strathcona science park

tubs on tubs 2024

Race Info #

Provincials! The runup that a few people could ride.1

Another race in Argyll Park and this was a fun one. The runup pictured above was super steep and I was so happy we were going up it. A few years ago this was a downhill section and one person broke a collarbone. I ran down it that year because I am not a confident descender at the best of times.

velocity cross 2023 - smoked out

Race Info #

Sidney McGill was going to be racing in the Open Men category and I was really excited to see her, and to race in the Novice Men, but by 7am the AQHI was over 10 and no one wanted to get blacklung for a race (also the Alberta Bicycle Association won’t let you do anything if the index is over 7). It sucked, but there wasn’t anything else to do about it.

tubs on tubs supercalifragilisticexpialidocius prestige 2023

Race Info #

Tubs on Tubs Supercalifragilisticexpialidocius Prestige was the race that was going to open up the 2023 ABA CX season. And it did for the Novice Men, Sport Men and Sport Women categories, but sadly, the AQHI hit 11 and the afternoon races had to be cancelled (along with the next day’s entire Velocity CX Race).

But I got my race in, and it was really fun! I was fighting for a good position at the beginning and because I was pushing too hard on the off-camber turns, I wiped out a bit in the long grass. Then coming out of the big downhill I cut the corner a little too close and got caught up in the course tape, which cost me time.

tubs on tubs superduper prestige 2022

I returned to cyclocross in 2022, and went back to the same race in the same park. I’m not sure if that makes this a classic or not.

I’d tested this course beforehand. My house is just across the river from the “indestructible Strathcona Science Park1 so this was where I’d been riding up and down hills and practicing my off-cambers the week before.

my idyllic practice image2

strathcona science park

Strathcona Science Park is a provincial park just outside Edmonton. It’s rutted and full of gopher holes and apparently has toxic seepage in places. There’s no sandy area but it does have a big downhill with long stairs for a runup.

This is my “home course” because I used to live just across the river, so it’s a convenient place to practice my cx race techniques, do laps to build my stamina and just generally rip around.