Travis 2019 World Mountain Bike Championships - Part 2 (Trans Rockies Classic)

Coming into the finish of the final stage of the 2019 Trans Rockies Classic

At some point earlier this summer, I asked how Travis' legs were doing, and where he was at with everything leading up to the world's.  He said he wasn't where he wanted to be.  

(Trav works hard, and he is an amazingly committed family man.  As intense as he trains, he doesn't let that come in the way of his priorities...the life of his family!)

While I was on my summer wanderings with my doggie, I would think about him, and his preparation towards August...especially with those thoughts in my head of him not being where he wanted to be.  Charging the world championships is a huge thing, and I wanted for him to be able to go there as prepared as possible, peaking at the right time, to lay smackdown on everyone else.  

I do realize it is weird saying what I want, but the truth of the matter is that I want him to win, and in order to do that, he's gotta have everything aligned perfectly.  In that respect, yes, I do want him to be as prepared as possible.

At the end of July, Travis popped up on the radar again right before the first stage of the Trans Rockies Classic.  I was around home a bit then, but coming and going all over the place still, so I wasn't overly accessible.

It wasn't the first pre-race post he put up that got me, it was seeing his day one results that triggered something in me.  I was elated for him, but that feeling of shittiness from missing out had punched me right in the gut.

That was that, I couldn't take it anymore.  I was to the point where, how can I even call him a friend if I don't get out there and go see him at some point during those six remaining stages.  Immediately after seeing his post, I started looking into it all.  I sunk right into the Trans Rockies website:  www.transrockiesclassic.com/

Quite quickly, I took a screenshot of his results from Day 1, and posted it on his page.

After I did that, I looked at the course.  Before I saw the dates for each stage, I messaged Travis to ask him if there was a rest day in the middle.  There wasn't

When I was looking into it deeper, I was kinda getting a little deflated with each stage's start/finish locations because I had some casual commitments that wouldn't let me get to any of those places.  Everything turned around when I got to the last final stage though!  It started in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, and finished in Fernie, BC on the Sunday.  (July 28th)

"That's the one!"

Image from the Trans Rockies Classic website.

Even though I couldn't fully commit until I figured a couple things out, I instinctively knew I was going.  I couldn't miss it.  I'd be so upset with myself if I did, and it would eat at me.  (I can be my own worst nightmare.)  I messaged Travis that I was hoping to go, and in part, I wish I hadn't as I would rather have just shown up.  

(I had just done that to my friend from Whistler when she was playing in a charity hockey tournament in Kelowna the previous weekend.  Debbie was on the ice when she saw me, and her legit, double-take reaction of shock was worth the overnight drive!)

Yaaaay for Debbie!

I couldn't escape the thoughts of my brief 12 year history with Travis.  I mean, somehow in all of that, I was standing next to him in the hospital room when Tobi was being passed Caden from their nurse shortly after he was born.  (That is a hilarious story from my point-of-view that I will tell another time; but I will say that I have never felt more out of place in all my life.)  I just love those guys so much, and I couldn't miss him racing this time.  I felt like I'd be letting him down, even though, in his nicest guy ever language, Trav would tell me to go fuck myself for even entertaining such a notion.

So, it was settled, I knew that whatever I had to figure out would somehow work, and I'd be on my way to Crowsnest Pass for the start of the final stage...and then drive into Fernie for the finish.  

I left at somewhere around 1:00AM to drive through the night.  I gave myself enough time to poke along and take a break or two if I needed it.

Crowsnest Pass is right in the Rocky Mountains, hence the name of place, and is just over an hour east of Fernie.  I was really tired, and my butt was super sore, so I pulled over about 30 minutes west of Fernie to take a little break.  That would give me a smooth final little 90 minute coast into the small town.

I timed it so I would arrive at about 7:15AM so I could park my van, let my doggie out, and then find my way to the race area with some time before the 8:00AM start.  I woke up from my little siesta with the perfect amount of time to get there, so I looked at my dog, and said,

"Sweet!  We totally nailed it, Fennario!"

About ten seconds later I got reminded once again of how big of an idiot I am, and realized I forgot about the time change.  It was an hour later than I thought!  Our perfect arrival time of 7:15AM was actually 8:15AM...fifteen minutes after the race start, which would be perfectly the worst time to show up!

