Between the Tape: Ruby West brings home Silver at U23 Canadian Nationals
Between the Tape: Ruby West brings home Silver at U23 Canadian Nationals
Words: Courtenay McFadden & Ruby West
Photos: Drew Coleman and Ruby's mom
We're in the middle of the cyclocross season, which means last weekend Ruby wrapped up Canadian National Championships in Ontario! Canadian Nationals are always a bit early since most of the country gets a blanket of snow right around this time (as proven by the weather forecast heading into Pan Am's).
Ruby headed into Nationals as the favorite, coming in with good form and a lot of confidence after finishing up 3rd in the C1 at CincyCX. She was looking to claim her 4th U23 National title, and continue to wear the Maple Leaf jersey for the remainder of the season.
While leading the race in the 3rd lap, feeling smooth, confident, and in control, an untimely mechanical set her back, leaving her chasing for the remainder of the race. She ended up with a second place finish.
In her own words:
Nationals was a solid race for me. I started pretty hard, like I’m used to, getting the hole-shot and pushing it through the first few corners. I wanted to dictate the pace of this race and use that as a chance to see where other riders were at. Early on it was clear that the battle would be between myself and Sidney McGill, we split off from the rest of the riders on the first lap. I kept getting gaps on Sidney on different sections of the course, so I was making note of that, but not giving it 100% to make it stick because it was still only 2 laps in. Coming through on the 3rd lap, I had gained probably 5-10 seconds and was leading into the quick descent/run up, when I dismounted my bike and realized my chain was off. I ran up to the top of the run up and pulled over to try and get the chain back on, but in the thickest winter gloves I had, it was not an easy task. Another 20-30 seconds later I was back and moving, but by that point the gap was too far for me to pull back. It was hard to stay motivated to continue with the chase after that happened. Honestly, going in to the race I knew I was capable of winning, my form is great and my recent results show that, so I was extremely disappointed to come away with a result that I didn’t feel reflected where I’m at this season. It did however, put some fire in the belly to make up for this lack of result and with Pan Am’s coming up, it’s a perfect time to be really motivated!
Getting to Know Ruby West
How did you get into CX?
I was racing road and track when I was first introduced to cyclocross. My friend Emma White, who I’d met through road racing had told me about it and I was just so keen to try it. I borrowed a bike from a friend for my first race and was instantly hooked, my parents and I went to the local bike shop the next day and bought me my first cx bike, a bright orange Kona Jake the Snake.
What are you studying in school, what classes are you currently enrolled in, and what’s your favorite one?
I am in a program called Sport Studies. Within this I am doing a dual concentration in business and health. My elevator pitch about the program is that it is sort of like a kinesiology program but with a little less science, and a more multidisciplinary approach to looking at how sports and athletes affect and are affected by society. I think it’s super interesting! Right now I’m in four courses, Athletes and Society, Functional Anatomy and Injury Prevention, Psychology 2, and Intro to Environmental Studies. My favorite is for sure the functional anatomy course, it is just so relevant to what I’m doing, it’s so cool to have a better understanding of the body and how it works.
What’s it like juggling being a full time cyclocross athlete + full time student?
In one word - chaotic. In all honesty I love being in school because it gives me a completely separate life to bike racing, which is a breath of fresh air a lot of the time, it’s nice to have friends that don’t race bikes and that I can talk to about normal things. That being said, it is stressful most of the time. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve arrived back at my apartment at 2am to crush a few hours of sleep before my 8:30am class on Monday. There’s a lot of explaining to professors “Hey, so I’m a cyclist and I really am not going to be here a whole lot, I hope that’s okay”. Its complicated, certainly, it means a LOT of planning ahead and being incredibly organized, learning how to fit what most university students do in week into one day and then also try to train and cook healthy meals on top of that. A lot of the time it gets overwhelming, but at the end of the day, I know I’m better for it.
How do you manage stressful times?
I rely on the people around me a lot for help. I have an awesome family that I can call night or day and a super supportive boyfriend who is always there to talk me down when I’m spinning out. I’ve got friends at school that are a good distraction from my bike racer life. I’ve got a counsellor at school that I go see when I’m feeling particularly stressed or anxious or overwhelmed. More than anything I’ve learned to protect and prioritize my own sanity and health over getting perfect grades. I am in school because I want to get an education, I love learning, but I also want to be a great cyclist. It’s a tough balance, but at the end of the day I also want to be a happy person, so when things get too overwhelming to the point where it becomes suffocating, I remind myself that there’s always ways out. I can skip that class if I need to get some extra sleep in the morning, I can order food in instead of trying to cook myself a meal, I can submit assignments that I know are rushed and not my best work, but sometimes its about just getting them done. I am learning to cut myself some slack, to be kind to myself and to know my limits, when to say “no this is too much, something has gotta go”.
