Friday, Nov. 4: Emily, Adam and I pack the car and head down to preview the Nationals course. It was really nice to only have a one-hour drive meaning we were able to do this course inspection the day prior. I find riding the course the day before the event very helpful because it gives you a chance to really get a good feel for lines and a chance to practice the difficult sections, not to mention it helps with getting in the zone and plan your tactics.

After my ride was done and catching up with some people I hadn’t seen in a long time it was back on the 401 to fight the southern Ontario traffic. At home there is bike washing, tuning, and repacking followed by a nice family dinner.

Race day. I know I have said this a lot in my blogs but we were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day, could not have asked for a better fall day for our Nationals. After getting a few laps on the course to see if anything had changed from the day prior I set up my rollers alongside Adam Morka facing the course so I could cheer my sister on as she rides to her first Canadian Cross title.

Warm up is done and it’s time to roll down to the start line. Called up fifth giving me a front row start (first of the season ) gave me the opportunity to take the hole shot. I wanted to be either first or second going into the first wooded section to avoid traffic in the first tight corners. Coming out of the woods I retook the lead and found myself with a several bike length lead. It wasn’t my plan to go off the front right from the start so I didn’t really push to force a gap.

On the first couple laps there was a several man lead group. I made sure not to fall back more than a couple wheels to ensure I could react to attacks that would come. About halfway through the race Sheppard saw an opportunity to make his move and during his dig I made a mistake on an off camber corning, putting me on the ground. I stayed calm and got things back together as quickly as possible and rejoined the lead group. By this time Sheppard had a few second lead but I was determined to not let this be the winning move so continued to keep the pace high because in cyclocross a few second gap can be closed if someone dabs or makes a mistake. Rounding out the last couple laps it was down to Aaron Schooler and myself battling for silver and bronze. Trying a couple time to break free of Aaron and him being able to match my attacks it was going to come down to a sprint for second. Coming out of the last corner I was leading Aaron and kept an eye over my shoulder waiting for his move, when he went I reacted as hard as I could clinching the silver medal.

I came to this race to win but come home with second, and feeling I rode a very strong and tactical race. After the race it was off to the Deadmau5 concert for a night of good fun and loud music. One more weekend on the calendar In Louisville Kentucky for the USGP.

— Mark Batty

Click here to watch the video

When the decision was made to go to Beacon Cross in New Jersey there was nothing but sun in the forecast. A day before heading down I take another glimpse of the weather and, sure enough, they’re now calling for 20-30mm of rain, and they were not lying. I wake up Saturday morning to the rain really coming down, this did not let up once all day or until it turned to snow.

Fortunately the course was in a very sandy area so there really wasn’t too much mud to slug through. But with the amount of rain that had fallen it made for axle-deep puddles almost the whole way around the course. It seemed to be a race for a boat. I am happy with the out come of the race and with how strong I finished: I think the last two laps were my strongest with picking two guys off and placing me 9th.

Sunday we woke up to a few inches of snow on the ground. Mentally prepared to do another mud bath we head over to the venue, pull in the parking lot, turn the car off, sit and stare at the course with no words said. A few minutes later my travel partner Peter Glassford says “umm Mark, were not really getting out of the car?” After a few minutes of talking we decided it wasn’t in our best interest to start this race with Nationals in mind next weekend. Instead we went for a ride to spin the legs out before the trek home.

– Mark Batty

Last Sunday was the Barrie Cycling Baseball Cross. Unfortunately there was no baseball playing, just full-on cross racing. The venue was amazing and so was the weather. The course was mostly flat with a very traditional steep grind making rest hard to find. I really enjoyed this course and it fitted into my schedual perfectly for training.

I went into this race with training in mind especially with it being the final day of a block. Starting last row to practice making my way through the crowd and with 30-ish starters made for one of the bigger elite fields I have seen in Ontario. It took a little time to make my way to the front and with a very solid effort I found my self making contact with the leaders towards the end of the first lap. From there I started to fade — the week of training was taking its toll, this is what I wanted and what was expected.

I have taken a few days’ rest now and am packing to make another trip down to New Jersey for the final two races before Nationals in Toronto on Nov. 5. Prep is coming along nicely …

— Mark Batty

Another early morning, another 10-hour drive and another great weekend of racing. Granogue Cross located in Wilmington, Delaware, presented itself with sunshine, blue skies and high teens for temperature, this I was excited for. A nice dry course for a change made for easy tire selection and not hours of work cleaning up

Called up third row with an outside lane made for an excellent start, being able to move up on the outside. Towards the end of the first lap I found myself in the lead but didn’t want to be there alone. It wasn’t long for Justin Lindine to bridge across and we began to lift the pace. Midway through the second lap I unfortunately dabbed once losing Justin’s wheel and not long after a crash on the descent granted Justin an advantage of several seconds. With this holdup I was caught by teammates Troy wells and Mitch Hoke. We road most of the race together taking turns on the front and trying to bring back Lindine. Unfortunately Lindine was too strong to reel back but I put in an attack with one-and-half laps to go and broke free from Mitch finishing second. First UCI podium of the year!

