Crank the Shield 2012

This past weekend I was up in Haliburton, Ontario for Crank the Shield (the infamous Chico event). The last time I did Crank was in 2010, and let me tell you it was an interesting experience. Back in 2010, I had never done a ride longer than 2.5 hrs and I had literally no technical skills. It goes without saying that the three days of 4+ hours of racing had me completely cracked. It's a wonder I survived the experience haha.

Legs after CTS 2010... there were some worried glances at school the following week haha

This time around, CTS was absolutely epic. I tag teamed the three day stage race with my teammate Andrew Watson, who was an awesome riding partner. Day 1 was pretty (ha) wet, and the 3hr49 min were a bit of a slog. Watson still managed to make the ride fun, though, and we were all smiles when we crossed the line in 1st for our category and ~11th overall.

Watson and I on the podium after stage 1

Day 2 was SUNNY (believe it or not) and it turned out to be one of the most fun rides I've ever done. There was a ton of single track with awesome flow, and the road sections were all really scenic. Watson and I rode with Cayley, with Cayley and I doing the majority of the pulls and just letting Watson sit on the back (yeah... right haha). Watson and I crossed the line in a sprint (same as the first day), and ended up winning the 2nd stage as well, coming in about 13th overall.

Beautiful sunrise on the morning of stage 2

So sunny I can't even keep my eyes open! It's going to be a good day

Just like always, the morning of the third stage was frigid. The sun came out, though, and the day got warm enough to race in shorts and jerseys. Stage 3 was pretty sick; it started with  a little bit of road before about 9km of single track at Sir Sam's and then continuing with a mix of back country, road, and more single track. Before we knew it, the stage (and the whole race) was over. We ended up first in the tag team mixed category, and 13th and 14th overall. Lespy finished up with a stage win over DZ and a 2nd place overall (sweet ride Lespy!)

So chilly this morning! The lake was steaming

Crank the Shield was AWESOME, and I can't thank Chico enough for running it. Havi and Norco deserve a huge thank you for fixing bikes and lookin' good (as always) all weekend long. I had a blast with the team, so thank you!

Watson and I took the overall. Thanks for a sweet weekend watson :)

I'm back at school now, and am just getting back into the swing of things. So far there's not too much work going on... mostly just a lot of sleeping haha. I'm sure it'll pick soon, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts! I've hopefully got some U-Cups on the agenda for the next month, and maybe even some cross (?!). I've never tried it before, and I'm thinking this may be the year. Why not, right?

Feeling a little under the weather tonight (not sick exactly, mostly just like I've been hit by a Mack truck haha) so I'm just hanging out with some tea and watching the CMAs. Man, I don't think I'll ever get enough of Luke Brian! And to answer a question I was asked earlier this year.... Yes, girls (meaning me) do pretend that the good ol' country boys are singing about them. Especially when the good ol' country boys are named Jason Aldean ;)

Aaaaaaaaaall for now!