I turned back to Fennario to say,

"Well, I fucked up again!  Daaaaamn!  When'r you ever gonna straighten me out?!"

In a way, I wasn't totally surprised that I messed that up, and I'm betting that if you asked Travis, he'd likely concur with that notion, "Yup...big surprise there!"  I was pissed off though...like, really, really mad at myself...so upset! There I was, just letting down my friend again.  

Since there was nothing I could do about it, I just crawled back into the bed in my van and went to sleep again.  I was too mad to be awake anyway.

Immediately upon opening my eyes, I cursed myself out several times.  Apparently that seemed to be the theme of the morning.  

I took my time driving the last 30 minutes into town...stopping along the way to take some photos.

When I got into town, I started looking for my friend's school bus craft shop she has parked downtown that's called, Ace Ferguson. That bit of meandering led me to the skate park.  I had to get out there to poke around and take some photos. 

---

Inevitably, I was thrust into reliving some nostalgia from when I was a little kid in the 80's charging on my skateboard.  (If I wasn't all crippled like I am, I'd still have one to play on.)

I noticed there was a lotta commotion at the bike shop right across the train tracks beside the park.  There were all these little kids with their bikes, and their parents signing them up for some kind of race.  I had to go check that out.

Being in the parking lot of GearHub Sports was fantastic.  It reminded me of the Kids of Steel events at triathlons I have done.  You see all these little kids with streamers on their bikes, some dressed as super heroes, and all that fun stuff.  It's so great to see.  I have always loved that.

Kids Rally Registration at GearHub Sports:  www.gearhub.ca/

I asked what the event was, and where it was located.  They told me it was a kids rally.  The Kid's Bike Rally was in its 13th year.  The registration was at GearHub, but then there was a bike decoration station at the Fernie Bike Park that was right across the street from the skate park.  The rest took place by the rec centre and finishing area of the Trans Rockies race.

fernie.com/transrockies/kids-bike-rally/

I love that stuff so much.  Seeing the young kids out to give 'er is so amazing.  I'll never not love that.  

One thing I realized there was that no matter what the kids event I might see, or stumble into, I always get reminded of this one little girl in the Kids of Steel triathlon in Summerland, BC years ago in 2007.  (About 5 days before I met Travis and Mike)  She was having trouble getting into the water for the swim.  She wanted to so bad, and kept motioning herself into the water, but couldn't bring herself to do it.  She was turning around in half of a panic, pleading with her parents, and crying.  Even still, she wanted to do it, and we all knew it.  She just needed to find that millimetre of a push within herself, and she'd be fine.  Everybody on the beach got behind her.  The volunteers in the water were incredible.  We were all going nuts cheering for her.  She finally found the strength to get in and do the little swim course.  The applause that we generated for her was really something else.  When she stood up at the end of her swim, she had the biggest smile on her face, and the whole place just erupted!  It was awesome.  I felt so fortunate to be a part of it, and I have never forgotten her.  Being in the parking lot, watching all the kids registering for the bike rally, brought all of that back again.

Gotta love kids who charge!

My little bad-ass hero in the stripes!

Being at the kids registration area definitely wiped clean all the frustration I had within myself for screwing up the time change and missing Travis' start at Crowsnest Pass.  (It's nice to feel not pissed off.  Haha.)

I went back to get in my van to drive over to the finishing area and check it out.  After being such a dipshit in the early morning, I had to make sure I had everything all set for when Trav would be coming down the finishing chute.  I wasn't missing that for anything!

I scoped it out, but had lots of time before his estimated finishing time, so I found an excellent shaded area to park.  Fennario and I then walked the few blocks away to Ace Ferguson to see Kate and her kick-ass bus!

We hung out with her for quite awhile, but then with about 30 minutes left til race finishing time, we strolled back to the park area.  I put Fennario in the van, rolled the windows down, and put out her water for her.  With my doggie all styled out, I walked over to the finishing area.

I walked around wondering where the ideal place to see the end of the race would be.  The finish line was in an outdoor hockey rink.  I decided that the best place to be was right where the dirt met the opening to the boards of the rink.  That way I could see him pop outta the bush and he would ride right past me, only a couple feet away, and unobstructed.  Perfect!

I asked one of the race officials about the estimated time that they would be arriving.  I told him that Travis said it would be around (whatever time he told me), and he confirmed that.  The official then said that Travis had been on fire!