Full results here.

Day 2. Same call-up but not as good of a start. I found myself a little boxed in and took about a lap to get the position I wanted to be in. The course this day was full gas the whole way around with very little rest. Little gaps seemed impossible to close. I was riding with Travis Livermon for the first few laps and he managed to get a couple second gap on me and I was unable to close it. I continued to push on and chase as hard as I could. With a clean race and little mistakes I pulled off a fourth.

Full results here.

Coming home with a successful weekend keeps the motivation high for the upcoming Canadian Nationals on Nov. 5.

— Mark Batty

Writing about the Gloucester races is a little more difficult due to a little bad luck I encountered over the weekend. My first mistake was not applying my Lower Back Spider. I thought I could get away with out it but I was proved wrong. Day one I had a fantastic start moving from the fifth row to the top 10. slowly but surely my back got worse and worse, almost as if someone was digging a knife into it. I continued to chug along on the back-wrenching course.

Luckily most of the big cross races are two-day events so if things don’t go well for you the first day you get a second chance. So I was eager to take advantage of this and learned from my mistake on Day 1.

Day 2 again a fantastic start and with the rain starting to make the course greasy it was good to be near the front avoiding the crashes and bottle necks happening in the bunch. Half way through Lap 2 and feeling great I pass the pit zone and enter the next corner. With the course being slippery and a fence at the exit of this corner I wanted to use that fence to stop me from washing out. With my luck as soon as I went near that wire fence my front tire went flat immediately. I now have half a lap to make it to the pits. After dropping several positions with having to limp along I get my spare bike and can start racing again and managed to make my way up to finish 28th.

I make my way home disappointed that I didn’t achieve the results I had hoped for but I do walk away knowing the fitness is there. Now its home for a weekend and will be racing in my home town in Durham

— Mark Batty

Mark Batty plugs away through the mud on the weekend.

For the next two months, Mark Batty will be flying the Team SpiderTech p/b C10 flag on the North American cyclocross circuit. Mark reports on his first weekend of racing:

Twelve hours of driving finally gets the van to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The temperature is quit chilly and the sky is overcast. Friday morning I head over to the course for some training and warmup. On the course is a three-log barrier with a technical approach and a long steep hill after. This is designed to make the riders dismount and run up the hill. I think to myself, “if I could ride over these logs I would be able to continue to ride the rest of the hill and be much faster.” After several attempts I have it dialled. Now it’s time to get some race efforts on the course to wake the legs up after the long drive.

Race day. Called up 28th putting me on the fourth row. I had a decent start and then managed to move up a few more places before too many gaps started to form in the pack. I managed to ride most of the race with Troy Wells and we worked well together taking turns on the front. In race situation and traffic I was still able ride those log barriers several times during the 11 lap race. In the end, I sprinted for 12th but finished 13th due to being pinched in the sprint. I left the race hungry because I know I can be in the top 10.

Back at the hotel I’m washing and tuning my bike for the next day of racing. During this process I feel my stomach start to get pretty sore and uncomfortable. I don’t think much of it because I often encounter stomach cramps after a race. Later that night I wasn’t able to eat my dinner because my stomach was too uncomfortable. Needless to say the crew I was with ended up leaving the restaurant early. I then went on to become best friends with my hotel room toilet.

Day 2. Waking up to the clouds fully opened and dumping inches of rain was not the most pleasant. Not having the best recovery and still not feeling well, starting the second race was questionable. I went to the event ready to race and in the end I did pin my numbers on and start the mudbath. During the race I was lacking that punch I had the day prior. My body was telling me to stop and although I was not riding in a great position I continue because it was a great opportunity to work on riding the mud.

I’m now back home and tending to my bikes after the weekend’s mud and prepping for Gloucester Grand Prix this weekend. Racing the USGP last weekend has just made my hunger for cross even greater.

Stay tuned.

— Mark Batty

For the next two months Mark will be duking it out in the off-road discipline of cyclocross, and he’ll be keeping us up to date on how his season is going. Meanwhile, let’s let Mark explain what he’s up to:

What makes cyclocross special for you?

Mark Batty: When I was younger and showing interest in cycling my parents wanted to expose myself and my siblings to all the disciplines of cycling, and cross is something I always looked forward to doing come fall. It also helps break up the time between the last and the first road race.

What kind of different training to you do to get ready for cyclocross?

MB: I usually come into the cross season with good form from the road season, I don’t log long hours during the cross season, more shorter harder workouts. My favourite workout is a small group of guys going to a park and pretty much playing follow the leader.

Tell us about your cyclocross bike.

MB: I am riding a Argon 18 Arsenic, carbon frame equipped with full Shimano and Pro parts, a variety of Dugast, FMB and Challenge tubulars. On the first bike I prefer a single chainring up front and usually have a 42 tooth on, the second bike has a double chain ring set up, 46-39.

What do you pack in your car when you head off for a race, and who do you have with you as support crew?

