.: Ski XCOttawa.ca :: Skiing in Ottawa and Gatineau Park

2004/2005 Race Report Summary
By:  Team XCOttawa   (2005/06/06)

RSS

More Summer Racing Success!

August 16th, 3rd - Tom, 8th - Gavin in the Xerox 10km Run (Ottawa, ON)

July 30th, 1st woman, 2nd overall - Sheila, Wayne was 6th at the National Capital Triathlon/Duathlon & Relay (Ottawa, ON)

July 17th, Sheila 2nd at the Graham Beasley Triathlon/Duathlon & Relay (Carleton Place, ON)

Team Sweeps 5 Peaks Mountain Running Races!

Five members of XCOttawa.ca participated in the 5 Peaks Trail at Camp fortune August 6th. The race and course was set by Dave McMahon and combined two of the hardest courses from previous Fall Rhapsody runs, so that you actually climbed to the top of the ski hill 4 times. Ouch! Finishers described the race as "deadly hard" and "my legs hurt". Adding to the challenging course was a 10am start time on a very warm humid day - unlike most ski races. This kept the First Aid people busy as finishers were prone to mild heat exhaustion. Despite all of this the skier managed to impress.

Pierre-Olivier Dorego won the short (ha!) course race covering the 5.5km in 31:04.9, over 4 minutes up on second place finisher Kronwald, Mark of Brantford and third place finisher David Backman of Ottawa. For someone who describes themselves as "bad at running", the result was impressive. Full results from SportStats.ca.

The long course, 10km, race was more closely contested. In hind sight it may have been a good idea for the team to have discussed some tactics ahead of time, rather than the resulting all out assault that transpired. When the dust settled Karl Saidla was once again the winner of the mountain race in 1:01:08, with teammate Gavin Hamilton (1:01:42.5), Ed McCarthy (1:02:41) and Tom McCarthy (1:04:30) rounding out the top 4! Karl admits this was the hardest fought race yet and that the rest of the guys didn't let the race become 4 easy climbs up the ski hill. All 4 guys are currently nursing tired legs, but looking forward to the next hill climb. Complete results from SportStats.ca.



Summer Racing Success!

Over the summer skiers will occassionally enter a few local races to test their legs. XCOttawa.ca skiers have enjoyed some sucess in these tests..

July 9th, Sheila edged out a second victory of the season at the OAC Triathlon in Gatineau Park.

July 1st, Wayne was 6th in the Canada Day 5km.

June 26th, Sheila wins the Smith Falls Sprint Triathlon

June 22nd, Karl first in 3000m run at teh Brooks Twilight Meet



Ontario Cup at the Windy Lake Ski Trails, Onapping Falls, March. 18-20th, 2005

Congratulations to Ed on his strong racing this past weekend. Friday Ed put in a strong effort but lost a three way sprint to end up 4th in the Pursuit. Sunday Ed made up for that by winning a sprint for 2nd! Yep, a ED won in a sprint! Good job Ed.

Friday Pursuit
Relays: Official and Unofficial
Sunday Mass Start

Tour de Mont Valin at St-Fulgence Parc national des Monts-Valin, Saturday March 19th, 2005

Way to go Megan and Karl! All that double pole training Megan did all fall paid off with a win in the 50km classic in 2:50:06. Karl came close to making it a sweep for XC Ottawa but was apparently outsprinted by biathlon veteran Steve Cyr who both finished in 2:08:10.


