ECCC Highland Race Report (Oct. 1&2, 2011)

Oct. 1st and 2nd marked the first mountain bike race weekend for McGill Cycling. And what better way to start the season than to get up close and personal with New Hampshire’s wet, sandy and rocky terrain? With a cumulative 4 inches of rain, McGill cyclists found themselves having a blast through some of the wettest conditions of the season.

The races began Saturday morning with the Cross Country: a 3.5 mile loop with varying altitude and some super slick singletrack. Noah Margo-Dermer kicked things off in Men’s C with a stellar performance in the first lap. It was only an unfortunate mechanical that could force this rider off his bike. Next we had Rebecca DeBruyn starring in the Women’s B, railing turns and dominating climbs for a head-turning 2nd place finish. Eric Burge, hitting the mountain bike race scene after a 2 year road biking hiatus, quickly picked off the entire Men’s B field one by one to contend amongst UVM’s and UNH’s Men’s A riders. Finally, Emily Jibb rocked through the singletrack and gave ‘er up the hills for a 5th place finish in Women’s A.

The Dual Slalom followed shortly after in the afternoon with the wet conditions favouring the most mentally tough of the ECCC racers. Noah Margo-Dermer a.k.a “big wheels and big hucks” rocked down the trail side by side with some of the most tenacious Men’s C competitors. After knocking several riders out of the race, Noah finished strongly in 7th place. Rebecca DeBruyn carved new depths into the berms for an awesome 4th place finish in Women’s A.

Sunday kicked off with the short track XC. Riders found themselves on a fairly fast doubletrack course with enough short, punchy climbing to throw anyone’s heart rate above 200bpm. Noah picked off the field for an impressive 5th place finish in Men’s C. Next, Emily duked it out amongst the top three in Women’s A for a 3rd place finish. Finally, Eric rocked through his new competitors and held off third place for 4 laps to finish in 2nd of Men’s A; absolutely blowing audiences away after a recent upgrade from Men’s B.

As the sun finally poked through the clouds, McGill Cycling Alumni and former team president, Ben Adler, geared up for the downhill competition. Although the cumulative 4 inches of rain carved new and unexpected lines throughout the course, Adler remained extremely focused for an impressive finish at 01:12 above the mean.

With a roster covering almost all fields in each event, McGill Cycling had an impressive overall 3rd place this weekend. Once again, the team remains true to it’s “Great Red Powerhouse of the North” reputation among ECCC racers and fans alike. The next race the mountain bike team will be in attendance at is UVM’s Easterns in Vermont, Oct. 15-16, 2011. It’s time to replace the brake pads (or not)* and get out on Mont Royal as our best defence against the Green Mountains!

*I’m being silly. Brake pads are actually mandatory.