Nick Emsley

Well the 2019 race season has come to a close for me. I have had an overall good year and am already looking forward to the up and coming race season. This year I have had some good and bad races but that is expected and part of racing. I accomplished one of my goals and proved to myself that I am ready for the next step in my career of racing. I am now more hungry to get after training and pushing myself to new limits and breaking personal records. The 2019 Recap The start of the year went very well considering how busy I was with having 7 races in less then 2 months and also the fact that I was dealing with some physical issues as well. I had a slight break in the middle of June and then attempted the 24 hours of Summer Solstice which was a fantastic event. It was a metal and physical challenge that I will never forget and one that I will do again. I pushed myself to limits and came out on top with the win in the solo category which was absolutely amazing! After two wee...

What a fantastic race season it has been so far! The 2019 winter took its time to leave this spring so it made for a late riding season at home. Now that summer is here the riding has been great and I am putting it lots of time on the bikes! The race seen has been lots of fun and I have already completed 7 races on my schedule. I have been feeling strong this year and am very happy with my race performances so far. During the winter I worked many hours and trained a ton. With dedication and hard work you can make big improvements which I am experiencing this year. A big thank you to my coach Andrew Watson of AWI Coaching for helping me achieve better results and my goals in cycling. Here is my completed races and results, Ontario XC Marathon #1 @ Turkey Point Ontario: 13th Place Ontario XC Marathon #2 @ Mansfield Ontario: 3rd Place Ontario Cup #1 @ Woodnewton Ontario: 7th Place Spring Chicken Marathon @ Beachburg Ontario: 4th Place Ontario XC Marathon #3 @ Ganaraska F...

This winter has been a long one and I can't wait for the snow to start melting. With still lots of snow and only 5 weeks until the first race of the year I know it is going to be a crazy spring. My training over the past 2 months has been good and I am feeling ready to get out and ride especially as I have completed my race schedule. I have made a big leap in the marathon seen as I am going to take on the 24 hour Summer Solstice this year as a Solo competitor. This event will be the biggest and longest race I have ever been apart of so it is a very big deal for me and I am super excited for it. The rest of this years schedule is very exciting as seen below. Ontario XC Marathon #1 @ Turkey Point Ontario: April 13th Ontario XC Marathon #2 @ Mansfield Ontario: April 20th Ontario Cup #1 @ Woodnewton Ontario: May 5th Spring Chicken Marathon @ Beachburg Ontario: May 11th Ontario XC Marathon #3 @ Ganaraska Forest Ontario: May 18th Ontario Cup #2 @ Albion Hills Ontario: May 26th...

Another year has passed and a new year is upon us. 2018 was tough with challenges but I learned a lot and in the end it turned out great. During the year I tried some different events and I really enjoyed them, they are definitely on my 2019 race schedule. I also worked 3 jobs and that took its toll on my racing but I now know what I can handle and have better plans for my 2019 year. I had some good race results but I am planning on improving with the help of my coach Andrew Watson of AWI Coaching. I have to thank all of my 2018 sponsors for supporting me through everything! Lauf Forks, Frog Cycles, AWI Coaching, Colour and Code,  Glass Eagle Studios, Pro Home Solutions, Sir Sam's Ski & Ride, Integrity Construction, Todd's Independent Grocer, I hope to continue working with all of these great sponsors in the near future. I will be on the hunt for new sponsors for this year, as it will be an exciting one. For 2019 I am lining up some n...

Me with my bikes and sponsor banner Well the race season has came to an end and winter is close upon us. I finished the last two races of the year and now I am full force into training for next year. You can read my latest blog post about the Sausage Suit Individual Time Trial here: https://nickemsley.blogspot.com/2018/10/sausage-suit-individual-time-trial.html A week after the SSITT I did an 80km gravel race put on by Substance Projects called the Howeling Coyote. It was around the freezing mark on race day so it was a cold one. Even though it was the shortest gravel race this year it was the hardest in my book. There was endless climbing, and my legs could definitely feel it near the end. After a tough day of pace lining, chasing and riding solo I placed 22nd out of a field of 77 competitors in my division. Overall it was a tough challenge and a great way to end the race season. The 2018 race year has had some tough points but overall it has been a good learning year. I...

