U of T’s mountain bike team has completed another successful year of racing, finishing second behind Queen’s in the Ontario University Cup Mountain Bike Race Series standings. In the last seven years, U of T has finished on top four times, while Queen’s has won the other three years.
“This year was a transition year with a number of new members filling the race shoes of some elite racers who graduated [last year],” says coach David Wright, addressing some of the difficulties that his squad had to overcome this year. “It was a young team and we lost our last year’s team captain who went off to medical school in Ireland. This year’s captain Michael Falikowski did an amazing job and we hope to have him around for at least one more year.”
Monika Chmiel was a standout among U of T riders this year, finishing first in her division in every race. What was the secret of her success?
“I don’t give my secrets away,” Chmiel says jokingly. “I think that for me it was a combination of training in the offseason (the team has spinning classes during the winter months) as well as riding regularly during the spring and summer months. Getting out on the trails is the best way to gain confidence and experience in this sport.”
Also, a purchase of a new, lighter bike helps a little,” she adds.
Despite the efforts of Chmiel and a fantastic team showing during the race at Ganaraska-where Chmiel, Chantal Paquet, and Robyn Smith finished first, second, and third, respectively, in the woman’s sport division-Queen’s still managed to stay on top of the standings.
“The Queen’s mountain bike team is focused on winning, and that is not a bad thing, but the U of T team focus is on ensuring that our student athletes’ experience on our varsity team is a highlight of their U of T experience,” explains Wright. “Queen’s University racers are also excellent tacticians when it comes to calculating what it takes to win a race division, and above all they have some very strong racers.”
The prospects for U of T’s mountain bike team look very good for next year. Famous for the enormous volume of its membership, fielding up to forty riders in a race, the team will have a good-sized coterie of experienced riders as well as a fresh influx of new talent.
What does it take to be on the team? “Lungs and legs,” says Wright. “And if you want to be on the U of T mountain bike team you better bring a positive attitude.”
