Well it's been a couple years since I last visited Mt St Anne, maybe 3. This place has inscribed a deep and long impact on my life, career and psyche, in short I have many, many emotional memories attached to racing, traveling and existing in Mt St Anne. Not only did we do World Cups here but also a number of National Championships, all over nearly a 20 year period, wow.
In 1992 Jon Taylor and I made our way out to our first World Cup here. As a naive young racer my eyes were open and this was a HUGE event (truly it was). During the race I passed Tomac on the last lap, something like 24th for me, in a thundershower, but to finally be rubbing shoulders with those I had only read about, that was a career first. 1992 Was also the year the World Champs were in Bromont, just around the corner near Montreal, so for the record this is the 3rd time in Canada.
Doing laundry that week we met Elladee Brown and I still famously quote her wise ass comment "if you can't wash and dry it, it ain't worth owning", in answer to our question doh "you put your chamois' in the dryer"?
Jonny T and I also attended the then legendary Pool Tournament where we thought we should have won, but got beat by Marla and Monkey, woooaaa, bummer, but a couple of great people to meet.
1993 was a blur of heat and mud as we (Jon and I) cut our teeth and became more experienced at bigger races and more comfortable at Mt ST Anne. This was the era of crazy after parties, hard 2.5 hour races and 200 plus men lined up on the grid ready for action - it was the hey day, and it was crazy.
In 1994 I flew out with the Kona Mud Duelers, proceeded to slam Dave Wiens into a bridge railing (it took him awhile to forgive me) and I remember fondly watching my first World Cup Soccer to the tune of Dave Smiths' organic cooking with Kirk Molday and Kris Otter.
1995 was an oven, i was riding with OGC, I was winning all the Canada Cups and flew the Gary Fisher colors, life was good and this was just one stop on the circuit. Olympic qualifiers and a good race meant I was going to the big show.
1996 - 1998 was just 'business as usual' until the 1st World Championships in St Anne (1998) , finally we were in Mt St Anne in the fall and not the summer. My family, fully over watching long laps and manning feed zones decided that this was big enough event to make a trip out east for. So 1998 was a bit of a bigger year, but it was still familiar ground - good ol Mt St Anne.
and 1999 to 2003 continued an unbroken stream of visits to this now 'Old Friend'. We knew where all the swim holes were, the best restaurants, where Pierre Harvey lived, where to train and how to survive the heat and mud of St Anne. In short returning to a venue year after year describes what an athlete does, like a sales rep we are always going back to accounts, especially the 'key' accounts.
In 2004 and 2005 I attended Mt St Anne as a Team Manager, and then there was a short hiatus until I could return. This time 'low and behold' I had nothing on the schedule, nothing to do but a 30 min race in the 'Legends' event.
Wow, it was like a walk down memory lane, to consider the amount of my soul I have left on that course, the years of suffering, the joys of doing well, the agonies of defeat, Mt St Anne is a 20 year acquaintance and we are still hanging out, cool.
The interactions are different now and I don't know what our long term future will be, but GESTEV, the organizing committee; Chantal and Patrice, Lise and Anne are and always will be friends. Michel, Gilles, Eric, Seb, Matt and everyone else I have spent time with over those 20 years, I will always try to stay in contact with. The Venue and the Course, St Anne - well I hear that there maybe a Masters Worlds there one day, so I will wait and see..,,?
Watching the new generation of racers, both XC and DH excel and come to terms with what Mt St Anne has to offer, as a mountain and as a historical place in mountain bike history, is very interesting. Some naive to their future long term relationship with St Anne and some coming to terms with it, but for me to step back and watch Canada succeed was amazing, congratulations to Gestev for putting mountain biking on the map for us and for the World, congratulations to the Team managers and mechanics and to all the athletes that leave just a little of themselves out there on the course, at Mt St Anne.
What a show the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP in CANADA, good stuff indeed.
Dre
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