Paris to Ancaster, Spring Classic

Paris Ontario

The Boys... settling in prior to Race Start (Photo: Peter Kraiker)

In what was planned by our LDCC Directors as the 2016 LapDogs Race Team and Cycling Club’s Debut Event, this year’s Paris to Ancaster Race featured what is likely the biggest presence we’ve ever assembled at a racing event. With 40 Team and Club members participating in the 70k, 40k and 20k events, its safe to say we had LapDogs everywhere on Sunday. The day was also terrific celebration of the LDCC’s new relationship with Gears Bike Shop, who provided one of their vehicles for the squad to help with racers transportation. 

A hugely popular event in Southern Ontario, The Paris to Ancaster has taken place for the past twenty three years over the roughest farm lanes, trails and gravel roads we can find. Combined with unpredictable spring weather and the largest field of riders assembled in Canada, it has become a classic race experience for everyone from average riders to Canadian Olympians and International Pros. 

Oggie navigates the mud shoot. (Photo: unknown)

This year’s race was hugely popular with well over 2000 participants taking advances of beautiful spring conditions.

Special thanks to all of our 2016 Sponsors: 

• Gears Bike Shop
• Cannondale Bikes
• Georgetown WV
• Mill Street Brewery
• Cherry Bomb Coffee
• Monvida Fitness Studio
• Sugoi Performance Appearal

Additional special thanks are also due to MTB Director, Dan Bandurka, who drove the Gears vehicle and provided transportation and support services for our racers. 

Working hard through one of several farmer's field sections. (Photo: Peter Kraiker)

70k Reace

This years event features 1491 participants in the 70k Race. We had a huge collection of LapDogs doing this race and they all pulled in an impressive collection of results and personal bests.

Male 11-15

• Finally MacEwen, 2nd Place

Male 30-39

• Gus Ryan, 82nd Place
• Sean Poulter, 96th Place

Male 40-49

• Alex Sanchez, 36th Place
• Marcus Schroeter, 45th Place
• Yves Bonnardeaux, 51st Place
• Colin Matthews, 59th Place
• Bevin Reith, 106th Place
• Mark Thurston, 118th Place
• Adlen Bourafa, 139th Place
• Barry Cox, 142nd Place
• Rob MacEwen, 207th Place

Male 50-59

• Marcus Boyle, 7th Place
• Steve Hart, 13th Place
• Oggie Sokolovic, 16th Place
• Ian Ptolemy, 30th Place
• Jouko Haapanen, 51st Place
• Andrew Chan, 112th Place
• James Irwin, 156th Place
• Albert Wong, 312th Place

Male 60-69

• Jean Michaud, 25th Place

Female 30-39

• Lise Munsie, 16th Place

Female 40-49

• Andrea Bowker, 7th Place
• Lenka Branichova, 8th Place
• Robin Kay, 12th Place
• Darcie Watson, 23rd Place
• Naomi Kriss, 29th Place
• Wanda Prochazka, 30th Place
• Sarah Fasullo, 59th Place

Male Single Speed

• Thomas Hughes, 6th Place

40k Race

The 40k race featured 688 Participants. A "small" field when compared to the 70k, but still a hugely popular event. We were very pleased to see Kathleen and her young son Benen pulling in a couple of very impressive results. 

Male 11-15

• Benen MacEwen, 21st Place

Female 40-49

• Kathleen MacEwen, 10th Place

20k Race

This event distance was new for the P2A organizers and was treated as an opportunity for participants to "get their feet wet" and to gain some race experience. The 20km event is self timed so there are no posted results.

• Brenda Zurbi
• Tim Griffin and his son James and father James, did this event together in a celebration of three generations of cycling.  

Cyclocross Provincial Championships

St. Catherines ON

Young Benen takes a well deserved 3rd Place in his rookie season. Team veteran Mark, takes a hard fought 2nd place. (thanks to Rob MacEwen for the photos)

The 2015 Cyclocross season is beginning to wind down as signified by this past Saturday’s Cyclocross Provincial Championship race, held in St. Catherines Ontario. 

True to form, this race course was designed to bring out the best in all who participated. Racers needed speed and power to negotiate a fast track with long straight sections, making it ideal for passing and putting in that big move on the competition. 

