Nomads Dominate BC Weekend Racing

The Nomads racing team continues to dominate in BC. While this past weekend was a mess of events to attend and others to blow off, Arthur, Chris, and Dylan each chose wisely and made their efforts count.

  Arthur Gaillot shows his rage face descending the Baden-Powell on Fromme, chasing Obsession: Bikes’ Cameron Belisle-O’Donnell. Races are won on the climbs, if they have any…

Event #1 on the Shore was the first of this year’s Toonie races organized by the NSMBA on Saturday morning. I stumbled out of bed to catch the action, hiking up the Baden-Powell just as the race was getting going.

I found a vantage point at one of the higher speed sections, and yelled “HAMMER” at as many people as possible. The second racer past my lens was Arthur Gaillot, and to that one word of encouragement I added “you can get him!” as Cameron Belisle-O’Donnell was within striking distance.

  When Cameron Belisle-O’Donnell whipped by on a big wheel, leading the pack, I was awestruck. His Enduro, which we featured a couple months back, was successful in putting him ahead of Arthur on the overall standings in this spring’s FVMBA AM series, proving a different point about consistency in racing strategy.

It is, for some, an unfortunate fact that XC and Super-D races are won on the climbs and not the descents. Passing opportunities don’t come too often on DH sections. Keep it together, don’t make too many mistakes, and fitness can even the gaps when things point uphill.

As it turns out, Cameron’s mistake was on the second climb to Floppy Bunny. Arthur told me that they were both suffering as they rounded the first switchback, when the man in black and orange decided to attack on the short flat section after the corner.

  The post-race trash talk and celebrations at the base of Fromme. Remember, the Toonies are going down the first Saturday of each month all summer long – next month, that will be Wade’s Excellent Adventure.

With his worthy opponent out of steam, Arthur made his move just before the entrance to the last descent, sealing Cameron’s fate unless a serious mistake was made. A wise racer friend once told me that it’s good racing strategy to stay in second place until just… before… the end. And that is how NSMBA Toonie #1 was won.

  Rain threatened but didn’t actually fall on the first NSMBA Toonie race, though racers were definitely muddy!

And while I was there to witness Arthur’s feat, Chris Johnston’s update comes by way of The Nomads’ Facebook page: “Finished 10th today in the DH. Pretty stoked with the result considering I had to keep the same bike with no modifications. The Blur killed it. I won the overall one bike, all mountain category. Great weekend of racing!”

Anyone who’s interested in DH racing has to hold themselves back when it comes to the “one bike” categories. 50 km of XC racing, or 3 minutes of DH, where do you think the overall winner is decided? Once again, the climbs. Chris managed 9th place in the XC and 10th in the DH was good enough to clinch the overall.

  Dylan took the weekend off racing to let Dan Barham suffer on the bike instead of behind the lens. Photo ~ Seb Kemp

Speaking of climbs, while hundreds of riders made their way to the opening of the Full Nelson trail in Squamish, Dylan Wolsky decided to drag his friends along for an XC epic in the middle of the day. Once again on strictly anecdotal evidence, I hear the Nomads’ Australian contigent wasn’t letting anyone have any breaks.

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Congrats to both Arthur and Chris for their good showings this weekend, and to Dylan for furthering his legendary status amongst friends. The Nomads’ domination continues. Have you been dominated by this crew yet?