October 30/02 10:05 am - CC Store, Rona, 'Cross Photos, Crash Video, McQuaid 9th

Posted by Editor on 10/30/02
 

CC Store Update

We are now taking orders for a number items in time for Christmas delivery. 2002 Spring Classics DVDs and videos (VHS) are available now, orders are being taken for the 2002 Tour de France. Also, orders for the 2002 Graham Watson calendars are being accepted. Only limited numbers of both the Tour de France and Watson calendar will be available for Christmas delivery, so place your orders now.

The CC Store has also added a number of training and fitness books from Human Kinetics, and Giordana winter clothing is back in stock.


Rona Issues IPO

Home improvement retailer Rona Inc. raised approximately $150 million in its initial public offering ($13.50 per share). Rona is one of the few companies to enter the IPO market recently, given the current uncertain market conditions. Rona sponsors the Rona women's cycling squad, led by Genevieve Jeanson. They have also been sponsors of a number of cycling events in Quebec, including the Montreal Women's World Cup.

Durham Cyclo-Cross Classic - Whitby, ON October 27th

Chris Redden sent us some photos from last Sunday's Senior men's & Master A men's races.


Nationals Vet B Crash

We have been sent a short video clip of the finish line crash from this year's Vet B Men's Road Race. You will need some sort of player to view it. It is a 2.2 Mb file, so we will be monitoring how many downloads (and how much bandwidth) it takes. If there is a problem, we will remove it.

Video Clip


McQuaid 9th at Xterra Worlds

Melanie McQuaid sent in a report from the Xterra World Championships, in Wailea, Hawaii.

This is a little tardy, but when you are chilling in the warm tropical breezes of Maui, a calm lethargy settles in, and nothing seems too pressing. Given that this past race was not my best of the season, in fact the worst, I took a day to regroup before sending out my end of the season thank you's and race recap.

As many already know, I took ninth on the weekend after a very rough day at the races. To say that the day was disappointing is a gross understatement. Candy Angle (USA) had her best Xterra to date taking first, with Jamie Whitmore (USA) second and Shari Kain (USA) in third. With torrential rain having done a number on the bike course, the Team Unlimited crew had to work on rebuilding the bike course, and the result was a fast, green racecourse. Record times were recorded for the bike and run, and some fast overall times resulted.

For me, I had a great start on the swim, in fact rounding the first buoy in front of Raleigh Tennant, the eventual swim prime winner. I tried to stay on her feet, but she was too speedy for me.

I headed out on the bike feeling like I was going to stomp a mudhole, but not far into the race I felt really poor on the bike. My time ended up being 15 minutes slower than I have raced, on a faster course, so some problems were happening. I discovered that I had set my rear shock up improperly, essentially riding it in a locked bottomed-out position, which resulted in a lowered "chopper" position. Given the rocky, rough course, a lowered bottom bracket didn't help with clearance, and it was a tough go bashing my feet on rocks the whole way. But on the positive side, the new Shimano XTR was awesome, the disc brakes worked beautiful, and I didn't get any flats.

My run was ok, but after such a nightmare on the bike, I was just running to finish. I think I thought I was more wrecked than I was on the bike, and felt actually not too shabby on the run, but by that time my head was already on next season, and I was finishing because that is what I came there to do.

So, not the end of the season I was looking for. Between illness in Tahoe, and some health issues on Maui, coupled with some errors with my equipment, there was room for improvement. But I did finish in the top 10 every race, podium for every race of the USA series, second overall in the series, took my first win and had some great learning experiences, and it was a good year when taken in its entirety. I have shown I can be consistent, and some consistent results are definitely the goal for next year, along with a lot more winning :-).

I would like to thank Houshang Amiri for helping me put together an amazing program this year, year one of a three year plan, and I look forward to building on this years gains to be even better next year. Thanks to Neil Harvey for pulling my swimming together when it looked like it was falling apart. To Saucony, for being behind me every race of the season, and even being in the medical tent when I was keeled over unconscious. To Powerbar, Freestyle watches and Sundog Eyewear, for supporting me throughout the year, and cheering me on and following my racing with such enthusiasm. To K2 bicycles, for stepping up when I needed help and coming through with such amazing support, not just for me, but for the sport of "Xterra" racing as well.