the adventures of Danny S

Edmonton

2009-06-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

Edmonton Canada Cup was the most organized and best laid out course so far this year. I know thats saying a lot especially since it's the first time these guys have organized a Canada Cup but here's what made it so great. It was DOWNTOWN Edmonton thats right the race took place in Kinsman Park right next to the university so there were more spectators there and it brought racing to where the people are rather then trying to get people out to the race. The course was excellent. It had a good mixture of fast single track technical descents and steep climbs. The organization was great and they had everything ready to go and also one of the biggest expo areas I have seen at a Canada Cup, or Nationals for that matter. It was great to come to Edmonton to race. And I look forward to coming back next year!!!

here is a link for some photos taken by Ryan Hoppings.

Tremblant a little late

2009-05-28T18:23:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I raced at Mount Tremblant for Canada Cup #2 and unlike so many other years there the course was dry and fast! The Elite men did 6 laps and by the 4th lap up the middle climb my legs were feeling the effects of goign hard and had that feelign when you know they could cramp but you still keep pushing hard because its only another 2.5 laps and the top of the climb is maybe 30 pedal strokes away. I had a decent race. It was an improvement from the week before and I am feeling faster al the time. I rode steady which was the plan and found I could be more aggressive on the climbs and just felt better all around. I was happy with my race and finished in 10th position. I would have liekd a better result but they will come.

This Sunday is Hardwood Hills for canada cup #3 and I'm looking forward to it!

the day before

2009-05-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

It's the day before Canada Cup #2 2009 in Mont Tremblant Quebec. The course is pretty much the same as past years with some work done on the trails in a preventative measure in case its muddy.
One thing I have noticed with riding many of the same courses over the years is there is a huge difference in my own skill level and the speed I can ride. I was thinking this today as I descended a section of single track which used to give me trouble and I now pedal in my big ring. Or on the middle climb of this course I remember struggling up it the first year I raced and reaching the top and just being glad that I was at the top. It hasn't gotten any easier for me, I just am able to go faster.
We'll see what happens tomorrow, my legs are feeling good though.

Back In Tremblant

2009-05-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Canada Cup circuit has started and round two is taking place this upcoming weekend in mont tremblant quebec. The first race was held in baie st paul on a bumpy, rooty, twisty course with quite a few climbs and not much recovery it wasn't my best race but also not my worst and I have a long season ahead of me so I'm moving on and focusing on doing well at tremblant now.
The course is the same as always with a big climb into some singletrack and a shorter steep power climb (which lasts about 1-1.5min) in the middle followed by a fast descent before starting it again.
I'm looking forward to the weekend!

'09 race rig

2009-05-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

OK well here it is the picture of the bike I am racing in 2009.

Frame: Blue Carbon

Fork: Reba Team

Wheels: Industry Nine XC wheelset in Gold

Cranks: FSA Team Issue

Brakes: Avid Juicy Carbon

Shifters: XO twist

rear deraileaur: x-9

front deraileaur: XTR

flat bar

zero layback seat post

US cup #5

2009-04-27T13:21:00.001-07:00

Sunday April 26 was US Cup #5 in the Santa Ynez Valley, the weekend following Sea Otter. Opposing the scorching heat in Monterey, Los Olivos was a much more comfortable racing climate with the high being around 20 degrees and lots of wind.
The course took riders on a rolling eight mile loop through ranch land with two longer climbs and no rocks or roots making the course extremely fast and quite different from anything in Canada.
Twenty –Five riders started the men’s race which would consist of three laps. On the first climb a small group consisting of Sid Taberlay, Aaron Olsen, Andy Schultz, Manny Prado, Craig Ritchey and Daniel Sessford left the rest of the field with Taberlay attacking the group getting away and Andy Schultz and Aaron Olsen Chasing. The next person to Launch an attack was Craig Ritchey who got clear and ended up soloing for the three laps finishing fourth almost catching Schultz at the line. Daniel Sessford rode for most of the race in fifth fading a little at the end and being caught by Dana Webber to finish sixth just off the podium.
The Next race for the Blue Boys (Craig Ritchey, Daniel Sessford) will be the Canada Cup #1 in Baie St Paul May 17th.

