My experience at Track Worlds!

We arrived in Geneva, Switzerland after a long 7-hour flight with little sleep. Surprisingly enough, I wasn’t even tired...the excitement of being in Switzerland kept me awake!

After we settled into the chalet in the mountains we were staying in, we headed to the velodrome to unpack bikes and took a look at the track we would be racing on in a few days.

First time seeing the track...all smiles from Maggie!

The Track is in a town called Aigle, and the velodrome just so happened to be the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) headquarters, which was pretty cool! 

Unlike the track I was used to in Milton (250m), this track is 200m. The first time we walked in the infield, I was absolutely blown away by the fact that I was at a World Championship event... The energy in the velodrome was unreal and made me so excited to race amongst the best in the world.

We went for a road ride later that day to spin out our legs from the flight. As we biked down the cycling trail, I took in as much as I could of the beautiful views! There was a specific moment where we were riding along a river, with green grass and purple flowers along the path, huge snow covered Swiss Alps up against the blue sky...it was like a postcard!

The next day we had our first training session at the velodrome. Today was a good opportunity to feel out the differences on the track. Since it is a different size than Milton, the corners and straights are also quite different so it was very important for us as a Team Pursuit to adapt to these differences before race day. After training, we went grocery shopping and I found it really interesting to look at all of the different European foods. A Lot of them were familiar to me because of my Dutch Dad and Oma and Opa, which was comforting.

On July 18th, two days from racing, Devaney, Tristan, Alex and I decided to go on an adventure to the Aigle Castle (Château d’Aigle). It was very cool!

On the last day before the first race, all of us girls painted our nails red for Canada and exchanged positive energy and advice. At this point, we were all starting to get nervous, so talking through our nerves and anticipation helped ease the anxiety. If I look back to the first day of the pre-worlds camp in Milton and our relationship then, we have come so far as teammates and friends. I feel so lucky to have become so close with these amazing girls, and am going to miss them a lot. Going into this project I didn’t really know anyone except for my Kallisto-FCV teammate and close friend Nick, but I feel as though I have come out of this experience with so many new connections and friendships with people all over Canada!

Yep, those mountains are real!!!

Team Canada 2016

Finally...the moment we’ve all been waiting for...RACE DAY!!

I woke up early this morning and carried through my normal race day routine…

1. Drink a bottle of water
2. Make coffee and oatmeal
3. Write my intentions and goals for the day in my journal

After this, I went outside, took a couple of deep breaths of the crisp Swiss air and spun out my legs on the rollers while overlooking the mountains.

I packed my bag and we headed to the velodrome!

I had a few hours to kill at the track before my races, so I did some mindful breathing and listened to music to get into “race mode”.

First up, I had the points race qualifier...There were two heats of the points race, with 12 girls in each heat and 9 girls from each heat moving on to the final. I attentively watched the first heat race and got a bit of an idea of speed and racing style.

The qualifier race was not as quick as I thought it would be, I almost lapped the field, crossing the line solo to receive 5 points, which basically secured me a spot in the final. Then the last lap came, and, well……..Let's just say I will be taking a few pieces of the Aigle track home with me..in my butt!

Where else was I suppose to go?????

I think the French girl broke my fall.....sorry!

Despite getting caught in a crash, I still qualified for the finals. The finals was a 100 lap race, which is 20km.

I went into the finals with the same mindset as I did with the qualifiers. I set three goals for myself:

1. Deep breaths on the start line
2. Recognize the fast wheels and stay on them
3. Be attentive and ready at all times for attacks

To be completely honest, by the time I was halfway through the race, my goal was just to finish...so technically I met my goal! ;)

That race was by far the hardest race I have ever raced in my life. I was maxed out the entire time, and by the end of it had given so much that I actually had goosebumps all over my body and started shivering. I have never put my body through so much pain!

And somehow I enjoyed every minute of it!

