The 2005 mountain bike season ended last weekend with a silver medal for Neal Kindree.
The recent graduate of Howe Sound Secondary closed the season on a high note by winning a silver medal in the junior men's event at the Pan-American Mountain Bike Championships in Mexico City.
The setting presented many challenges for the local mountain bike champ. First, Mexico City sits at a very high elevation and the air is filled with pollutants.
Neal said he didn't feel very good after pre-riding the racecourse.
"When we returned to the athlete's village I felt downright tired so I hit the sack at 3 p.m.," he said. "I woke up three hours later and it felt like someone had jammed a weed-whacker down my throat."
He officially declared himself sick and slept in a separate room, so none of his Canadian team mates would be infected.
Neal woke up the next morning (Oct. 30) and decided his only goal was to finish because he still wasn't feeling well.
He said the gun went off and he found himself in 20th position in the first lap of the three-lap race on a course that featured climbs, flat sections and some downhill. He found some energy and picked up the pace. "I was shocked when I heard that I had moved into fifth by the second lap," said Neal after the race.
The Squamish rider worked with teammate Raphael Gagne of Lac Beauport, Quebec to work their way up to third and fourth positions. Neal said his chain gave him some grief that set him back a little and limited his gear selection.
He worked through the mechanical issues to reclaim third place. The second place rider suffered a flat tire so Neal claimed that position and held it to the finish line with his Canadian teammate behind him in third place.
"Considering the ordeals leading up to and during the race I couldn't be happier with the outcome," said Neal. "I am pleased with the result and happy to be ending the season on such a positive note."
Neal is now looking ahead to the 2006 race season. The next three weeks will be spent out of the saddle for what he called major down time to recover physically and mentally from the past nine months of racing. He won't be on his bike, but he does plan to hike, run and surf.
He said he hopes to train in Victoria in January and February then spend most of March in Vancouver. He plans to race through the spring and attend the first couple of B.C. Cup races.
"My main focus in 2006 will be the Canada Cup series and National Championship," he said. "Of course my major goal in 2006 is the World Championships in New Zealand."[email protected]
