Paris to Ancaster, Ontario 60K

John Roden

We decided to do a little family outing to the city of Hamilton, Ontario and stay in a swanky hotel and head up to the Paris Ancaster race all rested and ready for this 60K off road race. Wishing to get their money’s worth, the kids decided to stay up all night messing around, and the morning found us tired, grumpy and in the middle of a downtown that must have been a happening place during the Ford administration.

I always dislike the start of this race. There are well over 1000 people hurrying up like mad to get down this narrow dirt road before the trail goes up a steep hill about 15 minutes into the race. This year was typical, with the pack just winding down the road, rocks flying, people trying to move up without enough room, general chaos. I was sitting in about 5th. position, keeping myself out of trouble, when I started to drift back a few spots. Thinking that I needed to move up pronto, I started looking for a hole when some oaf off to the starboard side goes cartwheeling, sending a rider sliding on his bottom across the road right at me. I miss him with my front wheel, but he keeps sliding and takes the bike out from under me and I go down hard and someone else plows into me. I’m lying on the ground waiting for the traffic to clear, get up and knock my brake lever back in place and jump back in the race, bleeding and a tad sore in my sitting region. I am now behind the whole first wave of 200 riders and just hitting the messy sections. Things look pretty bleak for the home team.

I start chasing my way through the field, first we hit a long and windy road section, then some single track in the woods, but I’m still pretty amped and moving my way up. Dan Staffo gave me a new workout this week called an “easy week” which left my legs feeling rather spunky, got to try those more often. After about 15 minutes, I’m starting to really suffer and have worked up to the third large group on the road. We start working together and in time regain the second large group just before we hit the woods again. I ride to the front and try to floor in through the woods and emerge alone with a group of 6 maybe 30 seconds up the road. I’m really starting to tire, but I’m able to finally ride acrost the gap and join my new pals.

Upon joining this group, I see a cast of familiar faces and ask what’s going on with the race and find that we are in fact leading it, well hot dog! Over time, we drop a couple riders and I manage to get myself dropped in short order on an uphill. Now I’m all alone on the windy, soft dirt road just watching the break ride away. Drat. We hit the headwind and the group of three isn’t really killing it, so I’m able to finally get back with the leaders, whew.

For the next hour, we work very nicely together through the windy sections and finally our group falls apart a bit coming down the Powerline mud chute. I’m able to do OK and come out 2nd wheel, but we are caught back in short order by cyclocross star Peter Morse (Jetfuel) with Nathan Chown (Handlebars) riding like a house on fire. In time, Eric Box rejoins and we have 4 again.

The last couple miles are pretty hilly and the final climb is brutal. Eric comes unglued first, then Peter and Nathan light up the final climb and I’m off the back, but lumber in for third, my first time on the podium on about a dozen years doing this race, so I'm pretty happy with my day, especially after the rough start.