The next day we had the Team Pursuit finals. I was getting ready for my warm up, and I looked up in the stands to see my cousins from Holland waving at me! It was an amazing surprise to have them travel from Holland to watch me race.

We faced France in the fight for bronze. It was a tough battle, and unfortunately, France came out as the stronger team. It was a bit emotional being so close to a spot on the podium, however, we raced our hearts out and are still extremely happy with a 4th place in the world.

Racing at this level was extremely eye opening. I’m now done racing, I can say I completed my first world championships and had a blast while doing it! This was a life-changing experience, and I learned a lot about myself. I can’t wait to get home and work as hard as I can to be the best I can be.

**Some of the big take-aways***

-Unless you want coffee with a bunch of ice cream in it, don’t order an “iced coffee”....I learned that the hard way ;)

-Knowing this is a major competition, I guess I expected that all the athletes would be ultra focused all the time...but it was amazing to walk by different countries and exchange smiles and even chat a bit!

Thanks to the support of Kallisto-FCV, Ontario Cycling and Cycling Canada for granting me this incredible opportunity. I will never forget this experience and it I know it will help me become an even stronger bike racer and person.

First Pre-Worlds Update!

Hello friends, family and fellow cyclists!

I finally had the chance to write the first update of my adventure to Junior Track Worlds!

The month of June was super hectic, between racing, exams at school and preparing myself mentally and physically for my trip.

Exams at school went well, and I have to say....I'm so lucky to go to such an amazing school. The support from my teachers and principal has been absolutely incredible. As a busy student-athlete, I know that I wouldn't be able to balance training and school if it wasn't for the flexibility of my teachers.  So, thank you Patrick Fogarty CSS, you're awesome!

After exams, I was off to junior road nationals in Gatineau. After pre-riding the course a couple of times with the rest of Team Ontario, I was feeling good about the race!

However...

During the first half of the race, I was caught in a crash and hit my head, cracking my helmet....In the cycling world, cracking a helmet is a big deal because that means my head made a significant impact with the ground. At this point, despite a headache, I got back on my bike and finished the race placing 9th.

After I finished, I didn't feel well, so my parents took me home as I was showing signs of a concussion. I was crushed to have to leave nationals without racing in the time trial or crit, but I was trying to stay positive and think about the bigger picture...junior track worlds in 3 weeks.

I visited a couple of doctors and I indeed had a concussion. This meant a week of rest or rest until my symptoms disappear.

The first thing I thought when I heard "a week of rest" was: OH MAN.  I'M GOING TO GO CRAZY.

But, thankfully I had completed multiple baseline concussion tests, which made it easier for my doctors to understand my head injury. By having a baseline, we were able to better track my symptoms and progression which ended up helping us determine when I was allowed to ride again.

*****NOTE TO ALL CYCLISTS: FIND A PLACE NEAR YOU THAT DOES BASELINE CONCUSSION TESTING AND GO DO IT!!!!!******

I kept telling myself that everything was going to be alright, and my body needed to get better for the pre-worlds camp and worlds. Positive energy = Healing.

Despite the minor concussion scare, On July 4th I was cleared by my  doctor and I am currently in Milton at the pre-worlds track camp. I think taking a week off and having a concussion helped me in a way because it made me realize how EXTREMELY grateful I am to be healthy and able to ride my bike.

Training is tough, but I couldn't be more thrilled and excited to take on the challenge of my first world championships and to be a part of an amazing team.

I don't know how to begin to thank everyone who has made this experience possible. From all of the financial donations to the helpers and supporters of my fundraising garage sale, my teachers, parents and friends, Louis Garneau and Clif...and many many more!

Thank you for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime, I will cherish every minute of it!

GO CANADA!!!!

Stay tuned for more updates

Ali

Canadian Junior Women's Team Pursuit Squad 2016!

Big News!!!

Around this time of year, I would normally write a blog post about how track season is wrapping up, and my mind and body are switching gears (get it? Gears?.....bike joke...) to road season...

