Although there were fewer entries for the second event of the Whistler Downhill Series, and a few of the notable pro bike riders were absent to compete in the national downhill races in Kamloops, the times were even faster than the first race.
Cross country racer Dave Burch pulled it out in the Male Pro race Aug. 7, crossing the finish line in 4 minutes 21 seconds, less than three-tenths of a second ahead of Kelly Walters time of 4:22.17. Davey Barr was third at 4:23.18, Tyler Morland fourth at 4:27.11, and Jason Lorenz fifth at 4:38.57.
The top female pro, racing unopposed, was local national and World Cup veteran Sylvie Allen.
Jeff Laruche was the top male amateur at 4:38.02. Chad Hendren was second at 4:44.67, and Jason Griffith third at 4:45.90.
In the hard tail division, Chris Dewar posted a time of 4:38.19. Jeff Bond was second in 5:00.77, and 13 year old Ian Moult was third in 5:06.44, also winning the Junior race.
Joanna Johnstone was the one and only junior female in the competition.
Behind Moult in the Junior category was James McSkimming at 5:35.08. Alex Prochazka, just 10 years old, was third at 6:18.60.
"It was a good race again, nobody got hurt, and the times are incredible," says organizer Paul Fournier. "The big story would have to be Dave Burch pulling it out to beat Kelly by a second. He’s a cross country guy, too, so he probably rode up.
"The other big story is 10 year old Alex Prochazka. This kid was 30 pounds lighter than any of the other kids, fell a couple of times, and still made in down in just over six minutes. It’s a long course, and that’s just incredibly fast."
The downhill series will wrap up on Aug. 21 with the finals. All awards and prizes will be distributed at the party afterwards.
Call 932-6300 for more information.