Congratulations to the other Ottawa-Gatineau area competitors... (Mont Valin Results) 12km Skate
   26  941 MCGEE ANDREA         93 OTTAWA         CHELSEA N      6 F12-16 2:50:01 1:35:00 1:15:01      
27 942 DUBE-MCGEE MANON 59 OTTAWA CHELSEA N 2 F40-49 2:50:14 1:35:00 1:15:14
20km Skate
   10  791 LAROCHE SYLVIE       64 GATINEAU       SKINOUK        1 F40-49 2:03:39   50:00 1:13:39      
35 770 DIONNE SUZANNE 60 CHELSEA CHELSEA N 4 F40-49 2:15:15 50:00 1:25:15
20 km Classic
   40  774 GILBERT NADIA        74 GATINEAU       RELAIS PA      7 F30-39 2:44:00   46:00 1:58:00      
38 km Skate
   24  408 METIVIER CHANTAL     60 GATINEAU       SKINOUK        1 F40-49 3:10:37   25:00 2:45:37      
38 km Classic
   50  498 FERGUSON WANDA       61 OTTAWA                        7 F40-49 3:33:37    0:00 3:33:37      
69 453 MASICOTTE ANDRE 45 GATINEAU 12 H50-59 3:53:17 0:00 3:53:17
70 452 JOLETTE DANIELLE 46 GATINEAU 6 F50-59 3:53:21 0:00 3:53:21
80 404 VERMETTE LUCIE 55 CHELSEA 10 F40-49 4:09:51 0:00 4:09:51
86 565 ROBITAILLE ANDRE 55 VANIER 22 H40-49 4:37:15 0:00 4:37:15
50 km Classic
   14  172 BABIN MAXIME         68 GATINEAU       SKINOUK        4 H30-39 2:55:03    5:00 2:50:03    
15 262 MCTAVISH MEGAN 77 OTTAWA XC OTTAWA 1 F25-29 2:55:06 5:00 2:50:06
50km Skate
    2  263 SAIDLA KARL          77 OTTAWA         XC OTTAWA      1 H25-29 2:48:10   40:00 2:08:10      
11 150 AINSLEY GINO 68 GATINEAU SKINOUK 5 H30-39 3:01:44 40:00 2:21:44
12 179 BERUBE GILLES 65 GATINEAU NAKKERTOK 6 H30-39 3:03:23 40:00 2:23:23
16 15 DEGUIRE YVES 62 GATINEAU SKINOUK 5 H40-49 3:07:20 40:00 2:27:20
17 282 JONES KEVIN 59 CHELSEA NAKKERTOK 6 H40-49 3:07:25 40:00 2:27:25
29 48 DEVASHISH PAUL 65 KANATA 11 H30-39 3:13:12 40:00 2:33:12
30 22 BOLDUC ROBIN 62 GATINEAU 10 H40-49 3:13:32 40:00 2:33:32
33 192 MCGEE TOM 57 OTTAWA CHELSEA N 12 H40-49 3:13:52 40:00 2:33:52
35 227 DORE PATRICE 74 GATINEAU SKINOUK 13 H30-39 3:14:18 40:00 2:34:18
66 234 CHRISTIE GREG 55 CHELSEA CHELSEA N 20 H40-49 3:26:52 40:00 2:46:52
87 285 TREMBLAY JOEL 80 GATINEAU SKINOUK 2 H20-24 3:37:20 40:00 2:57:20
92 271 FORD BRUCE 65 OTTAWA 31 H30-39 3:40:10 40:00 3:00:10
110 85 BEAUDOIN CHARLOTTE 61 GATINEAU SKINOUK 2 F40-49 3:48:52 40:00 3:08:52
111 251 ROWLEY VINCENT 72 KANATA 34 H30-39 3:49:45 40:00 3:09:45
129 5 MANSEAU ANDRE 55 CHELSEA 40 H40-49 4:00:59 40:00 3:20:59
141 207 BROCKBANK JAMES 52 OTTAWA ZONE 3 SPORT 26 H50-59 4:13:35 40:00 3:33:35

Friday-Sunday March. 18-20th, 2005

Ed, Craig and Dave are off to Sudbury for the 4th Ontario Cup to be held at Windy Lake Provincial Park. Karl and Megan are headed to Chicouttimi for the Tour de Mont Valin Loppet. We should have some interesting stories for you on Monday!


Thea's Race, Nakkertok North, Sunday March. 13th, 2005

This weekend the team didn't travel very far at all, just to Nakkertok North. But we had perfect ski conditions and grooming for a very fun event. Thea's race set a participation record with 261 racers! Read more about this race in the article Old School Ski Racing.

Results, Thea's Race Pictures by Jo-Ann Holden.


US Birkebeiner, Cable to Hayward, WI, Saturday Feb. 26th, 2005

Birkie Results and stats: Sheila 12th, Wayne 47th, Craig 62nd.

Race reports:

Keskinada 50km Skate, Sunday February 20th, 2005

50km Freestyle Results.
25km Freestyle Results.
50km Classic Results.
25km Classic Results.

Sheila Kealey...2nd, 2:41:40

A predicted overnight low of minus 19 C would have many skiers fearing the chill of racing in the bitter cold. Not Keskinada skiers! Having competed in this race at minus 24 C for two years in a row brings a whole new perspective to the expression "it's all relative."