Oggie and Steve, pushing the limits and each other. (thanks to Rob MacEwen for the photo)

Racers we also treated to some amazing mid-November weather with temperature well past 10 degrees C under sunny skies. Not exactly the traditional cold, damp and often snowy conditions one normally expect for last season ‘cross racing. 

As expected, your Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Team, were once again a highly active presence at the race and we are very proud to see two of our the “pups” (okay, one pup and one old dog) make it to the podium at this year’s Provincial Championships. Not to be overshadowed, the rest of our squad also put in an impressive collection of results against many of the best in Ontario. Well done all. 

• Benen MacEwen, 3rd Place, Under 13 Men
• Finlay MacEwen, 4th Place, Under 15 Men
• Jean Michaud, 7th Place, Master D Men
• Marcus Boyle, 12th Place, Master C Men
• Steve Hart, 14th Place, Master C Men
• Ogee Sokolovic, 15th Place, Master C Men
• Mike Chalovich, 18th Place, Master C Men
• Kathleen MacEwen, 6th Place, Master Women
• Markus Schroeter, 19th Place, Master B Men
• David Michael Lamb, 20th Place, Master B Men
• Richard Bowers, 25th Place, Master B Men
• Mark Brusso, 2nd Place, Master A Men
• Sean Poulter, 14th Place, Elite Men

Marcus battles his way up the technical climb in true 'cross form. (thanks to Rob MacEwen for the photo)

Vaughan Cyclocross Classic

Vaughan, ON

Kathleen rips it up once again as she has to yet another podium finish (photo by Peter Kraiker)

Only 24 hours after the Baseball Cross, we were very pleased to see the squad fielding a larger team at the new Vaughan Cross race, just north of Toronto. 

As has become the habit of the Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs, we saw the team pull together a fantastic collection of race results... a great finish to a double header weekend. 

• Benen MacEwen, 2nd Place, PeeWee Boys
• Finlay MacEwen, 3rd Place, Minime Boys
• James Griffin, 4th Place, Minime Boys
• David Michael Lamb, 4th Place, Master 3 Men
• Sean Ganann, 5th Place, Master 2 Men
• Rob MacEwen, 11th place, Master 3 Men
• Steve Hart, 14th Place, Master 3 Men
• Tom Griffin, 18th Place, Master 3 Men
• Ciprian Scriuba, 19th Place, Master 3 Men
• Mike Chalovich, 21st, Place, Master 3 Men
• Rick Otway, 35th Place, Master 3 Men
• Jean Michaud, DNF, Master 3 Men
• Kathleen MacEwen, 2nd Place, Master Women
• Sean Poulter, 6th Place, Elite 3 Men
• Alan Reain, 3rd Place, Master 2 Men
• Lorne Anderson, 4th Place, Master 2 Men
• Marcus Boyle, 7th Place, Master 2 Men
• Mark Brusso, 4th Place, Master 1 Men

Baseball Cross, Cyclocross O’Cup #7

Barrie ON

Sean charges up the stairs on his way to the podium (photo by Peter Kraiker)

The Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Cyclocross Squad headed to Barrie Ontario for a rare Saturday Race and participated in the 9th Annual Baseball Cross Race. 

This event has become steadfast fixture on the O’Cup circuit and the ‘Dogs once again came away with a great collection of results. 

• Benen MacEwen, 5th Place, PeeWee Boys
• Finlay MacEwen, 4th Place Minime Boys
• Richard Bowers, 1st Place, Master 3 Men
• David Michael Lamb, 7th Place, Master 3 Men
• Steve Hart, 9th Place, Master 3 Men
• Jean Michaud, 14th Place, Master 3 Men
• Rob MacEwen, 17th Place, Master 3 Men
• Rick Otway, 24th Place Master 3 Men
• Kathleen MacEwen, 2nd Place, Master Women
• Sean Poulter, 3rd Place, Elite 3 Men
• Markus Schroeter, 10th Place, Master 3 Men
• Marcus Boyle, 11th Place, Master 3 Men
• Mark Brusso, 4th Place, Master 1 Men
• Thomas Hughes, 5th Place SingleSpeed Men

Silver Goose, Cyclocross O’Cup #6

Midland ON

The calm before the storm... Rob, Richard and Oggie lining up with the rest of the M3 Men.

