fellow by the name of James Ritchie (who incidentally is almost my neighbour). I felt really tired, so it was good to talk for the final crawl to the finish line. After that 102 km, I was happy there was no run!"

Stephen Lund

"I knew the stronger riders were going to be immediately aggressive, so I negotiated a spot near the front of the pack right at the start. When the break group went, I followed; and I managed to stay with them for a lap and a half. On lap 2, I found myself at the back as the group rounded the SE corner. The fellows ahead of me lost the leaders' wheels, and the one-metre gap quickly doubled and doubled again. Suddenly, with 40+ kilometers left to go, I was in no man's land! I felt strong (if not a bit lonely) riding west and then north, but as soon as I hit the easterly stretch at the start of the final lap, the winds sucked away my fighting spirit and I seriously considered packing it in. That’s when I met up with Bow Cycle's Donnie King. We worked well together through the crosswind and, after the NE corner, the demoralizing headwind. We were both completely deflated at the SE corner but I found new legs heading west and managed to surge ahead and hold a meager lead over Donnie to the finish line. Though it was far from a podium finish, everyone who finished ahead of me was either Cat 1/2 (4 riders) or Cat 3 (4 riders). The next three who finished behind me were also Cat 1/2 or 3. So I'm pretty happy to have been the first Cat 4 across the line...and to have beaten a number of higher ranking rivals."

Importantly, we all got much more out of the race than just aching bottoms. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other and can use the experience to formulate an airtight strategy for 'next time'.

A big thanks to Henk Koning for manning the feeding station, sharing his racing wisdom and offering his words of encouragement during and after the race!

Congratulations Jane McCurdy - Ironman Canada

A big congratulations to Jane McCurdy for her stellar performance at Ironman Canada in Penticton BC. Jane had a fabulous race that included a stellar bike ride and awesome run which placed her 3rd in her division and in the top 15% overall. Jane also qualified for Kona and will be representing Team Niklas in Hawaii on October 10th at the Ford Ironman World Championships

Jane's splits are as follows:

SWIM 1:08:33
BIKE 5:45:58
RUN 3:59:16
TOTAL 11:00:51

The team is very proud f you Jane!!!

Jay Lap Weekend | Summary of Results

Thanks to Joel and David for their post-mortems on the August 22+23 racing extravaganza. I'll add to their accounts with a summary of Team Niklas results.

PROVINCIAL ITT

Cat 5

Ryan Barr: 54:37.40 - 8th place (out of 32)

Ian Dewolfe: 55:09.70 - 10th place

Master B

Stephen Lund: 53:51.70 - 4th place (out of 10)

As he mentioned below, Joel’s plans for a strong finish in the TT got deflated by an untimely flat tire just past the halfway point. Shame, as he'd been on pace for a top-ranking time.

CRITERIUM

Among the field of 30 Cat 5 competitors, Joel claimed an impressive 5th place finish, David was 9th across the line and Ryan finished among the top 50% with a 14th place showing. Unfortunately, Ian crashed on the treacherous west corner of the crit course during his warm-up, and his stiff shoulder and rattled noggin impelled him to withdraw from the race after just a few laps.

In the Cat 4 crit, Stephen should have heeded Ian's warnings about the sketchy west corner. He went down hard on the third lap (right in front of his children and in-laws); and while he managed to dust himself off and get back in the race, a time-keeper miscommunication pulled him back from the pack and he ended up in a long, lonely ride to a 15th place finish. (On the bright side: his kids now think he's an indestructible superhero!)

ROAD RACE

David has provided an excellent overview of the Cat 5 road race in his blog entry below.

For Cat 5 and Cat 4, the story was pretty much the same: thanks to the relatively flat terrain along Stoney Trail, every attempted attack came to an unsuccessful end, and both races concluded with mass sprint finishes. Largely tuckered out from their Herculean efforts in pulling the pack for most of the race, the Cat 5 fellas finished as follows:

Ian DeWolfe: 10th

David Pick: 18th

Darren Nielsen: 20th

Joel Goralski: 23rd

In Cat 4, Stephen Lund emerged from the pandemonium of the final sprint in 9th place.

In addition to some respectable finishes and solid learnings during the Jason LaPierre Memorial Weekend, Team Niklas earned some well-deserved kudos for their hard work and great sportsmanship. Most notably, our Cat 5 road racers (Joel, David, Darren and Ian) got plenty of praise (including recognition on the Speed Theory team blog) for pulling the pack along for most of the race; and in Cat 4, Stephen received enthusiastic post-race words of thanks for offering to share his water with a bicisport rider who lost both his bottles to the bumps beneath Country Hills Boulevard. It's great that along with our skills and our strengths as racers, Team Niklas is developing a reputation as 'good guys' among the cycling community.