Whistler’s Alex Prochazka, 16, cracked the top-five in a pro slopestyle event at Crankworx Colorado last week, placing fifth overall with a score of 221.0 in his first run.
First through fourth were Cam McCaul, Jamie Goldman, Paul Basagoitia, and Andrew Taylor. It was Prochazka’s best finish to date in a pro slopestyle event.
A downhill racer, Prochazka will be competing in several events at Kokanee Crankworx in addition to the slopestyle on July 28.
Gearjammer this Sunday
Cross-country riders looking for a challenge will find one in Squamish this Sunday for the fifth running of the Gearjammer. The course is 47 km, almost all of it on singletrack mountain bike trails.
Most trails are intermediate, but the course is difficult for the reason that it never lets up from start to finish.
There is only one cut-off five and a half hours into the race, and it’s close to the finish so late riders will probably get the go-ahead anyway. Organizers are hoping to attract recreational riders as well as racers to encourage the growth of the sport and the mountain bike community.
The start is at 9:30 a.m. at Alice Lake, and the finish is at Rose Park.
For more information, a look at the course, and pre-registration, visit www.gearjammer.ca . Registration is $55, which includes a $10 special event membership for the Grass Roots Mountain Bike Association. Kids must be 14 to take part, and all kids under the age of 19 will require a letter of approval from a parent of guardian.
Desert Half Iron turns up the heat
Temperatures climbed into the mid-30s for the annual Desert Half Iron race in Osoyoos on Sunday, with participants swimming 2 km, cycling 90 km and running a half-marathon of 21.1 km. The bike leg was hilly with a stiff headwind, and the day got steadily hotter as athletes switched from the bike to the run. Still, 366 athletes out of 403 starters made it to the finish line, with most who didn’t finish bowing out before or during the run leg.
From Whistler, Nils Robinson placed 81 st overall and 15 th in the men’s 30 to 34 race in five hours, 28 minutes and one second. Robinson was seventh out of the water in 29:18, but was 50 th after the cycling leg.
Christine Suter placed 93 rd overall and sixth in the women’s 35 to 39 race in 5:32:16.
Liane Dunsmuir placed 14 th in the women’s 30 to 34 race, posting a time of 6:40:34.
Paul Suter was 36 th in the swim and 26 th on the bike, but did not finish the race.
Edwards tops Idaho Iron Man
It was recently brought to the Pique’s attention that Whistler’s Mike Edwards, who placed 17 th overall and first out of 344 racers in the men’s 35 to 39 category of Idaho Iron Man to qualify for a spot in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii this fall.
The race included a 3.86 km swim, 180.2 km bike and a 42.2 km marathon, with close to 2,200 participants.
WORCA offering scholarships
For the second year the Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association (WORCA) is preparing to offer a scholarship to a Whistler high school or post-secondary student involved in mountain biking. There will be a main scholarship of $1,000, with the possibility of other smaller amounts being awarded.
To apply, candidates must be members of WORCA, enrolled in Whistler Secondary for 2007, or enrolled in a post-secondary program. The age cut-off will be extended to 23 for post-secondary students, as of Dec. 31, 2007.
The successful candidate will have a resume that includes competitive biking, community service, demonstrated sportsmanship, and will be an active member of WORCA.
The funding can be used for post-secondary tuition and other provincially or federally accredited skills and training programs, and will be presented upon proof of enrollment.
To apply, youth should write a brief biography outlining their involvement in mountain biking and WORCA, and a short essay of less than 500 words describing how their involvement in cycling and athletics has helped them to reach other goals. They should also describe their future career goals.
All bios and essays should be submitted to WORCA youth director Sean Bickerton — [email protected] — by August 15, 2007.
