This is not a race report…..it was a GranFondo…with timing chips…yellow and polka dot jerseys.
And wine at the rest stops.

“Looking back at the Niagara Falls”

It was with quite a bit of trepidation that I wheeled into the start corrals. There 8 sections, UCI quailfied, VIP (you paid $500 for extra perks pre/post race and the start position) then each section was taped off with your intended finish time, <4hrs, <4.5hrs, etc all the way to <7hrs. The pre-race info pack said the groups would be released in separate waves with a controlled start. Bugger goodbye UCI group and we all know how self-seeding ends up.
Cycling for me over the past 4 months has been next to non-existent, I’ve done hardly and km’s, no hills, and no long hard rides. Here I am at start of a 127km race with so serious hills. Thinking I’ll go and line up in the middle of the first group and do my best. I hope to finish in under 4hrs, and also riding with the fast guys is always the safest place to be.
Wait what, all the other corrals are filling up and next to no one wants to play in this group, marshalls start calling us forward to make room and I’m now at the front of the group, right behind the VIP’s. Oh boy, maybe I’ll fumble clipping in so I don’t have to lead us out.
“O Canada”, and we’re off, all at once! Mass start. No waves.

“Mass start. All smiles, for now…”

After a 100m the UCI group is already off in the distance and the VIP group is taking in the sights and most of the road…..fuggit, I’m going to try and catch the UCI group (who are still under a controlled start) I may blow up trying, but hey, gotta give it a go. As I pull out to give chase quite a few come with me. Closing…..closing…..closing. Yeah baby! I’m riding in the UCI peloton.
It was an awesome sight riding up the Niagara Parkway. We were being led out by ~26 police motorcycles with their disco lights on in the early morning light.
Then it’s on. The guys at the front drop the hammer and the group starts to thin. At the ~30km mark the Garmin says we’ve averaged +42km/hr and I’m starting to wonder how long I can keep this up, and if this attempt to keep up with UCI riders is going to have me blowing up and struggling to finish…..quick glance back, if I drop off, there might be someone to ride with….crap….no-one in sight.
Riding through Niagara-on-the-lake and Queenstown there are people out the front of their homes waving and cheering us on. Volunteers and spectators at the intersections waving flags, ringing bells and cheering us on. It’s an amazing atmosphere and awesome to be riding hard in a good group on great roads. (Kinda like the SPR double). It’s like being in the Tour de France without all the hard work and blood transfusions.
We hit the first hill at the 35km mark, dropped, chase, back on. Then at the 40km mark another hill ….by the time I crest the hill, the peloton (~18 riders left) is on the downhill and picking up speed, again, I try to chase it down, but after 1km of my heart rate over 200bpm, peaked at 244, still 100m off the pack, I can’t give any more, and back off.
Turns out I’m not alone, looking around, there’s 5 others, we form up, recover, then start rolling through, have a chat, feed, and away we go. We hit a few hills which break us up, but regroup and carry on. Between telling the legs to STFU and mentally calculating the km’s to the finish line, there was some awesome scenery to take in. I might go back in the car one day and take a photo…
About 30km later a club catches up with us and we reach Effingham hill.
Effingham Hill. Appropriately named. Over 2km’s @ 5% that kicks it up, to 8% for 100m, then 300m at ~18%. At 70km in, this really tested the legs!
The sound of the bells and cheering never so greatly appreciated, and me never being so incapable of a response to thank the supporters or give a wave.
At the top of the hill, according to the split time, I’m in 21st position. We regroup and are off again, it’s not long before a couple of guys seem to have found a second wind and are off like a shot, no nutrition, and I’m already having trouble staying with them on the climbs.
Nutrition: I didn’t realised until on the day that the electrolyte tabs I bought for the water bottles were salts…..8 calories per bottle and a granola bar don’t go far. Who sells salts tabs next to the electrolyte tubs and gels? Seriously!? Everything here is either chocolate coated or stuffed with peanut butter, how the hell did I find the no calories tabs in the energy section. Wait….they put bacon on waffles here, anything is possible. Pride will not allow pulling into a rest stop.
Back to the ride. Dropped. Chase. Hill. Dropped. Chase. Solo.
A group of about 20 pick me up which is a huge relief, but not for long, we hit a hill (coming out of a tunnel) and I’m spent. Cramping. Chase. Hill. Dropped. Chase. Solo. Effing hills. I’m hungry, and trying not to throw up. Go figure.

“Not so happy right now.”

17km to go and I’m on my own. I look at the Garmin, figure that I keep pushing for 30km/hr and I know I’ll get home in under 4hrs. Happy days. Take in the scenery, spin the pedals. Got passed by a couple of people, then about 7km out, a guy I met at the start of the race pulls up alongside, and we get back to chatting about the ride, mainly now, about how far to the finish.
We roll over the line together at 3hrs 45min. Awesome!
Feed me.
The Niagara Falls Gran Fondo was extremely well organised. Minor roads were closed, as we’d approach a larger intersection a police motorcycle was in waiting, would take off ahead of us and the police at the intersection had cleared it for us to pass through.
There was quite a party at the end of the ride, lots of food and drink (and wine), band playing, but the best bit, the commemorative medallion, was also a bottle opener! WIN!
I finished 53rd of ~1000. 14th for my age category.
I’ve now got renewed motivation to get stronger and see if I can better that next year, preferably sticking with the UCI guys.
One thing that has been reinforced in my mind of late, and went through my head during the ride again, is how fortunate ‘we’ (SPR) are to have the club, people and roads to ride.

“It’s a commemorative medallion and a bottle opener!!!”