Time for a bit of a road trip as our Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs headed up to Midland Ontario for the 6th Race in the Provincial Cyclocross Race Series. 

Our Team put on a great show and once again pulled together a fantastic collection of results… 

• Benen MacEwen, 3rd Place, PeeWee Boys
• Finlay MacEwen, 3rd Place, Minime Boys
• Richard Bowers, 2nd Place, Master 3 Men
• David Michael Lamb, 4th Place, Master 3 Men
• Oggie Sokolovic, 5th Place, Master 3 Men
• Russell Slater, 9th Place, Master 3 Men
• Sean Ganann, 14th Place, Master 3 Men
• Rob MacEwen, 15ht Place, Master 3 Men
• Steve Hart, 17th Place, Master 3 Men
• Kathleen MacEwen, 2nd Place, Master Women
• Sean Poulter, 3rd Place, Elite 3 Men
• Lorne Anderson, 8th Place Master 2 Men
• Alan Reain, 9th Place Master 2 Men
• Marcus Boyle, 12th Place, Master 2 Men
• Marcus Schroeter 17th Place, Master 2 Men
• Mark Brusso, 3rd Place, Master 1 Men

Turkey ‘Cross

Rockton ON

Young Benen on his way to a podium finish. (photo from Rob MacEwen)

Another fall weekend and another great ‘cross race was on the agenda for your Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs. Once again, the squad had a very impressive presence at the race with a large and enthusiastic group. 

The Team had a hugely successful day on the course with six podium spots collected (three from our First Family of ‘Cross..., the MacEwens) and an impressive collection of results by all. 

• Benen MacEwen, 3rd Place, PeeWee Boys,
• Finlay MacEwen, 1st Place, Minime Boys
• James Griffin, 3rd Place, Minime Boys
• Giordano Piccolotto, 16th Place, Elite 4 Men
• Marcus Boyle, 1st Place, Master 3 Men
• David Michael Lamb, 6th Place, Master 3 Men
• Steve Hart, 10th Place, Master 3 Men
• Sean Ganann, 11th Place, Master 3 Men
• Oggie Sokolovic, 13th Place, Master 3 Men
• Tim Griffin, 18th Place, Master 3 Men
• Rob MacEwen, 22nd Place, Master 3 Men
• Jean Michaud, 27th Place, Master 3 Men
• Kathleen MacEwen, 2nd Place, Master Women
• Sean Poulter, 6th Place, Elite 3 Men
• Markus Schroeter, 14th Place, Master 2 Men
• Alan Reain, 15th Place, Master 2 Men
• Mark Brusso, 2nd Place, Master 1 Men

Firemen’s Park Cross, Cross O’Cup #5

St. Catherines, ON

What began as a local grass-roots race has in just 5 short years, become a regular spot on the Provincial Race Calendar. The Firemen’s Cross Race offers up a race courses that is fast and flowing, with several technical elements to keep things interesting. 

Once again, our Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs gathered an enthusiastic squad for this event and together pulled in an impressive collection of results.

• Benen MacEwen, 6th Place, PeeWee Boys
• Finlay MacEwen, 2nd Place, Minime Boys
• Richard Bowers, 4th Place, Master 3 Men
• David Michael Lamb, 5th Place, Master 3 Men
• Oggie Sokolovic. 9th Place, Master 3 Men
• Steve Hart, 15ht Place, Master 3 Men
• Rob MacEwen, 21st Place, Master 3 Men
• Kathleen MacEwen, 3rd Place, Master Women
• Sean Poulter, 5th Place, Elite 3 Men
• Marcus Schroeter, 18th Place, Master 2 Men

Hardwood Ski & Bike SingleTrack Challenge

Hardwood Hills, Barrie, ON

Just when you thought the MTB Season was over for the 2015 season, several intrepid members of your Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs MTB Squad had one more race up their collective arm warmers. 

The SingleTrack Challenge at Hardwood Ski and Bike gave the Team one last chance to race on the amazing trails at this venue in a race that uses the best trails that Hardwood offers. 

