While leading the pack and pedalling with all his might, Matt Staneland could almost taste victory, Nov. 30.
The Jasper cyclist was within reach of a national title in the Canadian Cyclocross Championships in Surrey, B.C. But then, without warning, his back tire slid out from under him and he crashed to the ground.
鈥淚t was so muddy and slippery there, it was just pouring rain in south Vancouver, and as more people rode the course throughout the day, it just kept getting slicker and slicker,鈥� he said following the race.
Ultimately, the crash, which took place on the second to last corner of the course, cost Staneland the title.
鈥淚t was the only mistake I made the whole race.
鈥淎nd there was a bit of an uphill right afterwards, so [Chris McNeil] had momentum to get up the hill and I didn鈥檛,鈥� Staneland said of the cyclist who finished just three seconds ahead him. 鈥淚t was close, but oh well, it feeds the fire for next time around.
鈥淚 talked to the guy that did win and he had been second five times in a row, so he was kind of due, I guess. I didn鈥檛 feel too bad. He is a pretty decent rider out of Kamloops and he rode a really strong race in front of me. It wasn鈥檛 like I was cheated or anything.鈥�
Staneland, who was sponsored by Jasper Source for Sports, has been a competitive cyclist for a number of years, but he only started riding cyclocross last year. It was after one race in Edmonton that he decided to take up the sport full-time this season.
As well as a second place finish in his age group鈥擬aster 30-39鈥攁t the nationals, Staneland also won the provincials in Edmonton last month.
He said his experience road biking and mountain biking have prepared him for the sport.
鈥淸Cyclocross] is kind of a combination of the two, so if you鈥檙e a strong road biker, but also have good technical skills from mountain biking, you can excel at it.鈥�
Staneland said competitions are generally held on short courses, so cyclists do a number of laps and during those laps there are always obstacles that require the athlete to get off their bike.
Those obstacles can be anything from stairs to wood barriers or tight corners.
鈥淪ometimes they鈥檒l have a really steep hill or sandy pit that is almost impossible to ride through, so you鈥檙e off your bike and running.鈥�
Within each course, a cyclist has to get off their bike at least twice, so if they鈥檙e slow at hopping off and on, it can affect their time, said Staneland.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e not really fast at doing that, you lose a few seconds every lap to the people who are really good at it and that adds up over time.鈥�
Although Staneland is disappointed that he missed his chance at the championship, he said he views each race as a learning experience.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of amazing the highs and lows of what can happen in three minutes, knowing you鈥檙e in the lead and you鈥檙e that close to winning a national jersey and then you slip and fall and somebody goes past you and you try as hard as you can to get back鈥攊f there had been another 100 metres, maybe it would have been alright, but you just never know.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 racing.鈥�
Nicole Veerman
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