Robin Horsfield finished 2nd at the Ontario Cup Cross Country Mountain Bike race in Peterborough, Ontario.
The course was the longest of the year with the Senior Elite Men racing for a full two hours, as has been his habit Horsfield lead out the initial stage of the race.
A slippery rock garden three-quarters of the way through the first lap lead to Horsfield losing touch the eventual race winner, Noah Miller, and then being passed by two Peterborough residents who were obviously relishing the opportunity to be on their home course.
Long-time rival John Slaughter passed Horsfield a few minutes later at the outset of lap 2.
"At this point I was feeling pretty down," explains Horsfield. "But throughout this season I have shown myself time and again that quitting is the only way you really lose a race."
Horsfield pressed on, working particularly hard on the uphill portions of the course and was able to move himself from fifth place to third place leading into the fifth and final lap. On the final hill, two kilometers from the finish Horsfield passed rival John Slaughter.
This is the second time Horsfield has finished on the podium of an Ontario Cup, with his last podium being another second place in 2019, prior to the pandemic.
With this result Horsfield maintains his third place ranking in the province of Ontario with one race remaining in the Ontario Cup series.
The first five rankings in the series remain contested leading into this final race, which also serves as the Provincial Championship.
The race is scheduled for Sunday August 28th in Midland, Ontario.
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