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Betty vs. Veronica this weekend

The women's only Betty vs. Veronica ride takes place this Saturday, Aug. 27 with a sold-out field of 200 riders taking on a two-part challenge for a good cause. The first part of the race is a timed descent on Crank It Up in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, with riders leaving every 30 seconds. Sign-on is from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on the Garbanzo Bike and Bean patio, with the racing getting underway at 10:30 a.m. sharp.

The next part of the event is a 15km ride on Whistler's West Side trails, including a few tough trails like 99er and Mid Danimal. Sign-on is at the Whistler Cemetery entrance on Alta Lake Road from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., followed by the start.

Proceeds from the event will raise money towards a Whistler Women's Shelter that is currently in the works. As well, there will be an aprés party and dinner gala at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Center from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. featuring a silent auction with over $12,000 in donated items and live entertainment. There will be an aprés-aprés party at Merlin's following that event.

 

Still time to register or donate to Great Canadian Run

The Sears Great Canadian Run: The Relay to End Kids Cancer is hosting a Squamish to Whistler relay this Saturday, Aug. 27, inviting solo runners and teams up to 20 members to take part.

The total distance is 80 km, although a shorter and easier 70 km route is available. Relay handoffs range from five to 14 km. Most of the event will follow the Sea to Sky Trail, which is almost complete between Whistler and Squamish.

This is the first time that the event has been held here, although similar runs are held in Toronto and Ottawa. The Whistler run will go to support oncology initiatives at the B.C. Children's Hospital.

Whistler's Ashley McMillan is one of two runners doing the full distance solo. To make a donation to his page at http://bit.ly/k7pu2l.

For more information and to make a donation to other runners taking part, visit www.thesearsgreatcanadianrun.ca.

 

Vans Community Skate Jam on Sunday

The third of three Vans Community Skate Jams presented by Showcase was cancelled by rain, but the make-up event is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 31, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The event is free to enter with $500 in cash and $1,000 in prizes up for grabs. Skaters that lay down the best trick in each session will win the cash, with three sessions taking place over the afternoon on different skatepark features. As well, there will be a separate category for riders aged 12 and under.

Spectators are welcome to come out and watch, and all participants can partake in the hot dog barbecue at 4 p.m. There will be live music and commentary, and lots of great skating.

 

Pump Track Challenge gets faster

A field of just 27 racers turned out for the second Pump Track Challenge on the Crystal Viper Course on top of the Boneyard on Aug. 19, starting off with a three-run time trial to find the top five in each group. From there, riders had three chances to post the fastest lap.

In Male Open, Brandon Dyksterhouse was the fastest with a time of 19.66 seconds, followed by Shane Gayton in 19.81 and Audric Lacour in 19.86.

In Female Open it was Simmon Lyons in 23.43, followed by Rachelle Frazer in 24.32 and Sam Shook in 24.38.

In Junior Male 11 to 17 it was Zander Geddes in 20.10, followed by Garren Dalby in 20.20 and Brad Jansen in 20.81.

In Junior Male 10 and Under it was Finn Finestone in 26.00, followed by Jacob Coleman in 29.22 and Gavin Stanton in 36.50.

Paris Boucher was the only junior female, finishing in 35.46.

 

West Side Wheel Up last big bike race

The mountain bike calendar is getting shorter and heading into September there's just one big race left to do - the 18th annual West Side Wheel Up, now the longest running race in Whistler with the Cheakamus Challenge no longer on the schedule.

The race takes place on Saturday, Sept. 17, which is two weeks later than usual - a prime spot with no major conflicts with other events.

The course starts in Function and follows the Millar Creek Road to Alta Lake Road and Whistler's west side trails. The route includes Lower Sproatt, Beaver Pond, North Danimal, Whip Me Snip Me, Rainbow Flank, Bob's ReBob, Get Over It and all of A River Runs Through It.

More details will be announced in the coming weeks, but all proceeds will go towards the B.C. Para-Alpine Ski Team in honour of race founder Les Clare who is paralyzed after a construction accident and current race director Phil Chew - a past Paralympian and the current Head Coach of the team.

 

Pendrel wins another World Cup, Smith out

There was mixed news for Team Canada at the final UCI World Cup mountain bike races in Val di Sole, Italy this past weekend. On the cross-country side, Catharine Pendrel won her third race of the season but finished fourth in the standings as her rivals all had solid races of their own. There was a tense moment when she crashed and had to go in for an emergency repair that temporarily cost her the lead.

"I crashed on a silly section and twisted my handlebar stem," she told Canadian Cyclist. "I stopped twice to fix it and finally went into the pit; it was a little more excitement than I wanted to be honest."

Two other Canadians finished in the top 12 with Marie-Helene Premont in 11th and Emily Batty one spot back.

It was an off day for the Canadian men with Geoff Kabush in 35th.

The bad news from Italy was the loss of Nanaimo's Steve Smith from the World Championships. After qualifying in second, Smith crashed during one of his training runs and injured his ankle.

Smith is having one of the best seasons for a Canadian downhiller in more than a decade, and entered the finals in fourth place overall. He dropped one spot back to fifth as a result of not being able to compete.