Nick Emsley

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...