Hello Everyone! Thank you for taking the time to come and read my latest blog post. It means a lot to see all of the post views, likes and comments about my blog. Now on to my latest race, it was held on October 13th in Mansfield, Ontario. I have competed in this event for the last two years and had an absolute blast so I was really looking forward to this year. The event is called the Sausage Suit Individual Time Trial, I love the name and I wish more events had funky names like this one. It was nice and warm leading up to the event and guess what, on race day the temperature had to drop and it was around 6 degrees. Not my cup of tea so I packed some extra racing gear and was on my way to the event. One of my favorite things about this race is that the start is at 1:30 in the afternoon, so I actually got to sleep in a bit :). We arrived with about 1 hour to race time and that was perfect for me since I didn't have to be in the cold any longer then necessary. Once I signed ...

2018 has had it's up's and down's but I have had some great experiences so far. I took a different approach to my racing year as I did not do as many Ontario cup races and instead focused on Marathon racing and having as much fun as possible on the bike. In the Ontario cup series I moved up to the Elite division, it was a great experience since I did one more lap and the competition was a lot tougher. In the marathon racing scene I added some new races to the calendar and had an absolute blast competing in them. One new race for me was the 60km Spring Chicken Marathon held in Beachburg, Ontario.Unfortunately it ended with a DNF due to breaking my derailleur hanger.  I was also back competing in the Ontario XC Marathon series and new to me was the Stuporcross Gravel series, both series are put on by Substance Projects. I did a blog post near the start of the race year about the True Grit gravel frame made by Lauf Forks, my sponsor from Iceland, you can read the artic...

On Friday, March 30th I received a package from FedEx. I was super stoked since it was a new gravel bike frame from Lauf Forks. It has been a long time since I got a new frame or bike so this was definitely a big deal. Since I am going to be competing in Gravel races this year this bike was the perfect fit. Now that I have a Lauf True Grit frame it is time to place an order with my sponsor Frog Cycles for some parts to make a complete bike. Photo to the left: this is not my bike but it will be looking like it very soon, :). I can't wait to be sporting the Lauf cycling kit and my new bike on some gravel roads. The Lauf True Grit frame set includes a headset, seat collor, thru axles, bottle opener and the Lauf True Grit Fork. The overall impression  I have of the True Grit Frame is it has one of the best finishes I have ever seen. The Midnight blue matte colour is amazing. If you want to get more details about the Lauf True Grit visit their web site at:...

Well 2018 has arrived and I can't wait for the snow to be gone so I can ride my bike. Over the past few weeks I have been planning my 2018 race season and it looks like it is going to be a very exciting year. 2017 had it's up's and down's as you can read in my previous blog post here: Going for a run So lets get right into the excitement of 2018. To start the New Year off I have been on the trainer, hitting the weight's lot's and I am super focused on my training for the next 3 months. I also will be continuing to work with Andrew Watson of AWI Coaching as my coach. Andrew has been focusing on getting me to my peak performance and making me improve every inch of the way. I have been coached by Andrew Watson for the past 4 years and I can't thank him enough for helping me grow as an athlete and competitor in the sport. Andrew giving me coaching advice from the sideline Looking at my race schedule it will be a busy year with some bigger even...

Hello Everyone and Happy New Year to all who is taking the time to read this. For me the 2017 year had it's up and downs but it came out pretty good. Before I continue I would like to thank all of my Sponsors, Family and Friends that has help me through my 2017 race season and beyond. Lauf Forks Frog Cycles Sir  Sam's Ski/Ride The Highlander Newspaper AWI Coaching Also a special thank you to my Parents for being there supporting and helping me build as an athlete. I couldn't have made it to where I am today with out the help of my Sponsors, Family and Friends. Thank You! This past race season was definitely a hard one and it wasn't to do with racing, it was everyday life. This past summer I was working at a couple company's putting in 40+ hour weeks. The work was tiring just by itself but I also was training heavily and doing many projects around home as well. Since I was working lots I was showing up to the races tired b...