• Mark Brusso, 3rd Place, 50Km, Men 30-39 (this is despite breaking a pedal, getting it fixed and jumping back into the race)
• Barry Cox, DNF, 50Km, Men 40-49 (suffered a crash)
• Marcus Boyle, 5th Place, 50Km, Men 50+
• Larry Woo, 5th Place, 50Km, SingleSpeed Men

MEC Hardwood Hills Cross, O'Cup #4

Hardwood Ski & Bike, Barrie, ON

Kathleen, take 2nd Place in the Master Women's Race at Hardwood Hills. 

The long Thanksgiving weekend brought with it some amazingly warm fall weather for cyclocross’s Ontario Cup #4 at Hardwood Hills. Often the scene of Provincial and National mountain bike races, the venue was transformed into a challenging cyclocross race course. 

Features of the course included four forced diss-mounts per laps with hurdles, a double sand trap, a sand climb and a stair climb. Ouch!

While this may have been the toughest course of the ‘cross season so far, it certainly didn’t deter your Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs from putting together a most impressive collection of results, including 5 podiums! 

Marcus and Russell, take two of three spots on the Master 3 podium.

• Marcus Boyle, 2nd Place, Master 3 Men
• Russell Slater, 3rd Place, Master 3 Men
• Oggie Sokolovic, 9th Place, Master 3 Men
• Steve Hart, 10th Place, Master 3 Men
• Rob MacEwen, 15th Place, Master 3 Men
• Mike Chalovich, 27th Place, Master 3 Men
• Sean Poulter, 1st Place, Elite 4 Men
• Stephen Cooley, 2nd Place, Elite 4 Men
• Been MacEwen, 6th Place, Under 13 Men
• Alan Reain, 14th Place, Master 2 Men
• Michael Cranwell, 19th Place, Master 2 Men
• Markus Schroeter, 21st Place, Master 2 Men
• Kathleen MacEwen, 2nd Place, Master Women

Sean and Stephen place 1 & 2, in the Elite 4 Men's race

Track National Championships

Milton Velodrome

Rick flies the colours at the Track National Championships. 

We are very please to have our Track Veteran, Rick Froner flying the colours  for the Duke's Cycle Cannondale LapDogs at the recently held Track Nationals. Rick’s precedence at this event was highly notable as he participated in number of race disciplines and pulled in a great collection of results. 

It was also great to see Rick’s son, Axel participating in his first National Level event. 

Axel Froner

• U17 Team Pursuit – 6th

 
Rick Froner, Master C Men

• 500m TT = 2nd
• Scratch Race =13th
• Individual Pursuit = 5th
• Points Race = 4th
• Elite/Master Men Madison (Partnered with Dan Lefebvre) = 6th

To help give you a better sense of what the Nationals were all about, here is an overview of the races in Rick’s own words… 
 
“It was a fun two days of racing at the National Track Championships. Friday started off with the U17 Team Pursuit for Axel, who, although now racing for the Kallisto Youth Team, still considers himself a Lapdog at heart.  Axel was teamed up in a composite Ontario squad with fellow Kallisto rider Kobe Liberty, NCCH rider Spenser Straughan and Ottawa rider John Stuart. With little to no practice in an event that requires heaps of it, they finished 6th and posted a respectable time in the process. Just an FYI, Axel was granted a Cycling Canada upgrade for this event as he is a U15 racer.
 
The Master C category began with the 500m TT. This is basically just a full out sprint covering two laps of the track from a standing start. I was stoked to finish on the podium, but losing the gold and national title by 2 tenths still stings a bit. I guess there is consolation in knowing I nosed out The Legend for second.  Next up the Scratch race which I fell asleep in and finished a disappointing 13th. That evening I competed in the Points Race and finished 4th.  Although I was tied on point for third, the tie breaker is the final points sprint, which I finished well down in.

Saturday brought the 2K Individual Pursuit and the Madison. I had the honor of being paired with The Legend in the IP, so I was super motivated to set a good time and not get caught. I got a good start, and with Axel calling out my schedule I was able to set 5th fastest time and not get caught. The Legend won, which I attribute to him having a really good rabbit to chase (lol). Last race was the Madison, which I rode paired with my old partner Dan Lefebvre. 30 years previously we had won the Provincial Madison Championships together, but we harboured no lofty ideas of victory or high placings as this event combined Elites and Masters and we were going to be racing against the likes of Remi Pelletier Roy, Jacob Schwingboth and of course The Legend. It didn’t take long for the elites to light it up, so it was a game of survival for Dan and I.