I told him I had driven from Nelson just to see Travis, and also told him of my time change screw up.  I welcomed him into making fun of my stupidity with me, and he happily obliged.  We had fun making fun of me for a couple moments.  (I earned it...might as well embrace it!)

From that moment on, I planted myself right where I was, and was not moving for anything.  Not a damned chance!

I was around 20-25 minutes early, so I had some reflective time on whatever my brain wanted to wander through.  I looked a bit at the summer I had been having, but really I was just thinkin' about Travis, and the bigger picture of this Trans Rockies race he was leading.

I know how hard he works for all of this, and what it really means to him.  Seeing his positioning at the top of the leaders board for this grueling race made me happy, but not necessiarily for the Trans Rockies itself.  I was looking at what it was all saying about his overall conditioning for the World Championships later in August.

He was never far from my mind during all my summer journeys, and until this race, the only information I had was him saying he wasn't where he wanted to be with his training earlier in the season.  Leading this insane 7 Stage race that averaged 79km in distance and over 6000 feet in elevation gain each stage told all the story one needed to know about his conditioning...

FUCKIN' SAVAGE!

I got really, really happy for him.  Super, super psyched!  

I looked back to that wintery dinner of us sitting at his kitchen table, when he looked me right in the eyes and said with such conviction that he wasn't going to the worlds just to compete, that he was going there to win.  I stayed with that image in my mind for a bit.  

I know how much he has put into it all.  That idea reaches further than all the long hours he puts out on his bikes.  Before I had come over for that dinner in the winter, Travis had sent me the sponsorship/media packet he put together.  (He emailed it in a pdf.)  

Travis has always commented on my writing, and knows I have a done a bunch of sponsorship/media for myself, and have helped other people with that if I'm ever asked as well.  He'll send me stuff like that because he knows I love it, but he also asks me what I think about it.  (Quite flattering!)

The kit he put together was amazing!  When I saw him next, he put the hard copy in my hands, and we got into it.  He worked hard on it, and you could tell.  It was so well done.

From my own experience, I know first hand how much goes into putting those sponsorship/media kits together, whether that being the time, or the mental and emotional energy.  They don't just happen on their own, and you cannot just whip them off.  I loved seeing it.  I loved that he sent it to me, and then put it directly in my hands when I saw him shortly later. 

It's more than the obvious that speaks to me about Travis, it's the fine unseen details of his passionate, and fierce commitment towards what he is doing.  It is infectious!

Make no mistake about it, going to the world's is a big deal to him...past the obvious to what so many others might see!

That's the stuff I was staring into when I was standing there waiting for him to come down the finishing chute.  It's also why I was so pissed off at myself for missing the start of that final stage.  I know how much it means to him, I know how much he has put into it, and he's someone I give a shit about; so I just found myself swimming in thoughts of happiness for him because of the way he laid it down for the Trans Rockies.  Trav completely annhialated any of those apprehensions he might have had quietly swirling when he told me earlier in the summer that his training, and body, was not where he wanted to be.

I understand that kind of mental toll in this respect.  I can't speak for him obviously, but I know all about the far depths of the spirit one gets submerged into when pushing into the ultimate extreme.  The things one's mind can do when treading within that realm can be absolutely brutal, so I can only imagine where Trav's mind was at fighting through everything when his body wasn't where he wanted it to be after the countless hours he poured into it all. 

Of course, I could be 100% wrong!

I almost felt a sense of elation when I was standing there waiting for him.  Despite the 7 days of hard pounding on his exhausted body, it had to be some sort of big release to crush down the Trans Rockies the way he did!  Good bye apprehensions, hello world championships!

If I'm being completely honest, I gotta say, I was getting a bit emotional.  I was glad that I came to see my friend finish this epic race that was the big springboard testing ground towards the world's.  (That is a fabricated thought within my mind, he has never implied such a thing to me.)  Outside of being able to go to Quebec itself, if there was one race to come out to see him finish, it was this one.  

Happiness!!!

There was a little comedy yet to come...

An elderly couple walked up and stood beside me.  We started talking right away.  They were super sweet.   The lady was firing off all the questions.  She asked me if I was from Fernie.  I told them that I had driven overnight from west of Nelson to see my friend Travis finish the final stage.  I then had to explain the deal with it being the final stage, and what that meant.  They were pretty blown away by the scope of the race, and also were pretty psyched that I would drive that far just to see my friend wizz past us for all of 15 seconds.  

