Whistler’s Tyler Morland came into the Canadian National Downhill Championships hoping to be the first downhiller to defend his title in at least a decade but was thwarted by the consistent, all-out riding of Victoria’s Andrew Mitchell (no relation to author). In the process Mitchell also edged out several top local contenders who were more familiar with the course.
While flat tires and mechanicals took their toll on some of the top riders on the field, Mitchell made the final GLC drop with more than enough time to bump Morland from the hot seat and take the national downhill title. Mitchell’s final time was 3:06.35, more than three seconds faster than Morland’s 3:09.42.
Friends and family members lined up to hug the 18-year-old Mitchell, who placed second in the nationals last year in the Junior Expert category.
"It feels pretty good," he said of winning the national title. "I was just hoping my wheel would stay together to end of the race."
Mitchell said he was having issues with his front wheel after Saturday’s practice, and his team mechanic gave him a replacement about 10 minutes before he had to head up on Sunday for his run. "We didn’t have the proper air gauge when we were filling it up so we just guessed," he said.
About part-way through his run he noticed the wheel had picked up a wobble, and by the finish line it was officially "taco’d" – so warped out of shape it was beyond repair.
Mitchell says he only makes it to Whistler about once or twice a year to ride the bike park, but likes the course.
"I was feeling very confident in the training, and feel I came into the race strong," he said. "Then I had the fastest qualifier, so I knew I was on the right line, although it’s always possible that somebody saw something you didn’t, and some parts were so loose that you were just holding on anyway."
The only time Mitchell felt out of control was heading into the second wood sections. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dark after racing in an open, sunny area and the first few turns were on off-camber roots.
"That was the hardest part for me, but I knew from training that I just had to hold it together going in and then everything would be okay."
Both Morland and Mitchell race for the Cove Bikes/Sram team, which placed two other riders in the top-10 on Sunday. The North Vancouver-based team also earned a podium in the elite women’s event.
Whistler’s Jeff Beatty had the second-fastest qualifying run and was on pace to contend for the podium when he lost control around a corner in a new section created for the race. He went over the bars, injuring his head and neck.
"It’s hard to say what happened because it happened so fast, there were new holes developing everywhere with the heat, and maybe my tire got wrapped up in a hole somehow," he said.
"I was having a great run, but that’s how it always is when you crash. I was going for gold you could say, I felt like I was moving even faster than in the qualifier.
Beatty knew he was injured, but with no marshals in the area he decided to finish the race and get help at the bottom.
"I guess I did have a concussion, because I definitely wasn’t thinking straight," he said.
He went straight to the Whistler Health Care Centre when he reached the bottom, and was transported by ambulance to Lions Gate for a CT Scan and X-rays. He was given a clean bill of health, although the doctor told him he was lucky not to end up with a spinal cord injury.
He will miss the rest of Crankworx with a sore neck and mild concussion.
"It’s disappointing for me for sure, I’ve been riding well and was really looking forward to competing," he said.
Beatty also has two more NORBA races in Colorado and Utah this season, but says he won’t go unless he’s 100 per cent and the muscle pain in his neck is gone. He’d like to continue racing, but also says the accident definitely gave him something to think about.
"If I race again I’ll definitely be doing things differently," he said.
Beatty’s crash secured third place for Quebec’s Charles-Alexandre Dube, who turned in a time of 3:09.82.
Local riders in the field include J.S. Therrien seventh, Mike Jones 17 th , and Kyle Ritchie 21 st .
In the women’s field the runs got faster as the day progressed. Michelle Dumaresq won her third national title in 3:37.85, edging out Vancouver’s Danika Schroeter by just over one second. Adrienne Miller from Vancouver Island snapped up the last podium spot in 3:43.33.
Whistler’s Claire Buchar was fourth in 3:48.36, but was happy with her run given the circumstances. She crashed in training the previous day on a loose section, hyper-extending her thumb and tearing ligaments. She finds out this week whether surgery will be necessary, and, more importantly, whether she can delay any surgery until after the UCI World Championships in September. As one of Canada’s top downhill racers on the World Cup circuit this year she’s "unofficially on the official team."
"I guess I’m happy with my run because of the crash I had on that bottom section of Monkey Hands," she said. "It hurts to race for sure, but I just grit my teeth and tried to go as fast as I could. It was tough because the course was so bumpy and loose.
"It wasn’t a bad crash, it was just unfortunate the way I went down. It slowed me down for sure, and I lost a lot of confidence, but my time wasn’t as bad as it could have been."
Whistler’s Katrina Strand and Brook Baker were fifth and sixth in 3:56.50 and 4:00.81 respectively.
There was a minor controversy at the podium presentation when Danika Schroeter wore a T-shirt with the words "100% Pure Woman Champ 2006" written on the front. Dumaresq has undergone a complete sex change operation, including hormone therapy, and legally competes as a female on the World Cup circuit with full sanctioning from the UCI, Canadian Cycling Association and other sports licensing organizations.
Still, many female downhillers, including Schroeter, have never accepted Dumaresq’s status, arguing that she retains some physical advantages over the field, despite the surgery and other treatments, including size and strength.
It is unknown whether there will be any ramifications from the podium ceremony, although Canadian Cyclist reported that there is talk about fines and possibly sanctions against Schroeter.
In the Under 17 Expert Men’s category, Whistler’s Alex Prochazka claimed the overall national title in 3:19:74, edging out Squamish’s Ryan Vanderham by almost seven seconds. James Jeannet of Quebec was third in 3:33.72.
Prochazka, 15, would have won the Junior Expert Title against riders as old as 19, and finished 10 th among the senior elite men, with his time.
"It was a pretty perfect run for me actually," he said. "I screwed up on one sweeping corner, but I made that time up in the trees. That’s where I really shone today. I’m not that much of a pedaller on the top section, but I rode the tree sections as fast as I could go on the best line.
"I was a little nervous. They changed the bottom of the course before the race, and there was a new section at the end that I never did before at race speed, but I nailed it. I went in with a line from practice and went better than I thought."
Other Whistler riders competed with varying degrees of success.
Chris Armstrong placed third in the Master Sport 30 to 39 race.
James McSkimming placed fifth in the Junior Men’s category.
Kye McDonald was third in Under 17 Sport Men.
Jeff Leigh placed eighth in Senior Expert Men.
Josh Oosterveld was 15 th in Senior Sport Men.
Barbie Shtinka was fourth in the Senior Sport women’s category.
Graham Beatty of Garibaldi Highlands won the Master Expert 30 to 39 category.
Team Squamish and Mad March, a downhill racing team coached by Shaums March, also had a solid nationals.
Miranda Miller placed first in the Under 17 Female race, Jeremy Allouche and Harrison Gould were third and ninth in Junior Sport, and Kodi Stoddart, Scott Halverson and Clinton Gould were second, fifth and seventh in men’s Under 17 category.
Complete results will be posted online at <>
