Despite heavy rains and a guaranteed mud bath, more than 160 riders turned out for the opening Phat Wednesday downhill series race on June 24, a ride down the long but intermediate B-Line trail.
Katie Holden placed first out of the 19 women in the race with her time of 4:15.96. She was followed by Sarah Leishman in 4:18.74 and Allison Kayes in 4:22.07. Katrina Strand and Sue McLean rounded out the top-five.
Ian Morrison placed first out of 11 junior men in 4:01.51, followed by Thomas Zonneveld in 4:03.67 and Ryan Gillett in 4:03.96. Jason Grimsom and Geoff Jansen were fourth and fifth.
There were 100 riders in the men's race, led by Yann Martin in 3:44.75. Mathieu Hebert was second in 3:46.62, and Rauben Miller third in 3:47.14. Robin Potvin, Trevor Flint, Fredderico Veira, Dan Taylor, Easton Smith, Adam Billinghurst and Curtis Keene rounded out the top-10.
There was also a Master 30-plus category, a first for the Phat Wednesday series. Duncan Mortimer was first out of 34 riders in 3:52.75. He was followed by Ben Ferguson in 3:54.49 and Bart Brown in 3:55.09. Todd Hellinga and Mark Wood were fourth and fifth.
The biggest winner of the day was arguably Cory Thornton, who won the draw prize for a full Sram drivetrain. Josh Lyons won a full face helmet from Giro. Other draw prizes included a set of disk brakes from Hayes, Giro clothing, Fox gear, and clothing from Garbanzo Bike and Bean. Other sponsors included Kokanee and the GLC.
The second race took place yesterday, on July 1. Future races are on July 8, July 15, July 22, July 29, Aug. 19, Aug. 26 and Sept. 2.
To take part you must be a member of WORCA and have a valid lift pass, with discounted passes available to racers. Registration gets underway at 5 p.m. at Garbanzo Bike and Bean, and races start at 6 p.m. The cost is $2, with the prize money going to the top riders in each category. All participants are eligible to win draw prizes, and to enjoy free post-race refreshments at the GLC.