Sunday morning, a bright blue sky and a racing temperature that seemed almost pleasant greeted the skiers. The start of the first or "A" wave was quite civilized and I don't recall skiers going down or any broken poles. I was looking out for the "blue" bibs that Keskinada organizers give the women in the A wave. This is a great idea - although we don't have our own start, it's easy to spot the other women. In particular, I knew Brooke Gosling of Canmore would be strong competition.

I had a good start. About 800m into the race a woman took the lead and I scooted in right behind her - # 11 - as I mentally referred to her throughout the race, turned out to be Muriel Marin of France. We skied together to the base of Penguin hill, trading the lead. She was strong but I felt quite comfortable at this pace. Brooke joined us before the base of Penguin hill where I led the climb and rolling section through Ridge Road. I think Brooke must have fallen off at some point along Ridge Road, but I wasn't sure.

On the gradual parkway downhill I got a feed from a teammate and let Muriel go ahead, thinking I'd just tuck in behind her. I didn't manage to do this, and turning into the steep Burma grade she began to pull away. I had a very hard time on Burma - I was muscling for every inch of glide, getting passed by lots of skiers, and couldn't seem to latch onto anyone! I was a bit worried when I started to feel my left soleus and calf seize up, an injury that caused me to abandon the Lake Placid Loppet a few years back. Too bad - on a good day, the bumps, twists, and turns on Burma are so much fun! Luckily I knew the big hills were over with so I could rest my leg on the parkway downhills.

The rest of the race was fun but pretty uneventful! I was skiing mostly alone and couldn't see Muriel, but got the odd split that she was about 1˝ minutes ahead. My energy levels were good, and I knew I'd be able to tough out the final climb (Mont Bleu Hill) 2 km from the end. Being a local skier, I certainly benefited from lots of cheering. Also, most of my XC Ottawa teammates were missing the Keskinada to rest for the National XC Championships - so they were all over the course with water bottles, gels, and encouragement.

I ended up second place (same as last year!) but the first Canadian woman. I also finished on time to join my 5-year-old son Evan and husband John in the Mini-Keski 2 km kids event, which started at 12:00. Now this was an entertaining start! Little munchkins all bundled up with their race bibs on, trolls and other characters dancing out on the course . . . but 500m into the 2k event I started getting a chill, and remembered my friend Dev's story about bonking in the Mini-Keski, so I wished them well and headed for warmth and food!

I really love the atmosphere of this loppet. From 2 year olds to 80 year olds -- different abilities and different goals -- everyone is out there celebrating winter and enjoying cross-country skiing and the great trails of the Gatineau Park. Many thanks to the organizers and volunteers for making this happen!

Wayne Dustin...14th, 2:25:36

Got up at 6:00 and checked the temperature: only -18, perfect! Run stretch, breakfast, fill feed bottles, organize gels, and off to the start. Dropped off my eload drink bottles to my XC Ottawa team mates, and then off for an easy ski. Skied for about 30 min easy, then went to the start. The start had fewer lanes than normal, so by the time a got there I was stuck in the 4th row, but this was no big deal. Took a gel and a last drink, and waited for the start. The start was slow-ish, and it was easy to move up to where I wanted to be. As we hit the parkway before Pink Lake hill, I was in good shape, but this is where my annual Keski dilemma begins.

From the bottom of Pink Lake to the top of Penguin is the majority of climbing on the course. My dilemma is always should I ski my own pace, or try and ski with a group of skiers that are usually my speed? The advantages of skiing a well paced race are obvious, however you my be destined to ski the race by yourself, picking off some skiers in the second half of the race. Skiing with a group is faster, and you can get more rest on the flats and downhills. It is also more fun. So if you can stay with a good group to the top of Penguin (and get to the top of Penguin without killing yourself) then you're in good shape.

So I tried to ski with a group of skiers that are typically at my level, or a bit faster. Things went well until Penguin. After the first steep climb I realized it was hurting too much for this early in the race, so I put on the brakes and tried to recover skiing up Penguin. Or more accurately try to limit the damage while still skiing to the top of Penguin. I only got passed by one person on Penguin, and then was caught be Phil Shaw at Keogan. We skied together through Burma, seemed like a good pace. We caught two people (included team mate Craig Storey) after Huron, so we were now a group of four. To me this was the hardest part of the race. From Burma until the return trip at Champlain the snow was really slow, it was tough skiing. As we started back down the parkway, our group grew to 6 as we were caught by 2 skiers. We did a god job of switching the lead and keeping the pace high.

