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Whistler riders invade Summerland

More than 300 riders from across the province took part in the Action Quest mountain bike races in Summerland last weekend, the second B.C. Cup race of the season.

More than 300 riders from across the province took part in the Action Quest mountain bike races in Summerland last weekend, the second B.C. Cup race of the season. True to its name, Summerland was warm and sunny, and the conditions were perfect for racing.

While there are always a few Whistler faces at the finish line of B.C. Cup competitions, there was a huge turnout of 20 locals for this year’s race, including eight members of the Glacier Shop team.

"It was kind of cool. We were all camped out in the same area, and a group of 10 of us were riding together during the warm up," says Glacier Shop rider Dave Burch, who was racing in the Senior Elite cross-country category along with Will Routley, Lucas Curran, Michael Boehm, and Chad Miles.

"Everybody was really encouraging one another, and was really supportive."

During the race, Burch said he didn’t see much of the other Whistler riders. "Chad was up front, and as soon as he hit the single track he took off. Will had a strong start as well. I was in 30 th place at the beginning, but I managed to work my way up to 10 th place by the end of the race, so I’m happy with that."

Burch plans on bringing his downhill bike to the next event, and hopes to finish the season ranked in the top 10 in cross country, with top 10 results in a B.C. Cup downhill and a Canada Cup cross country race under his belt.

Chad Miles (sponsored by Roach) finished in first place with a time of one hour 50 minutes 53 seconds, more than three minutes faster than the next racer.

Lucas Curran was seventh overall in 2:00:34. He was followed closely by Will Routley in eighth place with a 2:01:11. Burch was two spots back in 2:03:22. Michael Boehm (Whistler Bike Co.) was 24 th , finishing in 2:42:29.

In the Senior Elite Women’s race, Whistler’s Angela Teng (Flash Five) was ninth overall in 2:44:14, just over 20 minutes off the lead.

James "Crunch" Crowe (Glacier Shop) is two for two in the Under 17 Expert Men category this season with a win in 1:19:01, almost three minutes ahead of the next competitor.

Jason Klimock, (STORMBC, Specialized) was fifth among the Junior Sport Men with a time of 1:35:49.

In the Senior Sport Women race, Whistler’s Jill Vale (Corsa Cycles) was second overall with a time of 1:21:13, less than 40 seconds out of first place.

Trevor Hopkins (Corsa Cycles) was sixth out of 25 racers in Senior Sport Men with a time of 2:18:54.

Lesley Clements (Kathmandu) finished second among the Senior Expert Women in 1:35:47, two-and-a-half minutes back of the leader.

Mike Tunnah was 15 th in the Senior Sport Men’s race with a time of 1:33:44.

In the Master 30 to 39 race, Greg MacDonald (Glacier Shop) and Matthew Bodkin (Whistler Bike Co.) were eighth and ninth respectively with times of 2:20:20 and 2:10:59. Todd Kemp (Corsa Cycles) was 19 th in the same category. Mike Charuk was 29 th and Luc De Gagne (Whistler Bike Co.) was 37 th .

Competing in her first ever B.C. Cup, Whistler’s Meredith Armstrong was ninth out of 17 racers in the Master 30 and Over category.

Tony Routley and Eric Crowe, two of the top masters racers in Canada, were second and fifth in the Master 40 and Over Expert Men race with times of 2:12:40 and 2:18:59. Lance Brannigan was 13 th .

The next B.C. Cup of the season, the Bear Mountain Challenge, is scheduled for the first weekend of June in Mission, B.C. To register, or get a sneak peak at the course, visit the Web site at www.bearmountainchallenge.com.