The comedy played out when they both asked where the racers came out from to the finish area.  I pointed down to the brush with the cone markers along the ground.  She then asked if they would know where they were going.  I told her that I have done a bunch of these kinds of races, and that I have never looked at a map, and never had a problem as courses are always marked.  I then said, "These guys race all over the place, they know what they're doing!"

The couple were diggin' it, and stayed hangin' out til the boys came charging through.  Well, seems she was right, because when the boys popped outta the bush, all three of them went the wrong way...they took a right instead of going straight.

Photos:  Haha...Oops!

All three of us started laughing.  She totally called it!  I turned to her and said, "Well, you totally nailed that one, huh?!"

It was most excellent!

Back on track to bring it home!

The three of them got quickly back on course and blew past us into the finishing chute in the hockey rink.  Trav was out front, and in his words, "I couldn't resist," pulled a huge wheelie on his bike into the finish line. 

It was great!

Once he was finished, he had to give interviews for their media and such.  He had cameras right in his face.  I loved watching it.  Lil' bad-ass!

I walked to a different spot on the outside of the rink to take some photos while he was doing all of that.  When I saw it winding down, I went back to where I originally was by the entrance that they biked into as it was also the way they came out.  That's when I got to see him and talk to him finally.

For some reason, I was kinda at a loss for words.  I wasn't even sure of the last time I saw him, and even considering everything, I still didn't have much to say.  I remember thinking about the way I get whenever I have finished triathlons, and I think I let that get in the way of any conversation with Trav.

My races are a spectacle for exact opposite reasons of Travis, but I get swarmed by people at the finish line.  It totally overwhelms me, and really I just wanna unwind, chill out, and much to my friend, Shelby's, dismay, eat ice cream.  Talking to people is the last thing on my mind.  End even when I see close friends at races, I don't have too much to say to them either.  I know for sure, that got in the way of any kind of proper conversing with him on my end.  I was also aware of the grind he put himself through, so figured he might be a tad bit tired.

We small talked for a bit, but made plans for me to come over for dinner before he left for the world's in Quebec.  With that, I took off straight for the ice cream stand...The Happy Cow!

I talked to that lady for a bit.  She was selling these amazing home made ice cream sandwiches.  The ice cream was bookended by two fatty, fresh baked cookies.  Daaaamn, they were good.

I saw Travis walking by somewhere when I had just gotten mine, so I yelled over to him to see if he wanted one.  

(Also, much to the dismay of Shelby.  In a small, little way, I kinda offered it to Trav in total defiance of Shelby...  The story behind this is that Shelby is a naturopathic doctor, and really close friend I have known for over 30 years.  She doesn't have a damned thing against ice cream, but said it is the last thing your body wants/needs after doing something like a triathlon, or in Travis' case, a grinding mountain bike race.  Well, stick it to the man...haha, Shelby!)

Travis was all over the offer, so I grabbed a second one to give to him.  We indulged together.  I got some guy to take a photo of us cheers-ing our sandwiches, but for who knows what reason, he didn't know how to push a simple button on a camera to take a photo, and screwed it up.  I was bummed when I discovered that at home.

We talked for a minute or two more while shoving ice cream in our faces, and with that, I was on my way.

Before we parted ways, without him knowing, I took a photo of his shoes, and his skinny little calves.  I always love looking at his legs because they're so gawd damned savage!  Whenever you see photos of him on the podium, he's always the tiniest guy up there.  

I come from the triathlon world, and even though it is extreme endurance, I am used to tree trunk legs, so I have always found it most excellent looking at Travis' little legs.  Those lil' fuckers are like unassuming assassins!  Don't mess with them 'cause they will whup your ass all up over the place!

Even though I messed up getting to see Travis off at the start of the stage, I was really happy about having been there.  I never saw the whole getting emotional part  coming, but I embraced it because I love the guy and was just so psyched for him.

I let Fennario help me with the last of my ice cream when I got back to my van.  Then we walked back over to say good bye to Kate before we left town.

A few last post race photos!

Keep chargin' Trav!  I was glad to see you race for 15 seconds!