The big downhill at Black Lake broke up the group, and we were back down to 4, me Phil, Craig and a Norwegian. We continued down the parkway, I found the pace hard but not too hard, and I knew I had the fastest skis in the group, so I was content to ski with the group until the downhill to the finish. After the 25 k cutoff the Norwegian picked up the pace a bit, and I could really feel it in my legs. We picked one skier you was bonking hard. As we turned back up the pike path on #5, we dropped Craig. When we hit the last big climb Phil put the hammer down and dropped me, and the Norwegian. The steep part was really hard, and I could here Craig coming, but I was able to pick it up over the top. The Norwegian had a good 10 seconds on me at this point, but I was able to catch him on the last downhill and pass him before the flat. Sprint to the finish, and it's over, 14th place.

Overall it was an average race. The course was great, my skis were great, the weather was great, but my body was just ok, and I started too fast for how I was feeling. Oh well, there's always next year. And Saturday is the American Birkebeiner!

Craig Storey...16th, 2:25:41

Well it was warmer than last year! That was the first good thing of the day. From the second row I got a great start and was out cleanly. This was a little surprising given the reduced number of lanes and the jostling that has gone on other years. I was in about 6th from the first corner to stretch leading to the parkway. The pace was controlled and everything was good. As Wayne mentioned Pink is the break-point most year's, if you want to content you have to be at the front there. A little gap to the leading 4 opened up over the top, but I was comfortably in the pack from 5th-15th. I felt ok, a bit dull or not as snappy as I did last year. I was quite happy with the pack, I knew most of them to be solid experienced skiers and good sportsmen who would share the work and push the pace well. Given the field this is where I thought I belonged. My skis were the same as everyone else in the pack and it looked promising for a great race.

I carried 3 small bottles in a bike jersey and have had success with this for the last 3 years. My first planned feed was on the downhill under the overpass at P5. I don't remember how it tasted, sometimes the mix you enjoy before the race tates far too strong during the race but at this point I didn't notice anything like that. I did have to force it down a bit, but I thought the mantra or "Drink early, drink often" was quite smart. Well, maybe not always..

At the bottom of Penguin I was burping a bit, but that's usuall for feeds in races. Halfway up was another story. It seems my stomach dind't appreciate either the effort or the fluids. I was forced to slow my pace and stand upright - it flet like I was seasick, movement was not good. It felt like I had to crawled up the hill, but I wasn't loosing much ground. At the top was a cheering crowd, luckily my breakfast stayed where I put it as I passed them. After the steep section up to Skyline I was trying to decide wether 'lightening the load' would help me be able to ski. I gave myself until the crest of the hill to see if I needed to stop. But at the crest was Dirk van Wijk and his encouragement to catch the leaders right away got me thinking to push on. About 1km later everything was good and I was pushing hard to catch a glimpse of the pack. I was also mad at my stomach - what was that about?

A pack is always quicker than 1 skier, so I knew that to catch them would mean a big effort. By the end of Ridge they were well insight, but the lead was shrinking slowly. I pushed hard until ~2km to go on Burma. At this point I couldn't see them, I was feeling a bit worn and I couldn't tell myself "they were right around the corner" anymore. In 3 other Keskies I've soldiered on alone from Pink on, but last year taught me how nice a pack to ski with was. So I decided the wise thing to do was look back, relax the pace and find one. It took a while but the only guy I could see caught me around Champlain. No surprise, Wayne and Phil Shaw were there too. Things were looking good again, a pack would make it easier.

From Champlain until Gatineau Parkway I was on autopilot. Unfortunately I botched a feed exchange at Notch and at the 46km mark when the pace increased I knew that the last feed wasn't the one I should have skipped in this race. But I wasn't out of gas, just a bit weak. Just to be safe I grabbed one at the Asticou, but was forced to slow down since the first three guys brushed the volunteers back a bit. This cost me a few seconds and I lost the life raft. I was once again chasing, and also being chased by a few people. If I could get back on by the hill all would be good. I was close, but Phil Shaw had surged at the bottom and the Norwegian was getting away from Wayne. I closed in, but there wasn't much there for the push over the top and I couldn't close the gap. Finished 16th, same as last year, but my performance wasn't as strong.

