Finally a race at Orford!

After 3 very cold days and 2 cancelled races, finally a chance to race in a 15km mass start loppet. There would be a Noram Canada Cup in the afternoon, but I would have had to change my travel plans in order to make it. It was finally warmer, but they still had to delay the start 1 hour. The pace was slow off the start because of the cold and fresh snow in the track. At about half way Ivan made a decisive attack and left the rest of us to fight for second place. I led up most of the climbing, hoping to gap Shane and Matt, the other guys with me, but it seemed they came back easily on the downhill sections. Then Shane made a move right when I started to struggle, and got a 5 second gap that he never relinquished. I fought with Matt the whole way in, it took a big effort to stay ahead of him and his rocket skis.