Sea Otter and camping

2009-04-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

I raced Sea Otter Classic for the first time this year. It was great to be able to race against 170 other fast guys on a fast course. The only downside for me was the heat, not being used to riding let alone racing in 30 degree weather took a lot out of me. The start was great for me and I was able to ride comfortable in the lead group until about 40min in when my core temperature started rising and I could no longer get cool. After finishing all the water I was carrying (2 bottles) plus the water I could get out of the nuetral feed zones I had to realize that I needed to sit up and focus on getting through the lap and not dying since my legs and arms were starting to tingle and I was sufferign from heat stroke with feelign like throwing up and a bad headache. After the feed zone though I was able to recover a bit for the second lap and pass a few guys back to finish 36th. A little dissapointing considering I was doing quite well and I was wanting to finish in the top 20. The next race is going to be in Santa Ynez on Sunday and I think I will be more acclimatized to the heat!

After the race we went for a quick trip to downtown San Fransisco before heading to Point Reyes National seashore with Jenny and Emily for a couple of nights to camp and have a nice time at the ocean. To get there we had to bike in for 6.8miles with the first 4.5miles being a climb up to 1324 ft and then the last 2.3 being a decent back down to the ocean. The views were great and we had a nice time there playing on the beach and watching the waves. Although riding back out today with a pack and all the gear was a little bit of a grunt.

Oh the other thing I seem to have trouble with on a regular basis is customs. Everything went smoothly I went to the wicket, talked to the customs officer and he stamped my entry form and my passport and I said thanks and have a nice day and continued on my way out to pick up my bike and luggage. Just as I was about to leave security another officer stopped me and wanted to know why I had no previous stamps in my passport if I had actually been to the U.S. Well I don't know why they have never stamped it but he didn't like that answer and wanted to see my return ticket which I don't have because I am driving back to Victoria with Jenny and we are going to be doign some sightseeign on the way. But I never print out a ticket anymore, everything is done through internet. maybe in future I will have to print of my complete itinary. I guess telling them that the U.S. would not be my first choice for countries to sneak into wouldn't go over either. Well good thing the next border is going back into Canada!!!

2009-03-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

Half way through march and the trees are starting to bud and the days are also getting warmer! Needless to say the riding is also great!
Yesterday I went to see an orthotics specialist and after he did the full assessment and watched me walked and did all that stuff he told me orthotics wouldn't help me since I had nothing wrong with my feet but stretching would help me to feel better in general. Something I guess I know but just find it hard to actually get around to stretching. I would probably have fewer aches and pains though, so I am starting to try and stretch regularly from now! But if you are ever needing orthotics and live in Victoria then I would recommend Dr Hamilton.

Sunshine and Leadville

2009-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

The weather in Victoria has been amazing lately with clear blue skies and warm sunny days! Yesterday evening I had a rest day and I took advantage of another nice day and went down to the ocean to relax and enjoy being outside.

On the racing/training side of things I found out this week that I made the lottery to race Leadville 100 in August. I'm looking forward to it- who wouldn't want to race 100miles at 10,000 + ft? But it should be a good time and Tamara Goeppel and possibly Thomas Tetz have also made it in so it will be nice to see them down there and enjoy the mountain air together while eating our gels and sugary drinks...Plus every finisher under 9hrs receives a handcrafted belt buckle. The goal though is to be under 7 hrs which means averaging 23km/hr...we'll see what happens!

As for now I am off to go ride the mtb

2009-02-07T21:54:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been busy for me, with work and training and then of course sleeping. At work we needed to finish up a project that had to be done for the end of January which meant a bunch of 10hr days, not my favourite thing to do but the plus side is that for the next couple of weeks I am able to be off work at 1:30 pm and work 6hrs a day! This is a huge benefit for my training since it means more nap time and more sleep at night.

