tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102691022011-04-21T19:00:57.554-07:00This blog is about training and racing mountain bikes in southern ontario. I've been racing for about 3 years now, each year has gotten more serious. I just recently graduated from sport class to expert class. This blog is about my races and other thoughts about biking and life. Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.comBlogger461100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-75708394268443371072007-10-19T14:23:00.000-07:002007-10-19T14:28:23.960-07:00

I just came across this and had to post about it. Must be an amazing experience. Amazing Base Jump - Watch more free videos

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1143778075729539692006-03-30T20:03:00.000-08:002006-03-30T20:07:55.753-08:00

It's been almost six months since my last post. Things have been very busy with starting a new company. This means I've been training so little that all my cycling gear is getting a little tight!Racing this year is taking a back seat to business. Got to do, what you got to do.If you're interested in keeping up with me on this front checkout my other blog at http://endtochaos.blogspot.com.The

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1132367600823594992005-11-18T18:33:00.000-08:002005-11-18T18:33:20.830-08:00

123-2362_IMG Originally uploaded by dheaps.It snowed for the first time in Toronto today. Darkness is here. Hello winter.

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1127615925891550112005-09-24T19:21:00.000-07:002005-09-25T07:45:09.476-07:00

Today was the Chico Fall 8hr. It was held up at Walker Farm in Durham. I wasn't able to race (packing for the move), but Chris and I headed up to see Todd, Ian, Mike and Steve all do their first 8hr solo. It was an inspriation to see all of them step up. Not sure of the positions but I think they were all top ten, which is great.I was able to grab a bunch of photos of everyone except Mike. Sorry

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1126319135332841572005-09-09T19:22:00.000-07:002005-09-09T19:25:35.343-07:00

I recently finished reading Good to Great, fantastic book. Close to the end Jim Collins talks about a running team having a simple and very effective plan on how to win races. “We run the fastest at the end.” This simple motto is what they base all of their training on. So much so that they put a coach at the ½ way mark of the race, from this point they calc how many people they pass by the end

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1124850466961121612005-08-23T19:04:00.000-07:002005-08-23T19:27:46.966-07:00

I was walking with my wife Colleen tonight and she asked me "do you have more fun riding with your friends or racing?". At first I couldn't explain it "I enjoy both" I said. But in thinking about it more I said "there is a feeling that comes with racing that never comes on the joy ride". I wish I could capture how it feels mid-race, the feeling of flying through the forest - flowing from turn

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1124760848250739802005-08-22T18:27:00.000-07:002005-08-22T18:36:28.880-07:00

Yes it is true folks. Hot August Nights came, we rode and we won...again. Always nice to win, even nicer to win back to back. This year everything ran super smooth. I'll post a bunch of pics over the next day or so and write a more detailed description of events. I'm also trying to find a good place to host some video. Chris brought his camera and documented the whole thing.Anyway, thanks to the

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1124452559863495142005-08-19T04:52:00.000-07:002005-08-19T04:55:59.866-07:00

Hot August Nights starts tomorrow and it's been raining all night. Looks like we are going to get close to 50mm of rain before tomorrow morning. Should make the course a little slick in sections. No worries though, I'm a mudder. My brother is a mudder and our mama was a mudder. :)The only thing that sucks about 24hr racing in the rain is trying to get clean and dry after the lap, it's damn near

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1123469156155128302005-08-07T19:45:00.000-07:002005-08-07T19:45:56.163-07:00

Darrell (me) climbing in backwoods Originally uploaded by dheaps.This is a shot from Bromont of me climbing, I wanted to post something from this weekend...but I didn't bring a camera :). Rode the 4hr Tour De Hough on Sat. It was sweet. Today did about 2hr 30mins up at Albion. I can certainly say I feel a little whiped tonight. But...only one more weekend until the 24hr Hot August Nights - yeehaw!

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1122943167501645232005-08-01T17:20:00.000-07:002005-08-01T17:39:27.506-07:00

Last couple of weeks has been hot, hot, hot. Since Todd’s wedding on July 8th I’ve put in some good weekends of riding. The biggest change this year has been longer road rides. The past two weekends I’ve done 120km (about 4hrs) + 2.5hrs of mtb on the following day. I’m trying to focus more on building endurance, over the course of August I’m going to increase the threshold workouts and look to

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1119889303093821602005-06-27T09:21:00.000-07:002005-06-27T09:22:49.176-07:00

ToddOriginally uploaded by dheaps.Came back yesterday from Todd's bachelor weekend in Bromont and Montreal. We all had such a blast!The riding in Bromont was fantastic, you can see a bunch of photos here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/dheaps/