However.....

Track isn't over just yet!

This year, I have been selected to represent Team Canada at the 2016 UCI Track World Championships in Switzerland this summer!!!

I couldn't be more proud to represent Canada for the very first time!

It's times like this that remind me of how hard work pays off, as this is something I have been working towards for a very long time. 

All the 5am training sessions before school....long trips to the London and Milton Velodrome.....all for this moment!

This wouldn't be possible without the support of Louis Garneau, Clif Bar, my parents, my Kallisto-FCV p/b Toyo Tires teammates, coaches and many, many others!!!!

I'm so excited about this opportunity, and can't put into words how grateful I am.

Thank you!

Here is the link to my gofundme page:

https://www.gofundme.com/2kdnf584

California and Track Provincials

As much as the average person would not in a million years wish for a farmers tan, a glove tan, and bike shorts tan (mid thigh)....I don't think I have ever been more proud to rock them!

Two weeks in Cali, for me, was like a vacation. Okay, well maybe not a typical vacation...but to me, being on my bike for 5-6 hours every day in the hot sun was about as good as it gets :)
Team Ontario cycling did an incredible job of organizing such a great training camp. Me and about 16 other dedicated  athletes my age, and 3 coaches stayed at  a resort in Ramona, California. The resort had an awesome pool, barbecue, and really great condos! 
My trip to California was also an opportunity for me to practice my independence....this was my first time flying without my parents, and it was up to us athletes to grocery shop and  make our own meals. I took full advantage of this opportunity, as in a couple of years, I will be in university, and this is great practice for what it's going to be like. Over the course of the 2 weeks, I rode over 1000km. As a cyclist, it is very important to put in as many kilometers as possible at the beginning of the season to build fitness. In Cali we not only rode every day, but also did stretching sessions, core, and plyometrics (jumping).

Despite the difficulty of climbing numerous mountains every single day, it's amazing how you can push the pain in your legs aside and just enjoy the moment....for me, 5-hour rides flew by because I was so astonished with the beauty of the sun, mountain views and chatting with people around me. At long, tiring training camps like this, I also learn a lot about my body. I learned that after a ride, I need to take time to stretch in order to feel more recovered the next day. I also need to constantly be eating and drinking throughout the whole ride. During a 100km ride, for example, a cyclist can easily burn 2000 calories, so I made it a habit to constantly eat. Clif Bars were my saving grace...they sit in my stomach really well, and provide instant- yet long lasting energy. I can honestly say...there was not one ride I bonked! 
 During the course of this trip, I created so many new friendships. Going into the camp, I didn't really know anyone too well, but by the end of the two weeks, I  had made new friends, teammates and summer riding partners :)

Ride to the ocean!

Climbed a mountain on recovery day!

How I got through the week....

At the top of Mt.Palomar

Making friends through Clif bars ;)

We might have stopped at muscle beach...........


I arrived back in Toronto on Feb 29th. I couldn't even describe the feeling I felt when I came off the plane and gave my mom and dad a big hug!

I rested for a couple of days, did some yoga with my mom, stretching, and spent a lot of my spare time catching up on  homework. I knew during this week resting was SUPER important, as I had just pushed my body through some pretty crazy stress! Also, in only a couple of days, I will be competing at the 2016 Track Provincial Championships!!!

At this point in time, I really did not know what to expect from myself this weekend at provincials. I had heard stories from older riders that when they return home after long, slow base miles on the road, their legs go through a bit of a "shock" when they come back to the speed on the track. Knowing this, I put no expectations on myself, and just believed that my fitness from California will pull me through the weekend!

Friday morning, my mom, dad, boyfriend Andrew and I left for the velodrome at around 10am. Today, I raced the individual pursuit: one of my favourite events! Mental preparation is key for this event. Since it is only 2km and lasts a bit over 2 minutes, having your head in the game is critical. Believe it or not, My mental prep started the day before!