Trainign is going well. I just finished up a 3 week block and a recovery week and monday I start again with the build cycle. Today I also had a test type workout where I was to do a climb 2 times at max effort. The climb being Willis Point rd which took me 10:04 for the first time and 10:14 for the second. I have no idea if this is fast though since I have never heard of a time for it. Regardless I was going hard and had a good ride!
I also bought some new road shoes and pedals yesterday. the Pedals are the Shimano Ultegra Sl, which are pretty sweet and the shoes the Specialized comp. Its been awhile since I bought new road shoes but compared to my mtb shoes they are pretty amazing! I would definitely recomend a set of specialized shoes to anyone looking for new ones...
Tomorrow I have another 3hr mtb ride on the schedule and its of course going to be a good time. don't know the full ride route yet but thats allright!
I'll try and update this thing more now as the season is starting up!

Daniel

Juan de Fuca

2008-12-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

Starting out

I hiked the Juan de Fuca trail with Tom this past weekend. When we left friday night the weather man in Victoria was calling for up to 10cm of snow in the Victoria area and we were sure that since we would be on the west coast where the weather is usually colder and wetter we would for sure be getting some nasty conditions. We left Victoria at about 5pm arrived at the trail head about 7pm and then hiked for the first couple of hours in the dark to Bear Beach where we camped for the first night. The first night of hiking was pretty un eventful with the most exciting thing being me slipping down the last six or seven steps on a set of stairs.

Tom eating Chocolate for Breakfast

The next morning we woke up bright and early at 7:30 after a 9.5 hr sleep and continued on our way. Now on the map it says during high tide look for red bouy's which will get you off the beach and be a bypass for the beach section. Well we took one of these and ended up back on the highway and had to walk back down amd by that time we had walked an extra 4km...not a big deal. The next beach we came to was Chin beach where there is also an emergency shelter located so after a quick stop for lunch we continued to try and cross the beach. Unfortunately the tide was up here and after timing the waves for awhile we decided to make a dash for it. This was great except for that we didn't actually know what was around the corner or how long we would have to dash for. I went first made it around the corner and realized there wasn't really anywhere to go except for this little clump of sliding rock face with some shrubs on it. While contemplating this another wave came and hammered me against the cliff but fortunately I saw it coming and was able to brace myself. I scrambled up on the falling ledge and turned around to wait for Tom. Tom also got hammered by a wave but his knocked him over and so he got a full soaker. We made it another few hundred meters down the beach and were about 100m from where the trail goes back up into the woods when we had to stop on a pile of drift wood with little trees and wait there for another hour until the tide was low enough for us to cross. neither of us wanted to risk trying to make it past a cliff where the waves would easily have been over our heads. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful with us covering a bunch of ground and stopping at Little Kuitshi creek for the night and an 11.5hr sleep!

Sunday was the final day and the tendons behind my knee which connect the calf and hamstring were sore but fortunately we only had to do 14km! 4hrs later including a short break for lunch we were done the West Coast Trail and starting our walk back to Port Renfrew (another 5km) where we would try and find a ride back to our car. if we hadn't been able to find a ride Jenny was planning on being there at 6pm to pick us up. Fortunately a guy came by just as we were at the edge of town and we were able to get a ride with him!

I also ate cheese and sausage for the entire time. Even if Tom thought it was disgusting.