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1119286659845682252005-06-20T09:57:00.000-07:002005-06-20T09:58:39.056-07:00

Start line of the 24Hours of Summer SolsticeOriginally uploaded by dheaps.Another fantastic event. The 24hours of Summer Solstice was a great experience. Our team "Weave Racing" came in 3rd - out of 134 teams!I'll write more about the race soon, you can see all the pics here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/dheaps/

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1118110166228036132005-06-06T18:53:00.000-07:002005-06-06T19:17:14.890-07:00

Ocup 3 – Canada CupHardwood HillsJune 5, 2005Another learning race. Remember the lesson from Mansfield last year? Well the race was a refresh course on that lesson. I like to call it "How to blow yourself up 101".Leading up to this race my prep was good.3wks beforeTues May 23– Ellis loops 1hr40mFri May 20– ride to work and back (2x25m)Sat May 21– LSD 3hrSun May 22– mtb fun 2hrMon May 23 2hrs 1

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1117415243911395732005-05-29T18:05:00.000-07:002005-05-30T04:47:07.803-07:00

Went for a great LSD ride yesterday, just under 3hrs of mostly flat but some rolling hills, rode with Ian, Greg, Mike and Charles. It was a beautiful day, sunny and about 18 degrees. Pace wise I kept it easy for the first hour and then stepped it up to about 150hr for 2 hrs or so, it was great…felt really good, right into full threshold for the last 6km and a final sprint. It was the perfect

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1116890758436238482005-05-23T16:06:00.000-07:002005-05-23T19:09:53.263-07:00

On Saturday did a 3hr long steady distance (LSD) ride with Todd and Charles. We went from Oakville to up and around Kelso. Lot’s of rolling hills with a couple of climbs. On the way back Todd and I stepped it up and whoa what a rush to do close to 50km/h over a rolling downgrade for about 10mins, I literally felt like I was flying....On Sunday, got together with Todd, Mike and Steve and rode

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1116526620672934662005-05-19T11:12:00.000-07:002005-05-19T11:18:20.110-07:00

This was the second Ontario Cup, it was an enduro format that means it was longer than your typical race – about 47km. I went in thinking I would finish in 2hr30mins.PrepAfter the first Ocup, I didn’t really work out until Thursday and only had about 1h15min ride (Elis climbing loops). Then I had two good days up at Albion the weekend prior to the race. The week before I only rode one day (

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1116207593244890662005-05-15T18:39:00.000-07:002005-05-15T18:40:39.233-07:00

Todd in the afterburn hazeOriginally uploaded by dheaps.Had the second Ocup of the season today, it was at Albion.I finished is 2hr 30mins and it hurt. I'll write more soon about what I learned, but for now check out all the photos here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/dheaps/

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1115690081886316942005-05-09T18:54:00.000-07:002005-05-09T18:54:41.966-07:00

Fire at the camp site Originally uploaded by dheaps.This coming weekend is the Albion Enduro, going to be just shy of 50km single track. Think I should finish in about 2hr 30mins or so. We went and rode the course during the weekend, going to be a sweet ride.This pic was taken last year at Hot August Nights at Albion. 24hr racing is so cool. Feel the burn.

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1115258454308962122005-05-04T19:00:00.000-07:002005-05-04T19:03:53.976-07:00

Just found this nice photo on Spec Image. These guys come to all the races and take pics of everyone. Sometimes they get come good shots. Here's a bunch more of yours truely.http://photo.specimage.com/race/viewrace.php?rid=191&tid=361If you want to see other photos go to this page http://photo.specimage.com/race/ and enter the plate number you want to see.

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1115173501582225442005-05-03T19:20:00.000-07:002005-05-03T19:27:33.463-07:00

Race JournalPrepLeading up to the race my prep was not very structured. I put very little time in two weeks prior, the weekend prior only rode 1 hr and only 1 hr during the previous week. On the Friday before the race we pre-rode and I rode one lap at about 80%. This was too much too early in the season. On Sat night I could feel my legs and was thinking “oh no”. I think this contributed to the

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1115069331265767232005-05-02T14:21:00.000-07:002005-05-02T14:28:51.266-07:00

Results from Sunday now online at Chico Racing's web site.Here's my stats from the race:Place: 19 Time: 2:05:44.61Lap 1 - 29m08Lap 2 - 30m07Lap 3 - 31m33Lap 4 - 34m56Max HR: 184Ave: 167Journal is to come, but overall I'm pretty pleased with my performance. Without the miles leading up to it I knew my legs would cramp. You can really see it from the times. With some more training I should be able