 Individual pursuits are probably one of the most painful races, and will always be the most painful 2 minutes and 30 seconds of my life. When the time came, my coach put my bike in the start gate and the timer started counting down from 45. The adrenaline and positive energy flowed through my blood with an indescribable volume. 3....2....1....BEEP! Off I went, taking off with one of the best starts I have ever done on the track. Looking at the splits and seeing my coach communicating with me, my first 4 laps (1 kilometer) was slower than all my competitors. However, I gradually picked up my pace, and ended up getting a personal best by a couple seconds! I also ended up with provincial gold! 

This was a very exciting moment for me, not only because of a new personal best, but I am officially a provincial champion for the first time! This feeling lasted all weekend and replaced feelings of exhaustion and fatigue from training in California with confidence and strength. Even my coach periodically teased me about the smile that I couldn't "wipe off my face" :)

Saturday night I raced the scratch race (race where the 1st person to cross the finish line wins, no fancy rules) and my teammate Naomi and I had one of our best races. Communication between teammates is crucial in track races and Naomi and I certainly deserved an A+ in that department! 

Not only did "chatting" throughout our race earn us 1st (Naomi) and 2nd (me), but it seems as though every race we do together strengthens the trust between us, as teammates and friends!

On Sunday, we arrived at the velodrome around 8am, and prepared for the points race that was in the afternoon (60 lap race with "sprints" every 10 laps, points awarded for the winner of each sprint). This was the last race of the weekend, and I was ready to give it my all. I had accumulated a few points during the beginning of the race, and towards the end of the race, I attacked and almost lapped the field! This had been a goal of mine for a long time, and it felt really good to finally accomplish it at a fairly big race.

All in all, provincials was a hit! I guess I race better when I'm completely exhausted? ;)

This past month has been an amazing training block and learning experience for me. There are so many people who worked really hard to make this past month successful- not just for me -but for everyone. 

My mom and dad- for allowing me to go to California and supporting me through provincials.

The OCA for organizing an AWESOME camp in California... and organizing track provincials...round of applause for you guys!!!

Clif- well, you make DELICIOUS ride food and I would not have been able to make it through any of my rides in California without your amazing bars and gels!

All of our awesome Kallisto-FCV p/b Toyo Tires sponsors!

My coaches and mentors at track provincials- Rob and Dave... you never fail to give me solid advice before and after races and guide me to become a better cyclist every single opportunity you see. Thanks so much!

Now prep for Track Nationals starts....Stay Tuned!

Ali

Update!

Happy (late) New Year!!!

I can’t believe it's already February…

I hope everyone has had a great start to the new year, and has set goals for themselves to crush in 2016!!

First of all, I have some super exciting news to share...

I am officially an athlete ambassador for Clif Bar Canada!!!!!!!!

Since Clif bars are one of my most favourite things on the entire planet, I wanted to share that with everyone. Being an athlete I am very in-tune with my body, and only put high quality fuel into it. Clif bars and gels not only taste awesome but help me fuel my body with ingredients I can actually pronounce. So, thank you very much Clif for supporting me and making me an ambassador, I will proudly represent you!

This year, some of my new year's resolutions included practicing yoga, keeping a journal, and reading more. If you know me, you would know that reading isn't necessarily my favourite thing to do...However, I have decided to challenge myself. For Christmas my mom bought me Clara Hughes' book "Open Heart, Open Mind", and honestly, I can barely put it down. Words cannot describe how much I look up to Clara Hughes and how she has had such a positive impact on so many people’s lives (including mine.) So, if you're feeling like you need some motivation and feel like reading about one of Canada's strongest women, physically and emotionally, this is the book for you.

Off the topic of cycling for a moment...

I have entered another new chapter in my life...I GOT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE!