If you have never seen a Madison, I suggest you look it up on Youtube. It is basically a points race, with point sprints every 20 laps, except that it is raced by teams of two riders who sling each other into the race via hang slings or sometimes hip slings. So as one rider on the team races the other rests by riding slowly at the top of the banking. With only 6 teams on the track at the Nationals it was easy to keep track of where my teammate was, and safe as well,  with little traffic to contend with. The 80 laps flew by and it was so much fun to race this event again even though we finished last.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend of racing at a truly exceptional facility. I strongly recommend to all my clubmates/teammates to get out and ride the track. Come to the LapDogs training nights and enjoy the fast, fun times and the laughs. You won’t be disappointed.”

(Writers note. The Legend = Steve Bauer)

Rick Froner

Toronto Cross, O'Cup #3

Centennial Park, ON

A large Pack participates in the Toronto Cross Race. 

Presented by the Midweek Cycling Club, the Toronto Cross Race takes place at Centennial Park, which is also the scene of the local ‘cross community's weekly race series. 

Always a challenging course, this race also featured the infamous and much feared stair run-up. With this event talking place very much in our backyard, the Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs fielded our largest squad of the season to date, including the entire MacEwen Clan… our First Family of Cyclocross. 

Competition at this rase was fierce, but we are very glad have our Team finish the day with a fantastic collection of results, including three podium positions... two of which were for the MacEwen Family! 

• Benen MacEwen, 5th Place, PeeWee Boys
• Finlay MacEwen, 3rd Place. Minima Boys
• Sean Poulter, 3rd Place. Elite 4 Men
• Stephen Cooley, 4th Place, Elite 4 Men
• Russell Slater, 4th Place, Master 3 Men
• Marcus Boyle, 5th Place, Master 3 Men
• Richard Bowers, 6th Place, Master 3 Men
• Ogee Sokolovic, 13th Place, Master 3 Men
• David Michael Lamb, 16th Place, Master 3 Men
• Steve Hart, 19th Place, Master 3 Men
• Sean Ganann, 27th, Master 3 Men
• Mark Montgomery, 34th, Master 3 Men
• Rob MacEwen, 42nd Place, Master 3 Men
• Mike Chalovich, 44th Place, Master 3 Men
• Kathleen MacEwen, 3rd Place, Master Women
• Lorne Anderson, 10th Place, Master 2 Men
• Marcus Schroeter, 23rd Place, Master 3 Men
• Mark Brusso, 6th Place, Master 3 Men

Finlay, Sean and Kathleen... three podiums collected at Toronto Cross. 

That Dam ‘Cross Race

Woodstock, ON

The Big Man, Mark Brusso on his way to the top spot on the podium. 

A small local event taking place in Woodstock Ontario, we only had one racer at this event. Mark Brusso, our ‘cross veteran, put on an impressive race and gave the Duke's Cycle Cannondale LapDogs it first podium of the season with a 1st Place finish, 

Putting the "Lap" Back into LapDogs

Milton Velodrome

The Duke's Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Track Racing Squad has been quite active recently at the Milton Cycling Academy participating in the Tuesday Night Races. Already we've seen some impressive early results from the squad. 

Tuesday September 22nd:

Group C Results

• Sprints – Rob MacEwen 5th,  Dan Bandurka 6th
• Elimination Race -  Rob MacEwen 3rd,  Dan Bandurka 4th
• Scratch Race - Dan Bandurka 4th, Rob MacEwen 6th

Group B Results

• Sprints – Chris Dunbar 7th
• Elimination Race – Chris Dunbar 1st !!

Group A Results

• Scratch Race – Rick Froner  13th
• Elimination Race – Rick Froner 6th

Tuesday September 29th:

Group C Results

• Win and Out - Dan Bandurka, 2nd
• Sprints – Dan Bandurka, 2nd  – Tim Bender 2nd in his heat 
• Elimination Race -  Rob MacEwen– 1st Dan Bandurka, 3rd
• Scratch Race - Dan Bandurka, 1st - Rob MacEwen, 2nd  – Tim Bender 10th

Group A Results

• Win and Out – Matt Deluca 6th

This racing has been heaps of fun and a great way to learn and gain experience for O-cups, Provincials and Nationals

Next up, the Canadian Championships this weekend!