Sombrio Point

one of the suspension bridges (the only one we crossed in the light)

My sister Emily also came to Victoria yesterday and is going to visit for the next week before she goes back to Whitehorse for Christmas.

another day in the short shorts

2008-11-30T19:47:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday evening and my legs feel wrecked. I found myself walking slower then normal and thinking about sleep while I went to Capital Iron to look at everything from camping to kitchen ware and everything in between. But especially the kitchen and bakeware. I like that stuff! Really though my legs are just sore because I did the Gunner Shaw XC yesterday. a 10km running race on some rolling terrain with some good puddles. The race started well and I realized that it was going to take me about 40min which is longer then I have ran continous in at least the last 4 weeks maybe longer. Anyways the race went well and I was running in 7th for the majority of it but with a few km to go my ligaments started hurting and I figured a running race just wasn't worth an injury so I eased up and finished 13th. Apparently a bunch of runners were telling me that this course is a long 10k...well I don't know how 10k can be shorter or longer because the math I grew up with a kilometre is a kilometre and it doesn't change. Regardless I had a time of 40:34 and was happy with my new PB for a 10k. Thats right it's my first ever 10k and maybe my last time keeping track of these things because I really prefer PB on toast with honey...

Training is going well though and I had a good mountain bike ride today waking up at 7am and eating a couple pieces of toast with peanut butter and honey and then pedalling for 3.5 hrs in the rain and mud, a typical Sunday and an enjoyable one!

Next weekend I am going to do the Jaun de Fuca trail with Tom and I'm really looking forward to it! More on that next week and some photos!

finally an update

2008-11-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

The short shorts really bring out the Tan lines....

Well I guess it's about time I updated everyone on what's been happening over the last month or so.

I started my training again a few weeks ago and am enjoying it. I enjoy the structure that comes with the training program and the workouts. One thing I have been doing that is a little different this year is I have a motor-pacing girl. Jenny comes along on her motor bike and rides beside or in the vicinity while I am doing my intensity. So I guess it's not really motor pacing since I don't draft but I find when the weather isn't the greatest or near the end of the intervals I am able to stay motivated and continue pushing hard to the end.

Tom (on the left) was able to convince his work to set up a tent so he could race while working..

On Remembrance day I entered a running relay with some friends. Thetis Lake relay is a 20km cross-country race with 4 people each doing 5km each. My team consisted of Nathan Doering who was our starter, Tom Skinner, Michael Jordan and myself finishing. We all had a good time and finished 4th out of 120 teams. So even though none of us are really runners I guess we're decent. Next race will be the 29th of November and we will all be running there, although it will be a 10km event mass start.

Jenny running her 5km

Work has also been going well and this friday we will all be going to watch the local WHL team The Salmon Kings play which should be exciting although I never watch hockey and all the guys at work do. Jenny is coming along and the plan is to make some huge Salmon cut-outs that say #1 on them so maybe we can be the best fans just not the most informed...

My birthday also was a good time with me going for a good ride with Tom and Craig and then doing some quality couch time at their place before we all went over to Jenny's place for dinner which she made along with a great birthday cake!

Anyways things have been going well and I'll post again after the Gunner Shaw XC on the 28th.

Working Man

2008-09-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

I've now been in Victoria for two weeks and I have just completed my first week as a working man. I'm working for Island Precision Manufacturing, a cabinetry shop that makes high end products for big projects. Right now we're building all the cabinets for the Ritz Carlton in Lake Tahoe. The work is pretty good, I enjoy it and the people are very freindly and good to be around. Oh I also commute 17km each way and I have to be there at 7 am to start which means my mornings are early waking up at 5 am but then I am off work at 3:30 which gives me the whole evening to ride and go for runs. I like it.
Anyways I am off to eat some breakfast now and go for a morning run.

made it to Victoria

2008-09-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

I made it to Victoria and everything went well. The flight was good and the bus ride over and the ferry all went smoothly.
My place in Victoria is nice. It's a 4 bedroom basement suite that I share with 2 other guys. Both of them ride bikes so its pretty good. We also live part way up Mount Tolmie so at the end of every ride a get to do a little climbing to make it home. Tonight I did the Aviawest group ride which was good and it wasn't super quick so it was a nice way to start riding a road bike again since I haven't really ridden one since June.
I also bought myself a bike for commuting on today! It's a Norco LRT 2 and it came with fenders and a rear rack which I also bought a basket for to carry my groceries in. Should be pretty good and I am not worried about leaving it locked up in a bike rack.
Now I just have to find a job.
Oh I am also going to do the Bear MTN hill climb on Thursday, it's not a huge climb about 7.5min and then after there's a buffet dinner so it's probably one of the best races for value since it's a $10 entry fee.