In other words, if you’re driving on the road, WATCH OUT :)

Another new thing I decided to try this year is cross country skiing. I often miss the sunshine that comes with cycling outside, but living in Canada I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of the snow we are blessed with, while getting a workout at the same time! I really like cross country skiing on my recovery days, because it allows me to cleanse my muscles and prep for the next day of training, while getting a workout and fresh air at the same time.

I’ve done a couple of awesome track training camps this year, which all pushed me to CRAZY limits (in a good way of course). Now i’m looking forward to going to California next week for a 2 week endurance camp!

You’re probably wondering…Where does school fit into all of this?

Well, my friends...that is a very good question!

I am going into my second semester of grade 11, and school is very important to me (and my parents of course). I’m very lucky to go to a school with such incredibly accommodating teachers who are on board with wherever my cycling adventures take me. Of course, it gets tough sometimes when I miss days/weeks of school...but as I said, school is important to me and I enjoy it, and I believe it is important to keep it a major priority. (I also plan on going to university :) )

While my mind is being “exercised” at school, I have found that practicing yoga (one of my resolutions) helps me wind down at the end of the day. Yoga also improves flexibility, which prevents injury. Another new method of “injury prevention” we have recently discovered is concussion testing. Unfortunately, concussions are very common in the cycling world, and if me (or my brother, who is a wrestler) were to get a concussion, we want to have baseline information that can help us recover. it’s basically neurological baseline information that can help to understand a concussion and how to treat it. Injury prevention at its finest!!

Thanks Miller Health Centre!

Going into 2016 I’m so lucky to have the support of Clif, Miller Health Centre, all of my amazing coaches, my family, friends and boyfriend Andrew. I see 2016 as being the best year yet!

One more thing...my last new year's resolution is to post on my blog more... I guess we’ll see how that one goes ;)

Ali

(Finally) Summer 2015! :)

I don't think I have EVER had such a busy summer!

No, I didn't spend my summer at the beach...or camping...or sleeping in....but to me, riding my bike brings me just as much happiness as roasting marshmallows does to an 11 year old.

This summer, I competed in a variety of different races and the Ontario-Cup Series.

Starting on Good Friday and Ending on Labour Day weekend, the O-Cup Series consisted of 8 races. Each race, depending on how you place, points are awarded and are accumulated through the series. Despite missing a few races here and there, and racing with older women, I finished 4th in the series.

In July, I was chosen as a member of team Ontario to attend the 2015 National Road Championships in Thetford Mines, Quebec. This was my VERY first road nationals, and it really opened my eyes to all of the talent Canada has to offer in regards to women's cycling. I raced my heart out, (as always) and managed to get a 5th place in the National criterium race. Road Nntionals was also the first time I have competed out of province without my parents...(believe it or not)....and HEY! I survived.

After road nationals was over, my teammates and I headed straight to Rimouski, where we would tackle "Le Tour de la Releve Internationale de Rimouski" (sounds pretty intense, I know). Rimouski is a 5 day international stage race also in Quebec, and is especially known for it's INSANE hills. (One of the 85km races contained more than 1100m of climbing......OUCH). I competed at Rimouski last year, and finished 8th overall. This year, however, I set my goals high and left Rimouski with a Silver Medal in the GC. It was really cool to look back and see how far I've come in terms of fitness and 'race smarts' in one year. For me, Rimouski was the highlight of my summer. All the work I had done leading up to this race FINALLY paid off. The feeling of pride and success is worth ANY hard training session!

When I got home from nationals and Rimouski I found myself saying...

"Well...What now?"

I had spent so much time and energy into the preparation for these two huge events... and now they were over. 

It was a feeling I had never felt before.... I can't imagine how Olympic athletes must feel after the Olympics are done...

So I entered into a few different 'fun' races. Races that didn't count for points, and that there was absolutely NO pressure. I raced in the 'Tour de Terra Cotta', and won. I have done this race for 3 years, and it is one of my favourites. I also raced in the Tour de Via Italia, in Windsor's Little Italy. I had one of the best races of my life here (though results don't really show it [3rd].....). I broke away from the peloton on numerous occasions, and had A TON of fun. 