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1114984999340202852005-05-01T15:03:00.000-07:002005-05-01T15:04:34.586-07:00

Darrell (me) on the downhillOriginally uploaded by dheaps.Before I post my journal from the race today (still have to write it), I thought I'd post a couple of pics from the race. This first one is a pic of me on one of the last big downhills. Pictures don't do the speed justice (honestly, I was going fast!)The day turn out great, very little rain and mostly sunny. Besides my legs cramping at

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1114913933378780982005-04-30T19:18:00.000-07:002005-04-30T19:18:53.376-07:00

Was able to ride Mansfield yesterday, the weather was great and the course was super nice. As long as it doesn't rain a ton it should be a good race tomorrow.  

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1114565312135560532005-04-26T18:22:00.000-07:002005-04-26T18:28:32.136-07:00

The first race of the season is coming up this Sunday, feeling nervous and excited. For those of you who are interested here's all the details.Prep this year was not as focused as last year and I haven't ridden off-road yet this year! I'm going to head up to venue (Mansfield) on Friday afternoon to pre-ride and prep like I normally do. I think reviewing all my posts from last year will help too

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1113053050424188982005-04-09T06:24:00.000-07:002005-04-09T06:26:50.883-07:00

Ok last post for today, I like this shot - following Todd and Steve up to the start of last year's Mansfield O-cup (where I died and was reborn- see previous post for details).

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1113052802558234342005-04-09T06:20:00.000-07:002005-04-09T06:20:02.556-07:00

I love this pic from the 2003 Kelso 24hr. I think it really captures the feeling of endurance racing in the morning. If you look real close you can see the dew drops on the crank...I'm really looking forward to the group races this year.  

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1113051594794125062005-04-09T05:59:00.000-07:002005-04-09T05:59:54.793-07:00

The first O-cup is coming up quick - May 1st. I'm a little nervous, going to be interesting staring the season in expert class. Anyway, this pic is from the last race of the season last year - a little inspiration if you will. 

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1112831704233813872005-04-06T16:49:00.000-07:002005-04-06T16:55:04.233-07:00

Ok so first I'll admit that I'm no pro-blogger. Hard to keep up with posting. I know the millions of you who read this blog have been disappointed, your flood of email has been inspiring and scary to tell you the truth :-)Anyway, spring is finally in Toronto. Even though it snowed over the weekend (nasty) the last couple of days have been nice. I was able to get out to ride on Monday and tonight

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1111700627725322362005-03-24T13:43:00.000-08:002005-03-24T13:43:47.726-08:00

123-2355_IMG Originally uploaded by dheaps.Ok, this is the best picture ever! I'm planning a trip to Scotland in the fall and I'm going to ride until I puke.

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1110939358008893982005-03-15T18:15:00.000-08:002005-03-15T18:17:35.800-08:00

133-3379_IMGOriginally uploaded by dheaps.Just wanted to give a shout out to my boy Ian!Ian had some health problems early in the off season but seems to be pulling through and getting strong again. Just wanted to say keep it up! Look forward to racing with you again!

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1109559545070307162005-02-27T18:59:00.000-08:002005-02-27T19:00:15.776-08:00

DooganOriginally uploaded by dheaps.I was uploading some more photos to Flickr, and I thought I'd blog this one - cause Doogan is just too damn cute.I promise, I'll get back to mountain biking soon.

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1109558753578256172005-02-27T18:45:00.000-08:002005-02-27T18:45:53.576-08:00

ScenicTrail_Collingwood_03 Originally uploaded by dheaps.This is a shot from last summer, in Collingwood, ON. This is an access trail to one of the best trails in Ontario called 3 stages. The great thing about the trails up there is how high the canopy is in certain places. Just beautiful.

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1109088845918789832005-02-22T08:13:00.000-08:002005-02-22T08:15:44.653-08:00

Over the weekend my dad lent me a copy of Tony Robins “unlimited power”. I took it out after work today and opened it up to page 64, the page my dad had left the bookmark in. I don’t know if he intended to give it to me with this page marked.First couple paragraphs are interesting; it speaks about believing in yourself and if you believe you will fail, you will. If you believe you will succeed,

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1108698038329884062005-02-17T19:40:00.000-08:002005-02-17T19:40:38.330-08:00

Running in the night Originally uploaded by dheaps.This is a shot from a 24hr race last summer. Racing at night is an amazing feeling. It's very zen...all you can see is the trail in front of you and the blinking lights of the next rider you are planning to pass. The forest is quite and it's complete tunnel vision.

