Baie St-Paul and Sherbrooke Canada Cups... and an hospital visit

When the big sisters are gone… the little one gets her parents all to herself. And sushi.

Getting the bikes up on Mamie’s car to get to the race in Baie-St-Paul.
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

Ready to race the Baie St-Paul Canada Cup!
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

Warming up.
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

Mara crashed hard on the first lap of the Baie St-Paul mountain biking Canada Cup when her handlebar hit a trail marking pole. They carried her down - partly in a coach’s arms and partly in a 4 X 4 (can someone tell me why they didn’t have a proper ambulance with a stretcher at such a big event?!).
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

She was sent to the hospital for some x-rays. It was nerve wracking to follow that from afar, but my mom was with her and the medics and a Dalbix coach took great care of her.
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

There is no spinal injury, no fracture and no concussion. Pffeew!! They did an ultrasound to rule out internal bleeding since she crashed on her belly (and the tip of her handlebar poked her in lower abdomen...). There might be some torn ligaments, but all she needs to do is rest + ice and take anti inflammatory meds. She even had the OK to race the Sherbrooke Canada Cup the following weekend! That’s all she wanted to hear! She’s such a tough cookie!

The XCT on Sunday in Baie St-Paul was pretty muddy. Aïsha slid under the tape, but got back on the bike and finished strong. Mara was there to cheer for her team!

Catryana, Mara and Aïsha.

In the tulips with Mamie.
Photo by Paul Brouillard.

Bringing Mémé out in the sun and eating some fast food (her favorite - Louis Luncheonnette!)

Aïsha racing the Sherbrooke Canada Cup course under the eyes of her grandparents (up on the hill).

Mara on the Sherbrooke Canada Cup course.

Aïsha

Sisters talking about the race just after crossing the finish line.

Debriefing with coach Dan.

Grand-papa and Grand-maman came from Terrebonne to watch the race and cheer for their grand-daughters.

The whole Dalbix-Siboire Expert Cadet and Junior Crew!

Sweet Charles - aka Cha-cha - who was quite confused to hear people cheer for Aïsha using his own nickname (Sha-sha). He kept repeating: but I AM Cha-cha!

Family who cheer for your daughters when you’re not there: Priceless! It made our hearts so full to see them there.

Mara during the XCC on Sunday.

Aïsha during the XCC

Aïsha during the XCC

Sprint finish for 2nd place for Mara at the XCC (she is the first one here).

Breathing a sigh of relief after securing the 2nd place in a sprint finish!

That’s what you call leaving it all on the course!

Aïsha’s back was killing her during the XCC and she was in a lot of pain. She still finished the race and was proud of herself for not quitting.

Mara on the podium of the XCC.

It was the first time the girls were away for 2 weeks and that we could not be at their races. Needless to say, it was nerve-wracking! But they were very well-surrounded!

The girls had a great flight experience and I feel like since we often hear bad things about Air Canada, I feel it is important to talk about the good things they do too. The girls were upgraded to a direct flight from Montreal to Vancouver (instead of a transfer in Winnipeg) and got upgraded to First Class for that flight AND given 20$ each in per diem to spend at the Vancouver airport! Way to go, Air Canada!

And a little something I posted on Instagram that you might not have read:

And they’re off again, this time it’s only the twins, but for a trip to Quebec. It's funny how when your kids are young and you choose to keep them close people are feeling like you are over protecting then… I've always been a believer in the idea that kids who feel secure when young become confident adults, that you cannot force independence, that it actually come from a place of secure attachment. I had cautious little girls who took their time and we gave them that time. And here they are, at 15 yo, leaving on a trip across Canada alone with 3 flights, solid, independent, resourceful and self-reliant. It's a real treat to watch. Maybe it's time for a little pat on the back.

A weekend in Baie St-Paul

The girls's start. I was the first time that the 3 of them were racing the same race!

It's no secret that bike races (or any other sporting events for that matter) are not my cup of tea. What's not to love about being woken up on a Saturday morning at 7:15 by “Eye of the Tiger” to spend all day on the sidelines, inhaling dust while cheering people you don't know, thinking: shouldn't she be here already? Who's this again? Look at those legs and ass (OK, I know I'm not the only one, that's the only perk...), while simultaneously having a near heart-attack when they call First Aid on the course during your kids’ race? There's also waiting for the award ceremony that is never on time (except for that one time you were late), being bossed around by an overzealous 15 yo who tells everybody that is 50 yards from the trail that THERE IS A BIKE RACE GOING ON PLEASE STAY AWAY (‘cause you know, I'm standing in the mud with a ridiculously heavy camera NOT KNOWING there is a bike race). What's not to love, indeed? But you know what the crazy part is? I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else when they race by me and I see their eyes light up when they see me cheering for them.

Spotting daddy.

“Hit the jump!”I yell like an overly enthusiastic teenager, camera in hand, as he rides towards us. He gives me a grim look as he rides around it, which brings him close enough that I can see the twigs sticking out of his helmet. “He fell on his head!” Aisha says, worried. Look closely, you'll see his branch "horns".

Lots of love for papa who had two hard crashes during that race.

Ending the day in the village of Baie St-Paul.

Gelato time!

Being twins in the world of competition is not always easy. In the past, the twins either did team races or competed in different categories (in AZ Aïsha raced with the 15-16 yo). But here, it's not an option. The 3 of them are in the same category and if they want to race, they will be racing together (or against one another, depending on how you see it). It was an excruciatingly hard week for Aïsha as she is still struggling with an injury and feels like she is not in race shape… but also wants on the race experience. So, at last, she told Mathilde that she would race if she also signed up for the race. And just like that, we had 3 girls on the course at once! They each chose an achievable goal for that race and reached it! Mathilde knew she would very likely be last and she was, but kept riding with a big smile, encouraging the boys that were lapping her and receiving cheers in return. I believe we all grew from that experience as a family.

Cheering for Maghalie Rochette, their idol!

Mara during the XCT (the second event of the race, the other two didn't race that one).

Tired and proud to be 4th on 21 racers and to have been in the hot seat for a while.

Wearing her team colors for the podium. So proud.

My childhood memories of Baie St-Paul involve lots of not-so-great art galleries and a mosquito apocalypse in that very same Westfalia at this very same campground which led us to leave for a chic restaurant to have dinner without being eaten alive. We were on a return trip from a Gaspe peninsula tour with my dad’s partner of that time. It had already been a tense trip (she didn't care for Bon Jovi and sang off-key to old French songs and it drove me nuts, so I spent a lot of time behind my walkman, lying down on the back bench NOT looking at the landscape that she nagged me to admire). She also loathed me for my bad manners. When we'd watch a movie together, she'd spend more time peeking in my direction than watching the screen to make sure she'd catch me picking my nose and call me on it.

So that night at the Mouton Noir (see, I remember the name of the restaurant 30 years later! That's PTSD!), she threw a scene because I had taken a bite off my bread roll instead of ripping a piece off with my fingers and THEN putting it in my mouth. I was ten. You might have guessed she had no children of her own. It went downhill from there.

I'm glad to report that the Mouton Noir is still in business and that the art galleries are still thriving, as well as the mosquitoes. So long Baie St-Paul, see you in less than 30 years I hope!