Well, it was a beautiful day with great skiing conditions and it wasn't even cold!


Mont Orford Loppet, (Mont Orford, Quebec) Sunday Feb. 6th, 2005

Megan and Ed made the trip East to 'la belle province' to race in the Mont Orford loppet. Here's what the two budding wax technicians had to say about their trip...

It was a beautiful day, the course was hard but well designed with a mixture of up, down and flat. The snow was great. It did feel like it was spring series though! We used Silver Plus which gave us good grip the whole time but was slow on the downhills. Ed said he iced quite a bit but I only did a little. We probably should have covered it or maybe used the Silver Minus instead. Basically we ran out of time! For glide we had Silver Fox and medium structure. It was good enough to be able to race hard so that's fine!

Ed was 6th behind some big names: Denis Vachon, Phil Shaw, Phil Villeneuve, Steve Cyr and Donald Farley.

Megan was first but she admits that there was not much competition. To make up for that she gave the men a 2 minute head start and raced to catch as many men as possible.

Here is a picture at the awards.....


Winterlude Triathlon, (Ottawa) Saturday Feb. 5th, 2005

Over 400 individuals, and 17 teams turned out for this year's speed skate/ski/run event that kicks off Winterlude here in Ottawa. This unique event features an 8km skate on teh rideau canal, a 5km ski in the arboretum and a 5km run along the canal. The weather couldn't have cooperated better for this year's event, -7C overnight led to perfect ice and ski trails.

Congratulations to Sheila Kealey, once again winning the open women's category - amazing. Here's what she had to say about the event...

We had fun races! The skate was one huge pack and the ice was in good condition, the ski track was well set, hard and fast, and the run painful! Great weather!

 

Winterlude triathlon rookie, Wayne Dustin placed second overall to John Westdal. For more details read Wayne's Winterlude Triathlon Race Report.


Eastern Canadian Champs 2005: What a weekend!

One of the biggest Canada Cup field ever turned out for the weekend, with nearly 500 starters a day. Saturday's Classic race was cool and fast in the ice fog, and XC Ottawa performed very well!

The women led off the day with their 5km sprint. Megan had a very impressive 6th place, only 30s from 2nd! Sheila was a strong 12th place in second favourite technique. Alicia also got her first big race of the year under her belt skiing to 37th.

The men would ski a 3.3km loop 3 times for the 10km classic and Karl led the charge with a strong 3rd place showing, while Dave was 6th, and Ed 12th. The old working crowd Craig, Wayne and Arno skied strong in 29, 33 and 35 in a field of 122 skiers.

Sunday things really heated up! In the women's 10km skate, Sheila demonstrated some aggressive skating as she powered her way to 4th place.

Well was dissapointed for Sheila narrowly missing the podium and vowed to avenge this. So, Dave also put in a huge skating effort and it paid off as he held off the entire field for the victory. Karl had another consistent day but was narrowly denied his second trip to the podium, placing 4th just 6s from 3rd. Ed was an impressive 9th (in a skate race? yes!) improving on his classic placing in a very strong effort.

At press time the results for the rest of the field are a bit scattered, but they'll work them out soon, check Complete Results from Saturdays and Sunday by - www.sportstats.ca.

A big thanks to John Surronen and Seppo for their tremendous Vauhti wax support. Nothing can replace fast skis!


Eastern Canadian Champs, Canada Cup, Que/Ont Cup - Jan. 29th & 30th, Gatineau Park, Quebec.

It's really nice when big races come to you! This weekend we will sleep in our own beds, cook our own food and race on trails in our own back yard - the Gatineau Park at the Relais Pleine Aire (Skinouk).

We remind you to get there early to reserve your spot along the trail - since the race is right in town we expect huge crowds of XC Ottawa supporters out cheering. (Stop laughing, it happens in other countries!)

Saturday is the classic race, distances from 5 to 10 km start at 9AM.
Free technique events will be on Sunday with distances of 5, 7.5, 10 and 15 km.

Just what calibre of field is here this weekend? Well there are 475 entrants in all categories including Open, University, Junior, Juvenile and Midget. There is also prize money. Prize money from $25 to $150 will be given to the first five racers in the Open category and medals will be awarded to the first three of each age group. A supplementary prize of $50 will be awarded to the top under-23 skier in the Open category.