We Need More Cowbell, Cyclocross O'Cup #2

St. Catherines, ON

The 'Cross Squad at "We Need More Cowbell." 

A Fall Classic, the “We Need More Cowbell” race is a favourite for Southern Ontario’s ‘cross community. Featuring a relatively flat course, this race is all about sustained power and speed. 

Your Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs once again had a full squad out flying the colours and together they put in a fantastic collection of results and several "near-misses" on podium positions. 

• Finlay MacEwen, 4th, PeeWee Boys
• Sean Poulter, 4th, Elite 4 Men
• Stephen Cooley, 10th, Elite 4 Men
• Marcus Boyle, 4th, Master 3 Men
• David Michael Lamb, 7th, Master 3 Men
• Steve Hart, 18th, Master 3 Men
• Oggie Sokolovic, 20th, Master 3 Men
• Rob MacEwen, 23rd, Master 3 Men
• Mike Chalovich, 28th, Master 3 Men
• Kathleen MacEwen, 5th, Master Women
• Lorne Anderson, 12th, Master 2 Men
• Alan Reain, 14th, Master 2 Men
• Markus Schroeter, 25th, Master 2 Men

LapDog Wins in Vermont

Vermont

Robyn takes the top step on the podium at the Vermont 50 MTB Marathon Race. 

The Vermont 50 Mountain Bike as started in 1993 by Laura Farrell and just a hand full of participants. It has since grown to over 1300 Mountain Bikers. Folks gather the last weekend of September every year to race this challenging and Vermont-Scenic Course. 

This race is a benefit for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, which was also founded by Laura.

We are very pleased to have our very own Robyn Duke participating in this MTB Marathon Race in which she placed 1st overall in Women’s Veteran Category.

Dirt Squirrel Cross, O’Cup #1

Christie Park, Dundas, ON

The Duke's Cycle Cannondale Cross Squad, enjoying the warm fall weather at the Dirt Squirrel.

And all of a sudden, the cyclocross season is here…

The 2015 Provincial Cyclocross season started this past weekend with a highly anticipated event taking place at Christie Park, just north of Dundas Ontario. Home of the famous Turkey Cross Race, this venue is a favourite for the Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs ‘Cross Squad. The course was flat and fast, with some highly technical twisty corners and a tough sandy beach crossing section that tested the power and handling skills of the racers. 

Our Team looks forward to this time of the year as it brings together members of both the Road and MTB Squads and unites them into combined group for the next couple months of racings. 

The weather for this first event of the ‘cross season was perfect with warm temperatures and sunny skies. If anything, it was actually a bit warm for ‘cross, but no one complained. With this late-summer weather, the post-race treats of chilled Mill Street Beverages was extremely well received by our racers. 

Our ‘Cross Team started the season with a great deal of enthusiasm and put in some very impressive results at this first O’Cup.

Our Team's Results:

• Sean Poulter, 4th Place, Elite 4 Men
• Stephen Cooley, 12th Place, Elite 4 Men
• Marcus Boyle, 4th Place, Master 3 Men
• Oggie Sokolovic, 12th Place, Master 3 Men
• David Michael Lamb, 14th Place, Master 3 Men
• Tim Griffen, 19th Place, Master 3 Men
• Steve Hart, 20th Place, Master 3 Men
• Jean Michaud, 34th Place, Master 3 Men
• Mike Chalovich, 36th, Master 3 Men
• Michael Cranwell, 7th Place, Master 2 Men
• Alan Reain, 11th Place, Master 2 Men
• Markus Schotter, 18th Place, Master 2 Men
• Mark Brusso, 10th Place, Master 1 Men

Paul's Dirty Enduro

Ganaraska Forest Centre, ON

Alex, Barry and Bevin, prior to Paul's Dirty Enduro. Andrea models some fashionable socks. 

Paul’s Dirty Enduro is a unique event founded as a mountain bike festival celebrating life, and a way of discussing suicide awareness and its prevention.  Exceptionally well organized and supported year after year by volunteers and riders alike this year’s 20th anniversary edition was an amazing day.  It’s a full spectrum event with kids races, 15K, 30K, 60K and 100K options for racing.  The pink directional arrows keeping riders on the right track have become an icon for the event and adorn most of the swag -- including sweet long wool socks!
 
