"First up for us in Canada was the Mont Tremblant race, held in a beautiful mountain village."

As the world slows to a crawl, it is a great time to reflect on and look forward to the adventures that life offers us. I thought it was particularly timely for me to reflect on last May and June’s North American trip, given that we have just had to return early from the NZ Performance Hub campaign after both races were cancelled. The right decision but disappointing none the less!

With the help of my coach Matt Miller, the main purpose of our trip was to race the Mont Tremblant and Baie St Paul XCO races that doubled as Canada Cup and Junior World Series rounds. I really appreciated having such warm hospitality and a good home base with Matt’s family in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The first week was spent, for me at least, adjusting to the lifestyle and learning the local roads and trails.

Before long we were on the two-day drive heading north to Quebec for the target races. We were fortunate to break each journey up with a ride in Round Top, New York, staying with Matt’s good friend and enduro racer Seamus Powell. The great food and banter here were a good addition to our Jazz rap marathon and made the roadie all the more enjoyable!

First up for us in Canada was the Mont Tremblant race, held in a beautiful mountain village. A rainy, late afternoon pre ride in freezing conditions put us on the back foot but was ultimately a good lesson for me in flexibility when travelling. Not being able to prepare or eat how I wanted to wasn’t ideal, but by focusing on what I could control, I put myself in the best position for the following day. As someone that draws confidence from detailed preparation, I was glad to face this when I did as this experience has helped me a lot in trips and races since. I raced well here and really enjoyed the course as the slick mud seemed just like a Manawatu winter! I placed 17th in a stacked field and with incredibly tight time gaps I knew that I was capable of making up more places the following weekend. The Canadian trails were a highlight of the trip and were quite different to our typical New Zealand race tracks. Most were less steep, but I loved the slower, rougher, more technical sections that challenged you to carry speed.