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American riders regain B.C. Bike race lead

The all-star team of Chris Eatough and Jeff Schalk took the lead in the B.C. Bike race on Day Three, July 1, after an approximately 80 km ride from Port Alberni to Cumberland.

The all-star team of Chris Eatough and Jeff Schalk took the lead in the B.C. Bike race on Day Three, July 1, after an approximately 80 km ride from Port Alberni to Cumberland.

Eatough and Schalk were ranked fourth after the first day of racing, moved up to second on day two, and pedaled into first on the third day to hold the lead with a cumulative time of eight hours, 48 minutes and 22 seconds.

The race is still wide open with four days to go before the Whistler finish on July 4. The Canadian team of Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks is in second place by just over two minutes with a cumulative time of 8:46:23, with the U.S. team of Jason Sager and Bart Gilliespie and Team La Ruta (Manuel Proado and Marvin Campos) in the hunt in third and fourth.

The top Whistler rider is Matt Ryan, who is currently sitting 10 th with his American partner Jason First.

The top female team is Sara Bresnick-Zocchi and Kelli Emmett of the U.S. in 10:06:54, almost an hour ahead of Americans Katie Lindquist and Amy Harris in 11:05:09. The top Canadians are Kristenn Magnusson and Lisa Ludwig in third place in 11:16:02, while the Whistler team of Fanny Paquette and Vanessa Stark were sitting fourth going into the fourth stage in 11:38:45.

Complete results are posted at www.bcbikerace.com.

 

Bike Park turns 10

The Whistler Mountain Bike Part turns 10 this year, a decade since it first opened to the public in 1998 with a handful of trails accessible by the gondola. Now the park utilizes three lifts, almost 50 trails, and more than 1,500 vertical metres of riding with the addition of the Garbanzo Zone.

To celebrate, Whistler-Blackcomb is giving away a 10-year mountain bike park pass, worth over $4,000 at today’s prices. Also up for grabs is a Kona Stab Garbanzo mountain bike.

To win the pass, riders are invited to enter the 10 th Anniversary Mash-Up contest between June 30 and Sept. 10, submitting a video from 90 seconds to two minutes in length using more than 15 minutes in footage supplied by film companies The Collective and Freeride Entertainment. The footage is available online at www.whistlerbike.com.

The winner of the bike will be selected in a draw. Entry is also at www.whistlerbike.com.

 

Crankworx seeking volunteers

The Kokanee Crankworx freeride mountain bike festival is one of the biggest events of its kind in the world, with nine days of exhibitions and events taking place from Aug. 9 to 17. As a result the organizers are looking for more than 300 volunteers to fill 900 shifts during the festival.

Interest has been high, with applications for volunteers coming from all over the world and across Canada.

Volunteer jobs include competitor relations, sport crews, logistics assistants, expo crews, the VIP and media accreditation crew, and the branding crew, as well as a newly created Endurance Volunteer position. Endurance Volunteers will be given positions of responsibility, and will need to work for a minimum of five six-hour shifts.

For more on the Crankworx volunteer program, including perks, visit www.crankworx.com.

 

Olympic mountain bike team named

The Canadian Cycling Association announced its four-member team heading to the Beijing Olympic Games in August. On the men’s side, Canada will be represented by Geoff Kabush and Seamus McGrath, while Marie-Helene Premont and Catharine Pendrel are the female representatives. All of the riders are based in B.C., with the exception of Premont, who is the current World Cup leader and among the favourites to win. She already has an Olympic medal to her credit, winning silver in Athens in 2004.

Pendrel, based in Kamloops, will be making her first appearance in the Olympics. She has consistently finished in the top-10 this year on the World Cup tour, and is now ranked fifth in the world.

Both McGrath and Kabush have raced in one Olympics, McGrath in 2004 and Kabush in 2000.

None of the riders know what to expect in Beijing, but are better suited to more technical courses. Some of their strongest competition will come from a core of Chinese riders that have made a few World Cup appearances the past few seasons and have been racing on the Laoshan Mountain Bike Course for more than a year. The race loop is short, just 4. 6 km in length and was designed to be difficult.

The official description of the course is available at www.beijing2008.com, and is an entertaining example of poor translations: “Its course is uneven since ountain bikes use flat tires”, and “Laoshan Mountain Bike Course includes two new competition services buildings, remedy for 4.6 kilometer course and fixture for the starting and finishing areas.”

 

Ryder steps up to the tour

Ryder Hesjedal is a well known in Whistler as a past winner of mountain bike races like the Cheakamus Challenge and Test of Metal, but in recent years the Victoria resident has staked his claims on the road. He has been racing extensively in Europe, and this summer will get a chance to race in the Tour de France with Team Garmin-Chipotle. Hesjedal is the first Canadian to ride with a tour team since Gord Fraser in 1997.

Hesjedal is also one of three Canadian men racing in the Olympics this summer, along with Svein Tuft and Michael Barry. The women are Alex Wrubleski and Leigh Hobson.

Hesjedal and Tuft, of the Symetrics team, will compete in both the road race and the time trial.

This will be Hesjedal’s second Olympic appearance, after racing a mountain bike in 2004.

 

Luge association hosting Whistler camp

The Canadian Luge Association is hosting a series of recruitment camps in Whistler, taking place on Sunday, July 6, July 20 and Aug. 24.

Athletes will receive an introduction to the sport and equipment, gain experience on a wheeled luge, and learn the mechanics of the sport with Olympian Mike Lane. Promising campers aged 10-14 will be invited to subsequent camps, and could have a chance at riding an actual luge. A registration fee of $25 is required.

The July 6 camp takes place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. To register, or for more information, contact Nicole Simon at 604-964-2478.

 

Still time to register for Squamish Tri

There is still time and space to register for Squamish Triathlon, which turns 11 this year. It’s an Olympic distance event with a 1,500 metre swim, a 37 km ride and a 10 km trail run at the finish, and takes place on Sunday, July 13.

Participants can race as individuals or as part of a three-person relay team. The swim takes place in Alice Lake, followed by a bike course around Don Ross Secondary in Brackendale, followed by a run through the adjoining Cheekeye Fan Trail.

For more information or registration, visit www.squamishtriathlon.org.