Storms threatened leading up to race day which weighed heavy on riders minds after the very wet conditions in 2012 took a heavy toll in DNFs.  However, a little rain is good in the sandy Ganny (GFC - Ganaraska Forest Centre) and heavy rain held off until 4PM so conditions on the day were excellent!  The 100K loop starts with 40K of trails that are normally reserved for motocross bikes -- bring your dynamic bike handling skills and heads up in high speed sweepers for big fun.  Looping back through the GFC the 100K riders head back out on the 60K course which was filled with more singletrack this year than ever before.  The Lapdogs were very well represented at this event both as riders, fundraisers and shelter for the final feedzone crew under one of our orange tents!
 
Fundraising

We are very pleased to see that members of the LapDogs Cycling Club raised a huge amount of money in preparation for this race and were amongst 3 of the top 4 fundraisers at this event. 

• Barry Cox - $3,509.00             
• Claire Humphrey - $1,570.00             
• Alex Bowling - $1,555.00

 
Race Results:

• Alex Sanchez 4th 100K 40+M (8th overall)
• Alex Bowling 11th 100K 40+M (18th overall)
• Bevin Reith 14th 100K 40+M (23rd overall)
• Barry Cox 18th 100K 40+M (28th overall)
• Andrea Bowker 3rd 60K 40+W (30th overall)
• Chris MacFarlane 39th 30K 40+M (84th overall)

Guelph Lake II Sprint Triathlon & Lakeside Sprint Triathlon

Guelph, ON

Jocelyn flies the colours in two back to back weekends of racing. 

Our fledgling Multi-sport Squad continues to gain experience and this time it was Jocelyn's turn to lead the charge for the Duke's Cycle Cannondale LapDogs as she participated in two back to back weekend races -  the Guelph Lake II Sprint Triathlon and the Lakeside Sprint Triathlon. 

Here's an overview of both events in her own words...

Guelph Lake II Sprint Triathlon, September 5th

As I was setting up, I was thinking that I must have chosen three of the hottest days this year to race.

Swim - the water was warm and calm.  My swim felt pretty good - controlled and consistent.  I think I am getting used to group open water swimming.  Being in the second wave helped instead of being in the 3rd or 4th.  There was a very long uphill run to the bike which was "interesting"

T1 - had some trouble with the wet suit, but there were still lots of bikes on the rack when I left so I felt pretty good

Bike - not my day... I struggled which was probably a combination of things but people were passing me that I knew should not have been.  Finally, at 20km, I got off my bike and realized what was wrong and fixed it.  I was able to catch a few people on the last 10km but knew my day was pretty much over.  I think this was one of the hillier bike routes I have done in tris before.  It should have been a better result.

Run - this was my mental challenge of the day as I was pretty PO'd at myself about my bike and feeling really hot.  So, I decided to not give myself anything else to be angry about and just run.  I know this is my weakest of the three but I pushed through and tried to use another runner to guide my pace.  Still not happy with my run but know it can only get better.

I am going to chalk this one up as a true learning experience.  I was 5th after the swim but finished 13th for my category which is just simply disappointing.

Lakeside Sprint Triathlon, September 12th

It was cool and windy, but luckily, the rain held off.

Swim - we started in the water which was new for me.  A couple of minor equipment malfuctions did not really affect me, so was able to keep a good pace and a fairly straight line throughout the lap.  It felt like my pace was fairly consistent with my other races (and the results confirmed it).   I came out feeling pretty good and ready for T1.

T1 - pretty smooth, but loads of room for improvement

Bike - it was an out and back route with a few rollers at the beginning/end.  I was much happier with my bike today, compared to last week, but felt I could have pushed a little harder into the head wind.  However, it felt good to do more passing than watch people pass me

T2 - a little confined at the dismount and then found that someone had moved my shoes and covered my stuff with his helmet and bike shoes.  There was no room on the rack for my bike so had to move down and rack.  I admit it threw me off my game for a split second but then I decided to be mad after the run and not waste anymore time.