MB: When it comes to cross I’m pretty much a one-man army. I do all my own wrenching, washing and gluing. In the car is 2 bikes, 4 sets of tubulars, a set of clinchers for training, a tool bag along with an assortment of spare parts, and lots of warm clothes. Usually when I travel to a race I have other people along with me and if they have a different start time they will be my pit man — that is of course if my dad is not attending the event.

What are your key objectives this cyclocross season?

The calendar I have put together isn’t the longest calendar keeping the road season in mind. But Kentucky will be holding the 2013 world championships and this is a goal of mine, This season is the start for chasing UCI points towards worlds.

Mark Batty’s 2011 cyclocross calendar:

• Sept. 24-25: USGP of Cyclocross Planet Bike Cup Wisconsin
• Oct. 1-2: Providence Cyclo-cross
• Oct. 15-16: Toronto Cross
• Oct. 29: HallowCross
• Oct. 30: Hardwood Cross
• Nov. 5: Canadian Nationals
• Nov. 12-13: USGP of Cyclocross Derby City Cup

The 23rd of September has been circled on my calendar for nearly a year. After finishing third last year in Australia, a day hasn’t gone by without thinking of the 2011 world championships. Thinking of becoming U23 world champion has helped me get through all the tough times in recent months. Each time, I was able to motivate myself to continue in the hope of being selected for this race.

We’re now less than 24 hours from the start of the men’s espoir road race. I’m writing this in my hotel room in a suburb of Copenhagen. We’re about to start the team meeting to discuss the strategy for tomorrow. Since I’m the only Canadian in the U23 race, I’m pretty sure I’ll be the team leader, and the whole team is going to ride for me!

It’s true that my preparation hasn’t been ideal, but I feel ready to fight for the title. The course suits me to a T, my Gallium Pro has been prepped like a Formula 1 car, and my legs feel ready for the battle. All that remains is to close my eyes for the night before gunning for 5 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2011, and doing what I love more than anything else in the world: Winning a bike race.

— Guillaume Boivin

Aujourd’hui, avait lieu le prologue du Tour de l’Avenir, course U23 la plus prestigieuse au monde organisé par le Tour de France. Le départ se déroulait à Yutz en France.

Pour moi, ce fut une super journée. J’ai pris le 5e rang avec les meilleures au monde de ma catégorie. J’étais à seulement quatre secondes de la 3 e place, mais je ne pouvais faire mieux. J’ai connu une super performance. J’ai bien géré mon effort et pris les virages de façon très agressive. Ce qui est mon meilleur résultat sur la scène internationale. Ce qui tombe bien, car plusieurs équipes Pro Tour se base sur cette course pour recruter leur coureurs. Ce résultat constitue aussi le meilleur résultat de l’histoire du Canada sur le tour de l’avenir.

Cette performance arrive au bon moment pour me donner confiance en vue des championnats du monde de contre-la-montre au Danemark le 19 septembre qui devrait regrouper les mêmes coureurs à l’exception de quelques ajouts.

Depuis le 28 juillet que je suis ici en Europe à faire des courses avec mon équipe SpiderTech. J’ai pris part au tours de l’Ain et du Limousin qui ont été très dur  et où je finissais loin derrière parfois, car la plupart des coureurs sortaient du Tour de France. Aujourd’hui, je crois que tous les efforts que j’ai fait durant ces courses m’ont donné la forme pour être compétitif.

— Hugo Houle

The end of our Euro August tour finally finished on some flats. It was great to find that form that had been building up of the course of a month. The difference between racing at the beginning of the trip and at the end was like night and day. The team started to gel and people where filing the roles better and better. Personally it has left me excited to head back in the spring. The gains I made in my road skills on this trip are probably greater then any I have made in my career.

But enough about that blah blah cycling blog. This blog is more about the side of our team that makes us a little different. Before our last two races in Belgium we went back to a little area in the farm country. We headed out for a recovery ride through the country.

The ride started off like a normal spin. The young guys full of piss and vinegar rode off goofing around and dropped the rest of us pretty quickly. So the ride ended being Will, Svein, Ryan A, Mark and myself. Turns out this combo was the perfect balance of interested parties and educated individuals to create an impromptu nature tour. We basically went in little spurts between 800M and 2 or 3 km between stops. Each stop was triggered by something edible. First Will spotted a sugar beet the size of a pumpkin. Shortly after he found some plums on the edge of a property and started to sample. This led to the owner of the property coming out. Instead of accosting us and sending us on our way he said. “You hungry? Come in and look.” The friendly farmer took us into his back yard which had more produce growing than you could find in the average super market. Standing there in our bike shorts we saw tomatoes, figs, peaches, pears, two varieties of plums, apples and honey bees.

We tasted and asked questions and explored and then where off. This visit piqued our curiosity so much a that virtually any time we saw something edible we stopped and at the very least discussed something about the free foods.

This is the part of racing in Europe that is so unique. There is always something to see or explore when you are not racing. Unique experiences like this are what take the job from being one of the best in the world to really unbelievable.

— Zach Bell