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1108502998264590852005-02-15T13:29:00.000-08:002005-02-15T13:29:58.263-08:00

133-3374_IMG Originally uploaded by doogan.Can you guess who won?

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1108412740044392322005-02-14T12:25:00.000-08:002005-02-14T12:25:40.043-08:00

Fire at the camp site Originally uploaded by doogan.This is a great shot of Ian at the camp site during Hot August Nights 24hr race. It was last summer. I can't wait until this season.

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1108412627222574322005-02-14T12:23:00.000-08:002005-02-14T12:23:47.223-08:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1108342166732372222005-02-13T16:46:00.000-08:002005-02-13T16:49:26.733-08:00

Althought I try to convince myself that I enjoy riding indoors, you know what...it really does suck. I've had some ideas on how to make it more enjoyable but still nothing is going to replace the feeling of riding through a forest, feeling the sweet mix of flow, pain and speed. I can't wait until we call all do that again soon.Think I'm going to post some pics from last season soon. Maybe it'll

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1106192540992151832004-09-26T19:39:00.000-07:002005-02-10T05:56:48.156-08:00

Seeing as how bad Mansfield went two weeks previous I focused on preparing for this race in the same manner that I had all the other O-cups. The weekend before I rode the course with Todd on both Sat and Sunday. Riding a total of 3 race pace laps. During the week leading up I put in about 4 hours – all at an easy pace – sprints on Sat. Food wise, I also included more protein into my carb loading

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1106192324128871492004-09-12T19:36:00.000-07:002005-02-10T05:57:29.536-08:00

Today was my first expert class race. I can certainly say it was an experience. Lead up to the race Week before rode Kelso road for 2.5hrs and then 100K loop up in Collingwood. Both great rides, then I pre-rode the course (only 17K - out of 28K) on Wed During the leading up to last week I was thinking of this race as a training ride. Although during the week I changed my mind and wanted to do

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1106191404375142832004-08-20T19:20:00.000-07:002005-02-10T05:57:49.170-08:00

Training and Preparation Last race before this was Summer Solstice in June 19 – 20. As you may have read in my journal from that event I was truly inspired by a guy that passed me on my last lap. After that event I went to Vegas for Ryan’s stag (I was the best man) and took literally two weeks off of training. Upon my return I settled into a pretty consistent training schedule that consisted of

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1106191059155720652004-06-19T19:15:00.000-07:002005-02-10T05:58:07.583-08:00

Food From Wed through to Friday I carbo loaded. Body felt better than times before. I think my body may be getting used to it. In terms of preparing for the race, my time was really crammed the week leading up. With work and family commitments I wasn’t able to pre-ride and we didn’t go and set up until Sat. morning. I think this was a big mistake, not pre-riding makes a huge difference (bad) –

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1106190907725214072004-06-06T19:13:00.000-07:002005-02-10T05:58:28.066-08:00

Pre-Rode on the Friday night, what a difference it made. Was able to learn the course and also discover that my bike had some major drive train issues. During the day on Sat. I had Charles work on it and he did a great job. Had pasta two nights before plus lunch and dinner the day before. Drank lots of water two days leading up. Morning of had fruit and yogurt and granola, then a little bit of

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1106190264848756402004-05-29T19:00:00.000-07:002005-02-10T05:59:17.093-08:00

Had pasta two nights before plus lunch and dinner the day before. Drank lots of water two days leading up. Morning of had fruit and yogurt and granola, then a little bit of coffee and half a scone. Forgot the trainer and tent so we (Todd and I) were late getting to the event. Was hoping to be there at 8am, ended up being 8:45am. With the start at 10 I had to rush around, prep my bike, get my

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1106189929639837272004-05-16T18:55:00.000-07:002005-02-10T05:59:35.883-08:00

As bad as Dagmar was (weather and condition wise) Kelso was good. Sunny, 18 degrees and a light breeze. The trails were bone dry and totally sweet. Day before had pasta for lunch and dinner and drank lots of water during the day. Morning of had fruit and yogurt and granola, then a little bit of coffee and half a scone. Changed my tires to pythons from the nokias – good decision re: conditions

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10269102.post-1106188954101072122004-05-02T18:37:00.000-07:002005-02-10T06:06:05.540-08:00

What a way to start off the season. Around 6 degrees, drizzle and rain and lots of mud, to say that this was a challenging way to start the season would be an understatement. Warmed up on a training in the parking lot for 15mins. Did two 1 min intervals and got my HR up to about 150. Headed to the start line 15mins before the start. This was good for position, bad for keeping warm. Think it

Darrell Heapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065667862073881509noreply@blogger.com0