MRD Does Tremblant

On May 23rd, Members of MRD travelled to the rocky slopes of Mont Tremblant in St. Jovite, Quebec. This was the first time racing outside of Ontario for many or the racers, who all raved about the course, the scenery (just ask the Marks!), and the different style of riding.

At the 10am start, Mark Cairncross raced in 30-39 sport men. He suffered a double, simultaneous flat, but thankfully was carrying 2 tubes, and got back into the race to finish in 33rd. Mark Matthews raced hard to a 19th place finish in the 40-49M sport category. Two of MRD's female racers, Erin Wood and Angela Brewer raised their games massively, learning to ride much more punishing terrain than that found closer to home. Erin rode strong to a 7th place finish in 30-39Sport women in the toughest field she'd seen all season, and Ange found the hardware, finishing 3rd in 20-29Sport women. In the Senior Sport category, Codey May and Brandon Parker lined up to start. Shortly after taking the lead on the first lap, Brandon broke his derailleur hanger, ending his race. Codey raced well, finishing 5th by our count, but the race officials missed his finish, and his actual result remains a mystery forever.

At 12pm, Peter Lister was in the Junior Expert Men category, who would tackle 5 laps of the demanding course. After nearly eating pavement while showboating for the crowd, Peter regrouped and finished in a strong 33rd position.

The last start of the day featured three more MRD riders. Davis ross competed in the huge Cadet field of 66 field, on his singlespeed. Davis demolished the course, finishing an amazing 19th place. The Senior Expert race was a test of character for Lee Symmes and Thomas Wood. After attacking the first climb, and sitting comfortably in the top 5, Lee broke his frame, and his day was done. Thomas, who was competing on his singlespeed, was sitting in the top 10 when he suffered a flat tire. He was able to rejoin the race, and fought back to a respectable 18th place finish.

All in all, the weekend was a great learning experience, and MRD looks forward to re-visiting Quebec for the Bromont Canada Cup in July.