Alberta Cross Cup #2: Juventus Cross

I spent virtually the entire race out alone in the wind.

Stop number two on the Alberta cross circuit brought us back up north to Edmonton and the Juventus cross event. Under grey skies and light drizzle 29 riders took the start in a stacked Elite mens event. I had an excellent start this time around and found myself in the top 3 from the gun. Infact I never dropped further back in the field than third place the entire race. Immediately a select group of 5 formed as we sped over the incredible course Bidniak had laid out for us. This course has raised the bar for all organizers this year with its flow, technical bits and variety of challenges. It was a course that truly brought out the best and worst in all of the competitors. There were countless well placed chicanes, fast transitions and finesse sections that did not allow for small mistakes. I was feeling very smooth and powerful early on and found myself firmly in second position with 20s to a ripping fast Tim Heemskerk up ahead and another 20 seconds infront of a chase group of about 5. I managed to retain this position until 1.5 laps to go when a charging Nick Friesen managed to catch me and took me in a couple of transitions where I had difficulty clipping back into my pedals after a running section. In the finale he was stronger than I was, but I managed to hold off the chase group and stepped onto the podium at the end of the day in 3rd. I was happy with the way the race went. This time last year I was getting lapped by the likes of Heemskerk, this year I finished only one minute down on him. It was not a perfect race in that I made many small technical mistakes late in the race due to fatigue and being nervous of the strong chase behind me. I also had some bike troubles with not being able to ride in my 48 chainring on the front, I later found out I had bent two of the teeth right over.

It is great to be able to ride at the front of these events and even better to see the depth in the field this season. Everyone is riding at a different level this year it seems and with the better courses this season things are looking bring for cross in this province.

Thanks to Mike Sarnecki for taking some incredible shots. Unfortunately he is not competing this year due to an injury, in the past he has been one of the top cross riders in the province. All the best to him on a speedy recovery and a successful return to the top of the sport.

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