Moose Hunting

2008-09-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

I went moose hunting with Martin Owen this past week. The plan was for me to arrive in Dawson City and meet him there on the monday the 1st of September and then we would head out early in the morning of the 3rd and be there until the afternoon of the 7th. So early Wednesday morning we headed out before light and just as it was getting light we saw a couple of grouse so we stopped and got those for our lunch later on. We then stopped at one location but never saw any fresh signs and tried calling a bit but continued on towards where we were planning on hunting. About 30min drive away still we saw a Cow moose with a calf so we stopped and looked at them for awhile before continuing on our way. As we came around the corner and were able to look out over the valley we planned to hunt we spotted two moose about 1km away and we could see that one was a bull! We then started our hike into the valley and slowly getting closer and about 300m when we could see them again we realized they were actually two bulls and they were fighting! Just the one bull only had small antlers and we couldn't see them from far off. We were able to get to 150m with a large grassy opening in between so I shot from there. Then it was time to find a way across the river to them and we figured we would be able to drive an old road up the other side of the river fairly close so we hiked back out drove to the other side and realized the moose was actually on an island! The area around there was super muddy as well otherwise we would have driven through the river to get to it but with all the silt and quick mud we would probably lose the truck before we were half way across.

Once we had it all quartered and piled by the river we then drove back into Dawson (90km) and borrowed a canoe from Malcolm who also agreed to come along with us and help pull it out, Which was super nice of him! We had to paddle up stream for about 1.5-2km before we got there then load everything into the canoe and Malcolm agreed to paddle it back down the river since he had the most experience canoeing and Martin and I would hike back out. Anyways it all worked out and 22hrs after setting out on our hunting trip we were back in Dawson, very tired but also happy.

Selling haro group 1 sx pro

2008-08-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm selling my "Haro group 1 sx pro" bmx and it's in excellent condition. I bought it spring of 2007 rode it a few times on the road and never made it to a bmx track.

Shimano Deore V-Brake and Brake lever system
Full Chromoly race fork
Full Chromoly race handlebar w/7.5” rise
TruVativ XR alloy race crank w/sealed Euro BB
Sun RhynoLite rims w/rear machined sidewall

$400 and you can contact me at dsessford@hotmail.com

ouch

2008-08-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

I entered the weekly tuesday night fun run in Whitehorse today. For my second run of the year it was good, painful especially now that I am done and my legs have seized up but I kind of knew that would happen after pounding pavement for 5k when the longest run I have done so far this year was two weeks ago and only thirty minutes in length. I was happy with my time of 18:32 and was thoroughly crushed by two people who actually run. Shane and Luke Carlos, Shane with a time of 15:30something and Luke with a time of about 17:30.

King of the Canyon 2008

2008-08-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

We held King of the Canyon yesterday August 18th at Schwatka Lake boat launch and it was great way to end a long weekend up here in the Yukon!

The weather was good with lots of sunshine which definitely was better then last year when it started snowing part way through!

The course was 55km in length with only about 1km of that being road and then about 5km being double track. Oh and it also had a lot of climbing. no really long climbs but almost all of the climbs were typical Whitehorse climbs which are short and steep. Short as in maybe 200 metres but you also gain 50 metres in elevation. The thing with the KOC course is that the first half is pretty much rolling with these steep climbs and gradually gaining elevation before you finally reach the highest point and you are able to cruise pretty fast down the Yukon river trail to the finish. Well you can go fast unless the previous 45km of rolling climbs hasn't wrecked your legs.

19 people showed up to ride and for soem of them it was the first time they had ridden those trails, which is what the whole event is about.

The winners for the men and women were also awarded the crowns which Sydney Vanloon who won the womens race commented "I feel like I'm wearing a dunce cap" well Syd that'll teach you for over achieving and riding fast.