There are also some big names in town...

National Junior Team 2014, coached by Gatineau native Alain Parent: Perianne Jones, (Almonte and skiing for Nakkertok), Amanda Ammar (Edmonton), Chris Werrell (Burns Lake), and Chris Butler (Thunder Bay). Also attending from the National Senior Team are Sean Crooks (Thunder Bay), Phil Widmer (Canmore) and Casey Dyck (Calgary).
Full press release.

Ontario Cup - Jan. 15th & 16th, Duntroon, Ontario.

Photos: 1, 2.
Videos: 1, 2.

This weekend Highlands Nordic in Duntroon was the host of the Ontario Cup 2 races. Despite being hit with 13 degrees and rain on Thursday the people from Highlands put together a great race course.

Six XCOttawa.ca racers competed in a very large, competitive field of roughly 400 people. Each of the Open categories had 65 entrants. Other Ottawa clubs represented were Nakkertok, Carleton, Ottawa Racers, Kanata and Chelsea Nordic. Even Big Thunder and Lappe ski clubs came all the way from Thunder Bay for the races.

We stayed at the Doorknob Inn, a beautiful Victorian farmhouse nestled below Highlands Nordic, 5 minutes from the race course. Our hosts, Dick and Francis Fraser provided us with a ridiculously good spread of food for breakfast and were shocked when we asked for porridge instead of french toast, pancakes or a frittata.

The first race was an 8.5km classic for the men and a 5km classic for the women. This was the first race of the year we have been without waxing guru and head coach John Suuronen. This was definitely a significant challenge, so never underestimate the value of your coaches and wax techs, they do make your life easier! We managed to make it through with no screw ups and actually had great skis!

XC Ottawa did well with Karl and Megan each winning their open categories, Ed coming 4th and all of our men in the top 15. Tara Redpath and Karla Mika were 2nd and 3rd for the women (the fastest time of the day actually went to Natasha Kullas in the Jr. Girls category) while Bryon Hughson and Jeff Ellis rounded out the top 3 for the men.

Doctor's orders prohibited Megan from racing in the 10km skate pursuit on Sunday, but all of our men raced in a very exciting 15km pursuit skate. Karl maintained his lead and Ed hung on to his 4th while Craig, Wayne and Arno worked together to all finish in the top 10.

Next stop is Ottawa for the Eastern Canadian Championships January 29th and 30th. Looking forward to seeing as many of you out as possible either racing, watching or helping.

Results...

Ontario Cup - Jan. 15th & 16th, Duntroon, Ontario.

The XC Ottawa team will be traveling to Southern Ontario to get away from the warm temperatures and rain of Ottawa. We look forward to nice chilly highs of -10°C and light snows.

Karl, Ed, Wayne, Craig, and Arno will be racing 7.5km classic, while Megan does a 5km classic on Saturday morning. The guys will then do a 15km pursuit start race on Sunday, while Megan is forced to sit out since she is still on the mend and skating is not allowed. Soon Megan, very soon.

Luckily the weather looks stable for Duntroon so waxing should be simple. Since our trusty coach John Suuronen is not accompagnying us, we are left defenceless in the wax room... luckily John gave us all a copy of the Vauhti waxing manual so we are all set!

Check for results at: http://proshop.xcski.ca/hn/OntarioCup/.

Race Report: HAYWOOD NORAM CUP - Dec. 18th & 19th, Mont Ste-Anne, Quebec.

Once again we packed ourselves into a few compact cars with more skis than you can imagine and headed to North of Quebec City for the weekend. Much to our pleasure this second trip went as smoothly as the first with only a short period of bad winter driving. For pre-Christmas races we were again greeted with ideal conditions in Mont Ste-Anne and for the first time in memory all the races went as schedules without delays or cancellations due to extreme cold.

Saturday morning was a chilly -21C at 9AM, but warmed up to -16C at race time. This made the grip waxing easy. The men's 15km (video) and women's 10km classic races were a mass start format, much like the Keski. Unlike the Keski you can't muscle your way to a front line starting position, you are assigned a position in the start grid based on your past performaces much like Formula 1 racing. Most of us got clean starts, though there were some crashes and broken equipment in the pack, and from there had decent races. Karl fought his way to 20th in the 15km while Ed and Dave were 29th and 30th. Sheila hung tough in classic for 27th in the women's 10km. Credit to Tom who, with had no races under his belt this season, started right on the back line managed to rip through half the field and finish his first race of the season in 44th out of a field of 90 skiers.
Complete Results: Men, Women.

