If you want to have your voice heard regarding the Subaru Ironman Canada event, you can do it before or after you cast a ballot.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) will host a community information session in the gallery at the Maury Young Arts Centre on May 9 from 4 to 5 p.m. That is also the date of the B.C. provincial election.
RMOW staff will be on hand to provide information and accept feedback about the triathlon.
This year's Ironman is set for July 30 and marks the fifth and final event as part of a contract signed by the World Triathlon Corporation, the RMOW and Tourism Whistler. Negotiations to keep the event in the Sea to Sky are ongoing.
The Village of Pemberton also recently sought feedback, having just closed a survey about the event on May 3.
More information about the race is available at ironman.com/Canada.
Iles opens UCI season with win
Finn Iles continues to be the lord of Lourdes.
The 17-year-old Whistlerite dominated the first stop of the Union Cycliste Internationale tour in France on April 30 as he seeks to defend his overall downhill junior men's title.
Iles was the only racer in the category to finish under three minutes, posting a time of two minutes, 56.935 seconds (2:56.935). Great Britain's Kaos Seagrave and France's Sylvain Cougeureux also hit the podium alongside Iles.
Iles' time was good enough for fifth among elite men, and less than a second off of second place.
On Instagram, Iles said he enjoyed the course, posting that "Lourdes was one of the best race tracks in a long time."
The next UCI World Cup downhill race will take place in Fort William, U.K. in early June.
Bike swap slated for Saturday
The Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association (WORCA) is ramping up its season starting this Saturday.
WORCA will bring back its bike swap to Whistler Olympic Plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a wide array of bikes and gear available for purchase.
Sellers can drop off their wares between 8 and 9:30 a.m. and must register their items at a cost of $2 per item. WORCA will also take a commission of 15 per cent on the first $1,000 and 10 per cent on any additional sale price. Unsold bikes can be picked up between 2 and 4 p.m., and any items not picked up after a week will be sold with proceeds going to WORCA.
Volunteers are also required to help the event go off successfully. Shifts typically run from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. but organizers say they can be flexible with alternative availabilities.
In other WORCA news, lingering snow on higher elevation trails has scuttled the first Toonie race of the season, which was scheduled for this Thursday, May 4. The first race will now take place on the following Thursday, May 11, with registration at Passiv Haus and après at Merlins. The course will take riders around Lost Lake.
For more information, visit www.worca.com.
Fairmont Chateau Whistler to open May 12
The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Course will open for action next week.
Director of golf Nick Droulis said on May 2 that the course will officially open on May 12.
"Historically, this is a pretty average time to open because we've had very early openings the last few years," he said. "Following the amazing winter of 2016-17, we get a later golf start."
There is still some work to be done to get the course together, but he expects prime conditions on opening day.
"The greens came through the winter the best I've ever seen in my 10 years at the golf course. The rest of the golf course is coming along very nicely. It wintered very well under the snow and we're very happy with that right now," he said.
Droulis noted the entrance to the club's practice facility has been rebuilt as its major improvement this season.
"It'll be much more welcoming to the public walking through Lost Lake to our practice facility this year," he said.
