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Bike swap steps it up a notch

High school team training to defend home turf
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There are many signs of spring in Whistler, from the retreating snow line to the blooming of swamp cabbage in every puddle and ditch. And then there's the annual WORCA bike swap.

This Saturday, the Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association is hosting its swap from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Whistler Celebration Plaza behind the Marketplace - a new location with ample fencing (the asphalt is being torn up next week), wireless Internet to allow for online credit and debit card transactions, and it's close to the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival.

Having a bigger venue will make it easier for people to shop for used bikes, as well as for more separation between bikes and bike gear. There will be additional tills this year to speed up the inevitable lines. As well, various shop owners in town will set up tents to sell items like helmets and bike gloves, as well as their rental fleets.

"The big difference this year is that we were in touch with the (municipality) and VANOC beforehand and we had this window of opportunity to hold this event - the first community event on that space since the Paralympics," said WORCA spokesperson Vanessa Murphy. "Having more space is probably the biggest difference because it allows us to do a lot more, like allow businesses to come in."

The cost is $2 to sell an item at the WORCA bike swap, plus 10 per cent of any sale over $1,000 and 15 per cent of any sale of $999 or less. All the proceeds from the event - over $12,000 last year on $107,000 in total sales - will go towards the Whistler Secondary High School mountain bike team, which is competing at home in the provincial championships at the end of May, and eight weeks of WORCA's youth Dirt Camps. WORCA also organizes four youth Twoonie nights during the year for younger riders, providing food and refreshments.

Craig Mackenzie, WORCA's director of youth, has made the high school team a priority this season after taking part in B.C. Cup events last year and seeing the strong presence of Squamish athletes. He hopes that supporting the high school team - which is being coached by teacher Dori Faulkner, who helped set up the school and team programs in Squamish - will help Whistler to establish more of a presence at the provincial level.

"Mountain biking is a recognized high school sport and there's actually a race league with about six or seven races in the springtime," explained Mackenzie. "The last race is on May 12 in Whistler on a Wednesday afternoon, and on May 29 we're having the provincial high school championships here with anywhere from 400 to 600 high school riders in town that weekend. We want to be ready."

WORCA has also been in discussions with Team Whistler to help provide coaches for the high school team of roughly 20 athletes for two practices a week after school. Mike Charuk is the head coach, Duncan Munro will coach the intermediate group and Faulkner will work with the entry-level riders.

After the championships Mackenzie would like to see the program continue, similar to Team Squamish, but says there's a lot of work to do to get to that level - and a good bike swap would help to get that going. However, his main priority at this point is to support the high school team.

Bike drop-off for the swap starts at 8 a.m. The sale opens to the public at 10 a.m. Pick-up of unsold bikes and gear is from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Volunteers are welcome, and anyone who can help out should sign up online at www.worca.com.

 

Trail sweep days moved to May

While spring has arrived in the valley the snow is still thick in places at higher elevations, prompting WORCA trail director Jerome David to postpone the first of two trail sweep days to Saturday, May 8 to give the snow more time to melt.

"Some of the lower valley stuff is already getting cleared (of debris) but if we can't get through the snow on the high trails then it's not worth it," he said.

The second trail day is on May 22, and will likely revolve around a specific trail project, although more details will be announced.

David has had a lot of success recruiting volunteers in recent years to revive trails, putting hundreds of hours of work worth thousands of dollars into the trail network. This year he wants to build on that success by hosting up to eight trail maintenance days over the course of the season, or two maintenance days a month. He is now looking for sponsors to help out with those events by providing food and refreshments for volunteers, cutting WORCA's costs through the season and allowing the group to put more money into trail projects. In exchange, WORCA will advertise the sponsors involvement at least five times, including a thank you once the trail day has taken place.

WORCA spent most of its reserve funds in recent years to complete ongoing projects, including the new singletrack climbs on Lower Sproatt, the new Drop Your Saddle descent into Train Wreck and upgrades to more than a dozen trails around town. As a result the group will have a tighter budget this year when it comes to hiring trail contractors, and will rely more on volunteers.

If you are interested in sponsoring a trail maintenance event contact Jerome David through the trail maintenance page at www.worca.com.

 

First Toonie Ride set for May 6

It's official. The first Toonie Ride of the 2010 season takes place on May 6, tentatively on the Shit Happens/Rainbow Creampuff trails north of Whistler - although the trail selection is subject to change.

The first event is sponsored by Evolution, Alpline Café, AOW and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Sign-on takes place at the yellow gate at the top of Emerald at 5:30 p.m. and the race runs at 6:30 p.m. sharp. You can sign up online to avoid the lineup at the start, otherwise you should get there early as the line can get long at the start of the season.

Adult memberships are available for $40 once again, and youth 18 and under pay $25. Participants also pay $2 per person at the start of the race with a share of the pot going towards the top male and female riders, and the remainder towards WORCA's trail maintenance budget.

For more information visit ww.worca.com.