Racing in Mont Sainte Anne in October is always a risky game with the weather as we found out last year. After a dry week the rain came through on Saturday, making for a slippery final day of course practice.
By Sunday morning the rain had stopped but it was too late for the course to dry fully. Using the dry tyres (Pirelli XC-RC Lite’s) looked to still be the fastest option and those are what I opted for.
Once again, I started near the back of the field, crossing the line after the first lap in the 60’s.
I focused on riding a smooth, clean race on the challenging track and working my way through the field lap by lap.
I felt stronger than the week prior, probably partly due to another week’s training under the belt and the fact that I’d blown out the cobwebs after a long layoff with the race in Lake Placid.
I was able to keep nice consistent lap times and pick riders off slowly, coming home in 53rd position with what was definitely an improved performance.
Time for a short break before beginning my build up to the 2025 season. I’m looking forward to having the chance to build up without too much time pressure and hopefully be completely free of the symptoms of Toxoplasmosis which decimated my 2024 season.