One of the last races was Road Provincials, in Huntsville. This tough 109km race was full of hills, but was also one of the most beautiful races I've ever done! There's nothing better than racing in the heart of  Muskoka on a summer day. I finished 3rd in the Provincial Time Trial and 4th in the road race. 

In case you're wondering, I somehow also managed to fit in some work... Yep, I'm still working at Webers Hamburgers. Thanks to all you people who stop on the side of highway 11 to buy burgers, at the end of the summer I was able to buy A BRAND NEW TRACK BIKE!!!!!! (very exciting, I know). 

Right at this very moment, I'm sitting on my bedroom floor drinking peppermint tea out of my mug that has bikes all over it. Now that I think back to the amazing summer I had, I realize that it wouldn't have been nearly as awesome if I hadn't been supported with all my family. I don't think there was one race this summer (with an exception of Road nationals) that I didn't have a family member at the finish line to give me a hug. You can have the best bike in the world, and win every race, but if you don't have family or friends or teammates there to share that moment with you...is it really that special?

So, a big THANK YOU goes out to everyone who has made this the most awesome summer in the books!

Cathedral Hill...2km and 12% Grade......

An Intense TT shot...

I'm back!

I realize it's been way too long since my last  post....I really need to work on getting better at this whole blog thing...

Well ladies and gentlemen, it's been a super busy last couple of weeks! I recently finished my last exam of grade 10, and summer has officially begun! 

I'll start with the training camps I've been to lately...

At the end of May, I attended the 2015 OCA Grey County endurance camp. Over the course of 5 days, we rode over 500km, the longest ride being 141km. Yes, you read that right! 141km of mountainous climbing in the beautiful Collingwood, Ontario. I took a week off of school and rode every day with a group of about 10 other cyclists. Not only was the cycling great, but we also had access to nutrition support from Anne Guzman (former pro cyclist/holistic nutritionist) and sweat analysis testing from Heather Sprenger (former pro cyclist). What's a sweat analysis test you ask? Well, before one of our rides, Heather put a patch on our forehead that "collected" our sweat as we rode, and we weighed ourselves on a scale. Then, at the end of the ride, Heather collected the samples, we weighed ourselves again, and she  took the samples to a lab and analysed them to determine how much we sweat, and how much sodium we lose while we sweat. This information can help us know exactly how much electrolytes and water we should be taking in while biking. In a 75km bike ride, I sweat 2.2L......gross eh? 

On Friday, June 19th, I raced in the Kitchener/Waterloo Twilight Crit. (If you didn't know, a "crit", or "criterium" is a type of race that is a short, closed off circuit. Great race for spectators to watch!) The crit took place in the heart of downtown Kitchener, so as you can imagine, it was very exciting. Now, this crit wasn't just any crit. My teammate and I decided we felt like a bit of a challenge....so we entered into the pro women's race. We were challenged alright...the average speed was 39km/hr. (FAST)

Here we were, Ruby (my teammate) and I, 16 year old girls...racing with women who are 25-40 years old with years and years of racing experience. 

After the race, Ruby and I realized how much we could actually push ourselves while put into a situation of crazy fast racing. We both realized that experiences like this make us better cyclists! And hey, Ruby ended up 10th place and I ended up 6th! Not too bad for a couple of 16 year olds! ;)

After the race, I headed to Waterloo for a weekend training camp. The purpose of this training camp was to practice the skills that can help us excell at bigger races. (In our case, Road Nationals and Rimouski). This camp was super hard. Not nessisairly long rides, but like 75km intense rides with lots of intervals and sprinting.

As of right now, I'm packing my things up for Nationals and Rimouski. I'll be gone from June 30th-July 13th, so stay tuned after that for another post! Thanks for reading,

Ali

Special thanks to the Speed Shop in Dundas for your awesome service and help with my TT bike!