November 2, 2005 – Ok, it’s done, another year in the books. Usually after the MTB Worlds in mid September my season is over but this year I was chosen to do the Pan Am Mountain Bike Championship in Mexico city on October 30. This National team project included Max Plaxton, Neil Kindree, Raphael “Raff Gange” Gagne, Catherine Pendrell, Trish Sinclair and myself. Michel Leblanc was our manager Chad Grouchawina was our mechanic: a nice small team.

In late September and October I did some ‘cross races on my new Specialized Tricross and trained hard to prepare for the Pan Ams. Before leaving, I went on this alto lab breathing thing that possibly would help me breathe the air at 2,800m (9,000ft) in the mountains around Mexico city. Basically I would breathe into this tube and watch my blood oxygen level go way down – I would get a little dizzy due to the lack of oxygen. (I think I have some brain damage. Just joking, I’m fine.) I have never raced well at altitude and was expecting this event to be no different. We arrived in Mexico City on Friday (Oct. 28) at 11pm. Woke up Saturday, rode, and raced on Sunday. Mexico City has 26 million people and the roads were a little packed and driving 30 minutes to the course was a little tight. I was very nervous the whole way.

We stayed in the Mexico City Olympic accommodation and ate in the cafeteria. I was in a room with Raff, Max, and Neil. The worst part of our accommodations was our washroom facility. We had mini crisis with an overflow situation our first night. It was nut bar, and we were able to stop it but not before there was stream of water out our front door and down the hall.

As far as the race, it was a wicked course – 10K, with a couple of good climbs, long bumpy down hill sections and lots of fun. I chose to ride my Specialized Epic and it was perfect, it was unreal. The American women took first, second, and third. Trish was fourth and Catherine was fifth.

For my four-lap race I was lined up on the second row and had a very good start for the first 100m but then a Costa Rica rider crashed in front of me and then I was dead last going up the start hill but passed some guys. Then a Mexican rider went down in front of me, did a full endo and somehow his rear wheel fell out of his bike.

By the end of the first lap I made it back up to sixth and on next lap I was in fifth, 35 seconds off of the lead group of three Americans and a Costa Rica rider. I was unable to make contact with them, but did end up catching a fading Todd Well and held on for fourth. A Costa Rica rider won, USA’s Jeremey Kobeleski and Mike Broderick were second and third, followed me.

This was the first time ever I have raced well at altitude, and the highest I have ever raced. It was a very difficult race, with a hard course the smog and the altitude. So I was very happy with my result especially after getting stuck behind the crashes – what can you do.

After the race we all went out to a very busy part of the city – the village square – and there were vendors and people playing music with food everywhere we ate at this place that had all kinds of Mexican food and really good soup. Just before we left some women took the head of a pig right out of the pot of soup we were eating.

The next morning we woke up at 3am to return home and now I am very tired. I am going to race two more cross events and then I am going to hang the bike up for a month. For me the season is really over, I am in a chill mode right now. That’s good because it’s just pissing rain out here right now.

Thanks to all my sponsors and supporters.