Quebec has already been a great experience and the racing hasn’t even started yet. We got to Quebec City by noon on Tuesday and were able to spend the afternoon touring the city by bike. The old cobbled streets and tightly quartered buildings looked like something straight out of Europe. And the fact that everyone speaks French here mad it a really cool experience. I snapped some pictures of all of this, but haven’t yet gotten them on to the laptop yet. Somehow I manage to keep myself busy all day, even though there are few time demands when you’re on the road in the RV.
The course here is like a five kilometer playground with a multitude of flavors. The only common theme is steep; the climbs the descents and even the flat parts are all steep somehow. There is a good amount of burly rocky sections coupled with some clay, some sand and even some gravel. Today Chloe and I rode in the pouring rain after waiting it out for about ten minutes. We both realized that waiting wasn’t going to do much good and once we got going, the course was to our liking. Somehow I still had really good traction and control, even in the slimiest of roots and rocks. Now that I’ve ridden a couple dry laps and now some wet ones too, I’m confident with my abilities on this course. The lines have been found and alternates have been considered if the traffic is thick. I’m sporting the 101 plate, but who knows how many others have registered; it’s going to be a monster field for certain.
Tomorrow will be some more riding of the course and Saturday the same before the big show on Sunday. Right now I’m typing this update from within the VIP tent that the xc course actually comes right through. Fans will be in here lounging at tables and on couches as we speed through. The course is super accessible to fans and they’ve estimated that 20,000 people will be here to watch the downhill race on Saturday. I know there will be fewer on Sunday, but still it’ll be the biggest and most energy packed race that I’ve ever done for sure. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get some pictures on here as they do a much better job of telling the story. Wish me luck here! Keep it real, TJ
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