On July 16th I was in the middle of the start line with 57 racers on the main street of East Hereford, Quebec.  It was moments away from the start of the 86 km Canadian Marathon Championships and I was pumped. This was my third time competing in the Canadian Marathon Championships and it was being held at East Hereford. It was held at the same location last year so I knew what to expect this year. The days leading up to the race was great. We left Thursday night after I was done work  and did a 9 hour drive to our Motel which was in Coaticook. Coaticook is only 30 minutes west of East Hereford so we weren't staying too far away. Our motel was very nice and gave us lots of room to do our cooking and rest. Friday afternoon we went to East Hereford, signed up and got all of the information that we needed about the race. Then we were off to the top of Mount Hereford which you can drive to. I was going to do the 4 km long descent so I could make sure I had all of my lines fig...

It was June 4th and I was sitting in the our car trying to get out of the sun and get cooled down before my 1:45 race start at Canada Cup #4 which was being held at Horseshoe Resort. It was a super hot day and possibly one of the hottest days that I have raced, it was more of a challenge to keep cool before the event. I was all prepared and feeling confident, I pre-rode the course two days prior and I had all of my lines dialed in. The night before the race I took one of my racing vest and socked it in water and froze it in the freezer, so on my warm up I put it on to make sure I didn't over heat before the race started. (I was warming up and wearing a cold vest. I know, something doesn't sound right here. ;) ) Once we were in the starting pen I did my final preparations and I was ready to go. The  start went out very fast since the course had a lot of climbing the pain in the legs came very quick which was not very good. To make things even worse I lost my bottle at the start...

It was the third consecutive weekend of racing and I was at the Northhumberland Forest for XC Marathon #3. The Northhumberland forest marathon has been my favorite race ever since I started racing in the Ontario Marathon series. The trail's are all ways super fast and in great shape. As always the event was very well organized by Dan Marshall of Substance Projects. Today's marathon was 70km in length and I noticed some tough competition on the starting line. It was awesome to be able to chat with friends before the race and on the start line, it definitely helps with race jitters. The race buzzer went off and we all blasted away from the start. It was a bit tight at the start but then everyone got lined out and 4 of us went out and gained a big lead on the rest of the group. About 5km in I had to back off the high pace so I didn't burn myself out. Once I dropped back a bit I got together with another group and we rode the rest of the first lap together. On the second lap I ...

Enjoying my time on the start line It was May 27th and I was at Hardwood Ski and Bike getting ready for my 5th consecutive year racing in the Single Track Challenge. I had won this event the past 4 years and I was looking for a 5th. I was doing the 44km option and I was racing in the 15 - 18 division. On the start line I recognized some faces from the other marathons so I knew it was going to be a tough and fun event. The horn went off and we all went hard off the line. I was just at the front of the group for the first km and then I attacked and dropped everyone, I had a good lead on the group when we went into the first single track. I backed it off and bit and a group of 4 caught up and we rode together for the rest of the lap. Each lap was 22 km so the laps were very fast and on the second lap I had a couple of racer open a slight gap on me but it was okay since they were in different divisions. I finished 4th overall and I placed 1st in my division and I had a 6:31 lead on s...

The Long Sock Classic was the second event in the Ontario Marathon Series and it was being held at the Ganaraska Forest. It had been two weeks since the last race which I was unable to compete in but I had healed up and was feeling good for this event. I unfortunately had to work the days leading up to this race so I was a bit tired the day of the event. Luckly it was a very nice day for the event which was nice since it has been raining a lot for the past month. For the full marathon there were 81 racers and in my division I had 17 competators. The race went off and the course was pretty much the same as the years before so there were nothing new to worry about. On the first lap I was doing okay and I was sitting in a good position in the field but I could tell my  legs were wearing out. The second lap was tough as my legs were out but I still pushed it right to the end and I placed 5th in my division of 35 and under men. Overall it was a good race and working the day before the r...

