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Kings (and queens) of the hill

Jones, Dumaresq take Whistler downhill; locals quick Covering four kilometres of dirt and rock on Whistler’s challenging downhill course is no mean feat.

Jones, Dumaresq take Whistler downhill; locals quick

Covering four kilometres of dirt and rock on Whistler’s challenging downhill course is no mean feat.

With several large drops, tight tree sections, rock gardens, and a straightaway where riders were bombing in excess of 70 km/h, riders put it all on the line at the Tim Hortons Mountain Bike National Championships on Saturday, July 19.

When the dust finally settled, a relieved Mike Jones was still sitting in the hot seat at the finish line. Jones was the first of 58 men in the Elite category to ride the course, and none of the riders managed to best his time of three minutes, 29.65 seconds. He had a top speed of 68.69 km/h on a straightaway section the announcers were calling the Autobahn.

Jones, who hails from Victoria and was the provincial champion last season, said he knew he had a strong ride from top to bottom, aside from a few minor mistakes, but didn’t count out any of the other riders until the very end.

The rider that came closest to Jones was Trevor Porter of North Vancouver. The top Canadian on the World Cup circuit this year, Porter finished the Whistler course in 3:32.64, three seconds back of Jones.

Eric Goss of New Brunswick, one of the top racers on the Canada Cup circuit this year, was third in 3:33.19.

A pair of Whistler riders, Chris Dewar and Tyler Morland, finished sixth and seventh respectively with times of 3:36.32 and 3:37.67. Morland won gold last year in the nationals at Sun Peaks resort, competing in the senior expert division.

Dewar said he didn’t know what time he had to beat at the start gate – just that he was up against the top riders in the country, and was racing a familiar course.

"You don’t know what’s going on when you’re up there at all," said Dewar. "You just give’er, go as hard as you can all the way down. Do your best."

If he was given the day back again, Dewar says there were a few things he would have done differently.

"I made a few little mistakes coming down that cost me a little, but you can’t have a perfect run all the time," he said.

"Top 10 is great. I’m pretty happy with the time I made. If I had to go back and do in again, I probably would have done some more training leading up to this, and ridden the course more last week, but everything went pretty well. It’s a fun course, and that’s the way I rode it."

Dewar was also happy to have Morland in the top-10 with him.

"We ride together all the time in the park, and on cross-country trails, so that was definitely great," said Dewar.

Also for Whistler, Chad Onyschuk was 13 th in 3:40.33 and Dave Burch was 17 th in 3:42.74, which should give you some idea how tight the race was. Grant Laird was 27 th in 3:49.85.

In the women’s downhill, Michelle Dumaresq of Vancouver edged out the competition to take the national gold in 4:05.86.

Whistler’s Claire Buchar, the top Canadian at the World Cup at Grouse Mountain the week before, finished second in 4:08.48.

This was Buchar’s second year in a row finishing second in Canada, qualifying her for the World Championships in Austria this September.

"I did pretty well, and I’m happy with my time," said Buchar, who raced across Canada and the U.S. this season as part of the Balfa factory team. She also represents the Evolution Bike Shop in Whistler, along with Tyler Morland, Chris Dewar and others.

"I’ve been racing a lot lately and travelling, and I was very fatigued overall heading into the Nationals. I would have liked to have had a little more power, but I can’t complain," she said.

After finishing second in the nationals last season she qualified for the Canadian team for the World Championships. She got sick right before the competition, and finished in 31 st .

"This winter was the first off-season where I really took (downhill) seriously. I got a trainer and started doing things right…getting stronger physically and mentally as well, because it’s a big mental challenge," she said. "I really wanted to make the national team again and go to the worlds. I was very sick in Austria last year, and I’d like to get some redemption."

Although living and training in Whistler has its advantages, there was no home advantage to Buchar because the downhill course was almost as new to her as it was to athletes from outside of B.C. because of new sections, and the different lines the riders were limited to.

"I’ve ridden sections of it before, but if was pretty different. I’ve been away all summer as well, so I didn’t have a clue," she said. "It was a great course, very challenging, but it was the nationals so they had to step it up a bit."

Buchar and the other candidates will find out if they’ve been named to represent Canada in the next few weeks.

"I don’t know at this point, nobody has told me anything, but after finishing second in the nationals and getting the best results in World Cups this year, I feel pretty confident," she said.

Deb MacKillop of Nelson was third in 4:12.39.

In the age divisions, Whistler athletes had their fair share of podiums.

Brook Baker repeated as Canadian champion in the Junior/Under 17 Expert 15 to 18 Women’s race with a time of 5:01.20 to qualify for the worlds.

Marilyn Manso was second in the Master Women’s 30 to 39 group in 5:23.99.

Kyle Ritchie of Squamish was first in the Youth Expert 15 to 16 race with an incredible time of 3:40.76 – which would have been good enough for 14 th among pro men. Travis Petersen and Jeremy Ludwikowski of Comox Valley were second and third.

Whistler’s James McSkimming was 12 th .

In the Master Beginner Sport 30 to 39 race, Whistler’s Ian MacAlister was second overall in 3:54.65.

In the Master Expert 30 to 30 group, Greg MacDonald was third in 3:52.99.

"The course was actually pretty tough, and I missed a couple of lines I practised, so I was a little disappointed in the end, but it was great. I loved the course, it was really top-notch," he said.

Like other riders, MacDonald was too busy to know how he was doing on the way down.

"When you’re in that mode, you don’t hear anything, you don’t see anything, you just focus on the trail."