Sunday the weather warmed up and so did the results! Dave again had a strong skating result finisheing 9th and putting himself in the running for National Team European trip selection (CCC's Unofficial Trip Selection Points). Team selection will happen later in the week, either way Dave served notice he's skiing well and can compete! Good job Dave.

Shila and Karl also had strong days. Sheila started early in the field and held the lead until the red group came along. She was 11th overall for her strongest showing to date in Canada Cup action. Karl had his best placing of the series, finishing 14th.
Complete Results: Men, Women.


HAYWOOD NORAM CUP - Dec. 18th & 19th, Mont. Ste-Anne, Quebec.

The XC Ottawa team will be traveling to Mont Ste. Anne, Quebec, for the second weekend of Haywood NorAm Races. Once again, we get the opportunity to race against the some of the country's best skiers, as these races will finalize the selection of the teams that will represent Canada at the World Championships and on the "B Tour" in Europe.

Saturday, December 18

Karl, Ed, Wayne, David, Tom, Craig, and Arno will be racing 15km classic mass start.
Sheila will be racing 10km classic mass start.

Sunday, December 19

Karl, Ed, Wayne, David, Tom, Craig, and Arno will be racing 15km skate.
Sheila will be racing 10km skate.

We will be supported by coach John Suuronen and teammate Megan, who will resume racing in January after an impressive and determined recovery from her knee surgery.

Mont Ste. Anne's trails are reported to be in great shape. Early season races in Quebec are notorious for being cancelled because of the cold, but if we can trust the forecast at this point (Wednesday) the weather looks like it will cooperate for another great weekends of races! http://theweathernetwork.com/features/ski/pages/CAQC1309.htm.

Race information, start lists, and results are available at: www.coupenoramquebec2004.skibec.ca.


Race Report: HAYWOOD NORAM CUP - Dec. 11th & 12th, Foret Montmorency, Quebec.

La Foret Montmorency greeted us with great ski conditions this weekend. An incredible amount of snow began falling Friday afternoon, and the blizzard continued through Saturday’s classic races. Race organizers and groomers went to great efforts trying to keep up with all the white stuff! The soft track conditions suited some skiers better than others. The temperature hovered around –3 deg C on Saturday and –7 deg C on Sunday, which is mild for this region which can see temperatures in the –28 range at times, and race cancellations due to cold weather are not uncommon.

The size and talent of the men’s and women’s fields were impressive, with most of the nation’s top skiers in peak shape vying for a spot of the World Championship team or the “B tour” team. Olympian Milaine Theriault and Chelsea Native Chris Jeffries (a Nakkertok skier) dominated both Classic and Skate events, securing their spots on the Canadian World Championships team.

XC Ottawa skier David Zylberberg showed great early season form with an 11th place finish (9th Canadian) in Saturday’s 10k classic race and a 7th place finish (6th Canadian) on Sunday. He is in a good position to qualify for the National Team B tour if he continues racing strong at the upcoming selection races in Mont Ste Anne this weekend.

Complete Results:

HAYWOOD NORAM CUP - Dec. 11th & 12th, Foret Montmorency, Quebec.

This weekend, members of the XC Ottawa team will be traveling to Foret Montmorency (located about 60km North of Quebec City) for Haywood NorAm Races.

We will be competing on a brand new “Coupe du Monde” trail. A sneak preview of the course at our early snow training camp revealed some challenging hills!

The competition will feature most of the country’s top skiers, as these are selection races for the senior world championship team.

Here’s the schedule:

 

Saturday, Dec 11th

Karl, Ed, Craig and David will be racing 10km classic.
Sheila will be racing 5km classic.

 

Sunday, Dec 12th

Karl, Ed, Craig, Wayne, and David will be racing 30km skate.
Sheila will be racing 15km skate.

At this point, it looks like we will have some great conditions. You can check out the weather at http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/city_f.html?wpd.

Race information, start lists, and results are available atwww.coupenoramquebec2004.skibec.ca.

 
Interesting Reading. . .
Interested in supporting XC Ottawa or advertising on our site? Email: info@xcottawa.ca.
© Copyright 2001-2006, www.xcottawa.ca. All Rights Reserved. Contact us before re-publishing anything seen here.