What does a typical week look like for you during the Fall?
It's hard to describe typical because every race weekend is different. I’ve only been on campus for 2 weekends (if you count one before class even started), so most weekends I’m racing. Most weekends I’m flying to those races on a Thursday, returning late on a Monday. I have to drive two hours from the airport back to Sherbrooke, where I go to school, so that Monday is always an incredibly long day. I try to unpack as soon as I get home from every trip, this helps me keep my space clean and my OCD self appreciates this lack of clutter. I also try to grocery shop as soon as I get home, making sure I have my fridge stocked with healthy foods. I have one class on Monday and Wednesday and then two on both Tuesday and Thursday, so those days are generally more chaotic. Training varies per week, but generally if Monday is a full day of travel then it’ll go easy spin Tuesday, maybe with gym as well, Wednesday will be a workout, Thursday another easy spin and then travel again, meet up with the team and pre ride Friday before racing on the weekend. If this seems sporadic it’s because it is, my weeks are typically quite insane, there isn’t much sitting around until I’m on an airplane or in a car, or sometimes in that lecture hall.
What has been the highlight of your season so far? 
By far standing on the U23 podium at the Trek World Cup. That was a huge goal for me, to podium in one of those World Cups, but I have to say I was pretty shocked by how well I did in that race. From being stuck in seemingly EVERY crash on the first lap, I raced with the best “nothing to lose” mentality that I’ve ever had and finished with my best ever World Cup finish in 12th as well as 2nd in U23.
What are your goals moving forward?
My goal from the start of the season has been to win U23 Pan Am’s. I’m really hoping to make that happen this coming weekend, but it’s been a bumpy road to get there. Long term I’m excited to head back over to Europe and see what I can do there, with an emphasis on a good performance at Worlds to close out an awesome season. My goal, by the time I close out my time in the U23 category is to standing on the podium at the world championships. I have this year and next as chances to do that, so I’ll be working really hard to give myself my best shot to make that happen.
The team has three races left to focus on Continental Championships this weekend in Midland, Ontario; Supercross Cup in Suffern, New York on November 16/17th; and US Nationals December 15th.
Words: Courtenay McFadden & Ruby West
Photos: Drew Coleman and Ruby's mom
We're in the middle of the cyclocross season, which means last weekend Ruby wrapped up Canadian National Championships in Ontario! Canadian Nationals are always a bit early since most of the country gets a blanket of snow right around this time (as proven by the weather forecast heading into Pan Am's).
Ruby headed into Nationals as the favorite, coming in with good form and a lot of confidence after finishing up 3rd in the C1 at CincyCX. She was looking to claim her 4th U23 National title, and continue to wear the Maple Leaf jersey for the remainder of the season.
While leading the race in the 3rd lap, feeling smooth, confident, and in control, an untimely mechanical set her back, leaving her chasing for the remainder of the race. She ended up with a second place finish.
In her own words:
Nationals was a solid race for me. I started pretty hard, like I’m used to, getting the hole-shot and pushing it through the first few corners. I wanted to dictate the pace of this race and use that as a chance to see where other riders were at. Early on it was clear that the battle would be between myself and Sidney McGill, we split off from the rest of the riders on the first lap. I kept getting gaps on Sidney on different sections of the course, so I was making note of that, but not giving it 100% to make it stick because it was still only 2 laps in. Coming through on the 3rd lap, I had gained probably 5-10 seconds and was leading into the quick descent/run up, when I dismounted my bike and realized my chain was off. I ran up to the top of the run up and pulled over to try and get the chain back on, but in the thickest winter gloves I had, it was not an easy task. Another 20-30 seconds later I was back and moving, but by that point the gap was too far for me to pull back. It was hard to stay motivated to continue with the chase after that happened. Honestly, going in to the race I knew I was capable of winning, my form is great and my recent results show that, so I was extremely disappointed to come away with a result that I didn’t feel reflected where I’m at this season. It did however, put some fire in the belly to make up for this lack of result and with Pan Am’s coming up, it’s a perfect time to be really motivated!
Getting to Know Ruby West
How did you get into CX?
I was racing road and track when I was first introduced to cyclocross. My friend Emma White, who I’d met through road racing had told me about it and I was just so keen to try it. I borrowed a bike from a friend for my first race and was instantly hooked, my parents and I went to the local bike shop the next day and bought me my first cx bike, a bright orange Kona Jake the Snake.