Some Pics from Bromont

2008-08-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

Running the 2nd climb

This descent was actually ridable but there was a short steep climb right before which was faster to run so it made sense to run the short down as well.
Matt and I at the start area

Mud and More mud in Bromont

2008-08-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today was my final race in the 2008 season and I am happy to say it was a good one! Last week was the Mont Saint Anne stop of the World cup and the race wasn't that amazing for me. I finished 58th but just wasn't mentally prepared for the speed.
This weekend was much better! Its been rainign here in Bromont all week and the course was super muddy, which suits me well. I like riding in the mud and it's kinda fun to be sliding all over the place. The start of the race was probably my best start of the year with me moving up as far as 18th by the top of the first climb and then droppign back a bit to 23rd on the 2nd big climb before entering the main single track. My main problem today was having chain suck. Chain Suck is when the front sprockets (chain rings) on the bike are worn out and the chain is no longer able to drop off the teeth freely at the bottom and instead continues to wrap around causing everything to jam up. I was havign this happen to me at least once every lap usually twice per lap, so I would have to get off the bike fix it and then keep going. It also only happens when the chain under load which means the majority of the time it happens while climbing. despite losing positions every time this would happen I was still able to chase back close and ended up with my first top 30 in a World Cup finishing 28th!! It's a good way to end the season!
I'll see if I can find some pictures of the race over the next few days.

2008-07-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

I pre-rode the world cup course for sunday today. Its almost the same course as Nationals with an additional technical section at the top of the climb and another chute descent near the end of the lap. Its a fun course and right now it's super muddy but the sun is shining for the first time in the last week and it may dry up. Although I will be happy with racing in the mud!

photo courtesy of Marek Lazarski www.lazarskiphoto.com

Nationals report

2008-07-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

Nationals this year was 6 laps on a course which was super fun to ride and had a lot of climbing with fast technical descents and even some technical singletrack climbs!
The start of the race went well for me and I was sitting in the top 10 going into the second climb and feeling good. At the start of the second lap things were still going well. The only thing is I often forget to eat or drink during races so part way through lap 2 I was fading. On the third lap I was starting to come around again and I hit my rear derailuer on a rock causing the cable to come out of the routing and I had to stop and fix it before continuing on. On the fourth lap I hit the back of my knee with my pedal while running and when I got back on to pedal hard there was a ripping feeling and I could no longer pull up on my pedal. It pretty much felt like the tendons on the back of my knee exploded. (It's feeling better today and I was able to ride for my 2 hr training ride) At this point I was more racing to finish rather then for position since it was so painful to pedal and coming through the feedzone I was not happy knowing I still had two laps to go with 1900ft of climbing per lap. Then on the fifth lap I got a flat and stopped a couple of times to add air before making it to the tech zone where I had a wheel change and started out on my 6th and final lap.
I finished 19th and although I am not happy with it as a result it is my best finish so far in Elite Nationals.
Next Sunday is the Mont Saint Anne World Cup and with proper nutrition during the race it should be good!

preparing for nationals

2008-07-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Quebec last night and was picked up at the airport along with some friends who conveniently had an arrival flight at the same time. Well actually I thought my flight was at the same time as there but once I was travelling realized that no actually my flight arrived 1.5hrs after theirs did so they sat around the airport like nice people wondering if i even had the right day.

Were at Mont Saint Anne now and Nationals are on Saturday so hopefull things go well for me. The course has lots of climbing and fast technical descents with some single track climbing so it should be fun!

Here some photos from today(me at top, Craig Richey-centre and Craig, Brian Bain and I as we leave to go ride the course) and I received my new hardtail today which is super sweet!

Canada Cup Overall - 9th

2008-07-08T19:00:00.001-07:00

with the Canada Cup circuit now done the points have been tallied up and I finished in 9th place for the overall with Raphael Gange winning his first Canada Cup overall.

complete results can be found here http://canadian-cycling.com/cca/documents/cancup/canmore_xcme.pdf