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Routley 19th in Tour of the Gila

Whistler’s Will Routley, racing with Team Symmetrics, placed 19 th overall on the five-stage Tour of the Gila road race, one of the premier road events in North America. Routley was also the top Canadian.

Whistler’s Will Routley, racing with Team Symmetrics, placed 19 th overall on the five-stage Tour of the Gila road race, one of the premier road events in North America. Routley was also the top Canadian.

Only two Symmetrics riders attended the event, Routley and 43 rd place Ryan Anderson, which put them at a disadvantage against the American and Mexican teams that were able to work together to keep riders in the lead peleton.

Routley’s top teammates, Svein Tuft and Zach Bell, were taking part in the Pan Am Track Championships in Venezuela, where Tuft won gold in the individual pursuit race. Although it should have been a victory for Canadian cycling, the win was overshadowed by some last minute scheduling by organizers that ensured Symmetrics would miss the scratch race. Some have alleged that the rescheduling was made to give a boost to South American riders, and on a post on Canadian Cyclist, Tuft called it a “fish situation” and a “major screw job.”

At the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico, Routley started off well, placing ninth on the first two days. He dropped back to 21 st on day three, climbed back to 14 th on day four, and finished 32 nd on the final day to rank 19 th in the general classification.

Despite losing a major sponsor at the end of last season — a successful season by all accounts with Tuft winning the North American tour title — the core Symmetrics team is hoping to stick together this year.

Routley now has a blog at www.willbikes.com.

 

Canadians on pace in World Cup

The third UCI cross country mountain bike World Cup race of the season took place in Madrid, Spain over the weekend, with Canada’s Marie-Helene Premont donning the leaders jersey after a second place finish behind Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa of Norway. Premont also won a silver medal in the previous race in Germany, and was third in the first race in Belgium. She now has 560 points, 80 points more than Chengyuan Ren of China, while Margarita Fullana of Spain is sitting in third.

Also racing in Madrid, Catherine Pendrel was ninth, Mical Dyck 27 th , Alison Sydor 32 nd , Wendy Simms 40 th , Sandra Walter 46 th and Amanda Sin 49 th .

On the men’s side Geoff Kabush was the top Canadian in 21 st , and he is now ranked 17 th overall. Seamus McGrath was 27 th .

 

Comfortably Numb turns five

Although it will still be several weeks before the trail is open for training, registration is already underway for the fifth annual Comfortably Numb Trail Running Race on Sunday, June 22.

The race is roughly 25 km, almost all of it on moderately technical singletrack. Still, Chris Markle’s flowing trail design, where every prolonged climb is followed by a flat or downhill section, makes this race a favourite for runners new to long distance running. The spectacular scenery, ranging from old growth forests to rocky sections with views of Whistler valley, is also a draw. The fastest runners can finish the course in under two hours, while the average is two-and-a-half to three hours.

Registration is underway at www.comfortablynumb.ca for $50, plus a $4 service charge. That includes a technical running cap and water bottle, a water station at the halfway point, and an aid station at the finish line. All proceeds from the event go to the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association, which maintains the trail, and Whistler Search and Rescue.

To date almost 30 runners have registered, but organizers are expecting at least 150 by race day.

For more information on the race and upcoming group training runs, visit www.comfortablynumb.ca.

 

Tri club brings back spring triathlons

The Whistler Tri Club is hosting a pair of triathlons on May 24, including their fourth running of the Kids of Steel triathlon and their beginner adult Try-a-Tri.

Both events start with a pool swim, move on to a bike loop on Alta Lake Road, and finish with a run on the Valley Trail. The events start and finish at Meadow Park Sports Centre.

There are three age groups in Kids of Steel. Kids aged 8 to 11 will swim 100 metres, bike 4.5 km, and run 1.5 km. Kids aged 12 to 13 will swim 300 metres, bike 10 km and run three km. Kids 14 to 18 swim 500 metres, bike 14 km and run 4 km.

The adult Try-a-Tri is shorter than a sprint distance race, and includes a 300 metre swim, a 14 km bike and a 4 km run.

Registration for both events is available at www.whistlertriclub.ca.

Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help with both races, which take place in the morning. Contact Tracy at ttorell@telus.net or 604-938-3071 if you would like to help out.

 

Valley Trail Run to follow triathlons

The annual Whistler Valley Trail Run and Teddy Bear Trot is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 25 with 5 km and 10 km routes available and an off-road course that will serve as the first race in the Sea 2 Sky Trail Running Series.

It’s not by accident that the race is scheduled the day after the Kids of Steel and Try-a-Tri triathlons, both events are being held as part of Family Week to promote active families. You can do one event or both, and participants on both days will be recognized by organizers.

Following the adult 5 km and 10 km races, there will be a short Teddy Bear Trot race for kids 10 and under.

For more information and registration, visit www.whistlervalleytrailrun.org. There is a link for volunteers on the website.

 

New charity golf event raises money for Children’s Centre

The inaugural Sea to Sky Charity Golf Tournament, set for Tuesday, July 29, will raise money for the newly opened Pemberton Children’s Centre. Different recipients will be chosen in subsequent years based on need.

The format is Texas Scramble, and the event includes the game, a cocktail party, and dinner at The Den at Nicklaus North. The price is $1,500 for a foursome.

The event is sponsored by North Shore Credit Union, The Whistler Grocery Store and the Pemberton Valley Supermarket.

More information is available at www.pembertonchamber.com.

 

For the record

In last week’s story about Whistler gymnasts in the provincials, the writer was unaware that Lenka Prochazka was the only gymnast to qualify in the zone finals. Tyece Fairweather, Jasmine Budge and Meg Halliwell qualified as wild cards and competed in a separate, unranked category. We apologize for the error.