Run - finally a run where my legs did not feel like cement blocks...it still didn't feel great, but it was much better.  My one absolute goal was to pass at least one female during the run and I passed 2, so was thrilled.  My pace was much better and I made sure I pushed harder on the last km and through the finish.  I was not beat at the line this time.

I placed 7th for my age and 36th for all females.

Training for 2016 starts this week.  I am susceptible to the power of suggestion so may race longer distances next year.

Thanks.

Jocelyn Stephen

Duke's Cycle Cannondale LapDogs Race Team

Tourism London, Youth Cup Grand Prix

London, ON

Young Finlay and Axel, at speed. 

The Tourism London Youth Grand Prix is the 6th race in the Ontario Youth Cup Road Series. The event consisted of 2 stages for the racers.

Stage #1 was a very fast 1.25 Time Trial for all ages.

Stage #2 was the endurance race. A timed event plus 1 lap on the wide open 1.35km course on Sovereign Road. Organized by the Forest City Velodrome (FCV) and Tourism London, the course tested the racers' speed and endurance. Four wide open corners added to the challenge for the young racers aged 8-16 years old. Over 250 participants from across Ontario participated at this Youth Cup event. 

• Finlay MacEwen, 6th Place, Peewee TT
• Axel Froner, 13th Place, Minime TT
• Finlay MacEwen, 6th Place, Peewee Road Race
• Axel Froner, 8th Place, Minime Road Race

Provincial Criterium Championships

While in London with his son Axel, or Crit Veteran, Rick Froner also had a chance to spend a bit of time on the bike.

• Rick Froner - 9th Place, Master C

MTB O'Cup Provincial Championships

Nordic Highlands, Duntroon, ON

Larry, Dan and Oggie at speed...  (thanks to Peter Kraiker for the images)

With seven MTB O'Cup races now complete your Duke’s Cycle Cannondale LapDogs MTB Squad brought the Provincial Series to a close this weekend with the last race of the season taking place at Duntroon’s Nordic Highlands race course. 

Racers commented that this was likely the best course of the season and aptly suited for the Championship race. Climbing, Rocks, singletrack, views, spectatorship and stunning woods, this course had it all and made for a fantastic venue to bring the Ontario Provincial MTB Race Series to a close for the 2015 season. 

Our Team's Results: 

• Brian Moosie, 8th Place, Master Sport Men 40-44
• Richard Bowers, 17th Place Master Sport Men 40-44
• Michael Chalovich, 10th Place, Master Sport Men 50-54
• Derrick Cho, 16th Place, Master Sport Men 50-54
• Melanie Chambers, 2nd Place, Master Sport Women, 40-49
• Larry Woo, 8th Place, SingleSpeed Men
• Mark Brusso, 3rd Place, Master Expert Men 30-39
• Dan Bandurka, 11th Place, Master Expert Men 30-39
• Oggie Sokolovic, 5th Place, Master Expert 50+

MTB O’Cup Provincial Final Standings

• Bevin Reith, 8th Place, Master Sport Men 40-44
• Brian Moosie, 18th Place, Master Sport Men 40-44
• Richard Bowers, 36th Place, Master Sport Men 40-44
• Andrew McDonald, 35th Place, Master Sport Men 45-49
• Michael Chalovich, 8th Place, Master Sport Men 50-54
• Derrick Cho, 13th Place, Master Sport Men 50-54
• Ian Ptolemy, 18th Place, Master Sport Men 50-54
• James Irwin, 15th Place Master Sport Men 55-59
• Bill Packham, 6th Place, Master Men 60-64
• Melanie Chambers, 3rd Place, Master Sport Women 40-49
• Larry Woo, 3rd Place, Single Speed Men
• Mark Brusso, 2nd Place, Master Expert Men 30-39
• Dan Bandurka, 11th Place, Master Expert Men 30-39
• Alex Sanchez, 20th, Master Expert Men 40-44
• Oggie Sokolovic, 6th Place Master Expert Men 50+

Dan, our MTB Team Director, relaxing after the Provincials with Oggie and Mark. 

While the Provincial MTB Series may have come to a close this past weekend, there are still a few marathon MTB races in the calendar… and in the coming weeks, many of our racers, from both the MTB and Road Squads, will be making the transition to Cyclocross.