What are you studying in school, what classes are you currently enrolled in, and what’s your favorite one?
I am in a program called Sport Studies. Within this I am doing a dual concentration in business and health. My elevator pitch about the program is that it is sort of like a kinesiology program but with a little less science, and a more multidisciplinary approach to looking at how sports and athletes affect and are affected by society. I think it’s super interesting! Right now I’m in four courses, Athletes and Society, Functional Anatomy and Injury Prevention, Psychology 2, and Intro to Environmental Studies. My favorite is for sure the functional anatomy course, it is just so relevant to what I’m doing, it’s so cool to have a better understanding of the body and how it works.
What’s it like juggling being a full time cyclocross athlete + full time student?
In one word - chaotic. In all honesty I love being in school because it gives me a completely separate life to bike racing, which is a breath of fresh air a lot of the time, it’s nice to have friends that don’t race bikes and that I can talk to about normal things. That being said, it is stressful most of the time. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve arrived back at my apartment at 2am to crush a few hours of sleep before my 8:30am class on Monday. There’s a lot of explaining to professors “Hey, so I’m a cyclist and I really am not going to be here a whole lot, I hope that’s okay”. Its complicated, certainly, it means a LOT of planning ahead and being incredibly organized, learning how to fit what most university students do in week into one day and then also try to train and cook healthy meals on top of that. A lot of the time it gets overwhelming, but at the end of the day, I know I’m better for it.
How do you manage stressful times?
I rely on the people around me a lot for help. I have an awesome family that I can call night or day and a super supportive boyfriend who is always there to talk me down when I’m spinning out. I’ve got friends at school that are a good distraction from my bike racer life. I’ve got a counsellor at school that I go see when I’m feeling particularly stressed or anxious or overwhelmed. More than anything I’ve learned to protect and prioritize my own sanity and health over getting perfect grades. I am in school because I want to get an education, I love learning, but I also want to be a great cyclist. It’s a tough balance, but at the end of the day I also want to be a happy person, so when things get too overwhelming to the point where it becomes suffocating, I remind myself that there’s always ways out. I can skip that class if I need to get some extra sleep in the morning, I can order food in instead of trying to cook myself a meal, I can submit assignments that I know are rushed and not my best work, but sometimes its about just getting them done. I am learning to cut myself some slack, to be kind to myself and to know my limits, when to say “no this is too much, something has gotta go”.
What does a typical week look like for you during the Fall?
It's hard to describe typical because every race weekend is different. I’ve only been on campus for 2 weekends (if you count one before class even started), so most weekends I’m racing. Most weekends I’m flying to those races on a Thursday, returning late on a Monday. I have to drive two hours from the airport back to Sherbrooke, where I go to school, so that Monday is always an incredibly long day. I try to unpack as soon as I get home from every trip, this helps me keep my space clean and my OCD self appreciates this lack of clutter. I also try to grocery shop as soon as I get home, making sure I have my fridge stocked with healthy foods. I have one class on Monday and Wednesday and then two on both Tuesday and Thursday, so those days are generally more chaotic. Training varies per week, but generally if Monday is a full day of travel then it’ll go easy spin Tuesday, maybe with gym as well, Wednesday will be a workout, Thursday another easy spin and then travel again, meet up with the team and pre ride Friday before racing on the weekend. If this seems sporadic it’s because it is, my weeks are typically quite insane, there isn’t much sitting around until I’m on an airplane or in a car, or sometimes in that lecture hall.
What has been the highlight of your season so far?
By far standing on the U23 podium at the Trek World Cup. That was a huge goal for me, to podium in one of those World Cups, but I have to say I was pretty shocked by how well I did in that race. From being stuck in seemingly EVERY crash on the first lap, I raced with the best “nothing to lose” mentality that I’ve ever had and finished with my best ever World Cup finish in 12th as well as 2nd in U23.
What are your goals moving forward?
My goal from the start of the season has been to win U23 Pan Am’s. I’m really hoping to make that happen this coming weekend, but it’s been a bumpy road to get there. Long term I’m excited to head back over to Europe and see what I can do there, with an emphasis on a good performance at Worlds to close out an awesome season. My goal, by the time I close out my time in the U23 category is to standing on the podium at the world championships. I have this year and next as chances to do that, so I’ll be working really hard to give myself my best shot to make that happen.
The team has three races left to focus on Continental Championships this weekend in Midland, Ontario; Supercross Cup in Suffern, New York on November 16/17th; and US Nationals December 15th.