It was two weeks after the first Ontario Cup and we were down at the second O-Cup which was being held at 20 minutes north of Kingston. It had been raining a lot the week prior to the event and there was a lot of flooding all over Ontario. The race promoter Dan Marshall of Substance Projects was working non stop to keep the course in decent shape with a record number of rain falling days prior. I had come down with a cold and I wasn't able to race which was very unfortunate as I always have enjoyed racing at this venue. Even though I couldn't race I still drove for 3 hours to help out the promoter and cheer on my team mates who were racing. Once we arrived the trail was very muddy and it was raining. As the day went on the rain stopped and the mud turned very sticky instead of being a slippery mud earlier. So everyones bikes were becoming very stuck up and there were multiple spots on the trail that racers had to run. I was able to watch as the racers took off and how they perf...

It was 6 days after the Homage to Ice and I was down in Uxbridge pre-riding the first Ontario Cup course of the year. My coach and a bunch of his athletes including myself did 2 laps of the course and got certain sections dialed in. The course was in great shape and it was a blast riding with some friends. The following day I had to go to work and do an 8 hour day on my feet which was tough. That evening I got as much rest as I could and got all of my racing gear ready for the next day. The following morning we got up and headed down to the race. We arrived around 9 in the morning and I got my Mother ready for her race at 10 am. It was great to  watch everyone at 10 am  race and to be able to cheer my Mother on. She had a great race with a 9th place finish. My race was at 1:30 pm so after my Mother was done I got some food and then went and relaxed. I have to say when you are waiting for a time to arrive it seems way longer then it is. Once it was time to do my warm up I h...

It was April 15 and I was up at 5:00 am getting prepared for the first race of the year. On the drive to Mansfield where the race was being held I relaxed and got myself prepared. It had been nice and warm for the previous week and on race day it was cold and raining. But at least I was ready and brought all of my riding gear. It was the first race in the Ontario XC Marathon Series put on by Substance Projects. My coach was there as well as some of my teammates. I was doing the half marathon in preparation for the Ontario Cup which was the following weekend. It did feel a bit weird dong the Half Marathon since I am used to do the full distance. My coach and all of his athletes went and did a warm up just before the race. After the warm up I went and did my final preparations and then headed to the start line. I lined up right behind my coach and on the right of him were my two teammates, Thomas and Scott. The start buzzer went off and the start was hard and fast. After the first few co...

It is April 5th and there is still 18" of snow in my home town of Haliburton. I hope the snow leaves soon since my race season is fast approaching. In preparation for  my race season I was down at my sponsor Frog Cycles installing a new drive train on my bike. I have been using a Shimano XTR 2x10 drive train for 3 years and it was time for an upgrade. There are so many different drive trains in today's market that it can make it very difficult to decide which one to go with. I chose a Shimano XT M8000 1x11 drive train. I picked Shimano since I have rode their drive trains ever since I started into cycling and I really like how they operate. I was tempted to go with XTR but the XT drive train is way cheaper and more durable then XTR. The only main difference between XT and XTR is the weight and that isn't huge. I will also be running a new XT brake system which are great. The levers are very smooth and they grab extremely well. I also just love the new 11 spd ...

Lauf Trail Racer vs Lauf TR Boost Fork For this blog post I am doing a comparison on two mountain bike forks designed and manufactured by Lauf Forks. I am going be reviewing the TR Boost and Trail Racer, they are both great forks and I am going to discuss what the pros and cons are. The first thing that I noticed when I started to ride the TR Boost is that it is one of the stiffest forks that I have ever ridden. Compared to the Trail Racer the Boost fork has better responsiveness in corners and responds to what you want to do immediately. The Trail Racer isn't as stiff laterally as the TR Boost is and you will notice that when you are cornering hard there might be a bit of flex in the Trail Racer compared to none with the TR Boost. The 60mm of travel is the same for both forks so you wont notice any difference with your suspension. Compared to the Lauf Trail Racer which uses a standard 100mm thru axle the Lauf Boost uses a 110mm thru axle. When I received the TR Boost fo...