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Sports Briefs

LUNA hosts Try-Huff-a-Lung

LUNA hosts "Try-Huff-A-Lung" tonight

The LUNA group, which hosts alcohol- and drug-free entertainment for young adults, is trying something new this week.

Tonight (June 1), LUNA is hosting a fun triathlon, open to everyone but geared to people of all ages who want to stop smoking in recognition of World No Tobacco Day.

The triathlon includes a 2 km paddle on Green Lake, followed by a 10 km mountain bike ride through the Lost Lake trails. The last official event is a short 4km run on the Valley Trail, although organizers are also planning a mystery event.

All participants will have a chance to win draw prizes, including a Whistler Mountain Bike Park Triple Play card, an overnight stay at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, three-month pass for Meadow Park Sports Centre, gear from Whistler Village Sports and more.

If you want to take part, meet at Whistler Outdoor Experience at Edgewater on Green Lake – the entrance is near the entrance to Whistler Secondary, opposite the south entrance to Alpine Meadows – at 6 p.m.

The post-race party includes a bonfire on the lake.

To secure your spot contact Mark Fearman at 605-935-4922.

Epic Riders offers free trial Sundays

The Epic Riders program is offering free trial rides with coaches every Sunday until the end of the school year. The rides will go from 10 a.m. to noon June 4, 11 and 18, with riders meeting at the Spruce Grove Field House. Please come about 15 minutes early to sign on.

Through the summer Epic Riders will have club days every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer, with 10-time passes available for $495 and a 20-day pass for $795. Kids can also get unlimited summer passes for $995.

The summer program focuses mainly on cross country and skills development for kids of all ages, as well as training in the bike park. Participants are grouped by their abilities rather than their age groups, but at minimum participants should be able to ride trails like Tin Pants and Molly Hogan in Lost Lake. Girls will also ride in separate groups.

In addition to offering regular clinics, Epic Riders is putting together a youth development team to take part in cross-country races, working with Team Whistler.

With STORMBC no longer in operation, Epic Riders is helping to keep youth cycling alive.

All parents with kids in the program will receive a 15 per cent discount on all Epic Ride programs such as the Rockstar weekend clinics.

For more information contact Craig Hamilton at 604-932-EPIC (3742) or craig@epicridebc.com , or visit www.epicridebc.com .

Government nixes proposed bike tariff

This week the federal government quashed a trade tariff on imported bicycles priced below $225, recommended by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal. The tariff, which would add up to 30 per cent to the price of bikes, was intended to help Canadian manufacturers at Procycle and Raleigh in Quebec to compete.

Bike retailers opposed the tariff, as did several groups who advocate the use of bicycles as an alternative to motorized vehicles. Still other opponents pointed out that the price range of bikes affected would hurt low-income families and the children’s bike market the hardest.

"This is excellent news for the bike industry and specifically the Independent Bike Dealers across Canada," said Janet O’Connell, the executive director of the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada. "BTAC is committed to reducing taxes on bikes and our efforts in this area will continue."

According to Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty, the tariff would not be a long-term solution to the problems of Canadian bike companies, while increasing the cost to consumers.

"We want to grow and strengthen our economy, and imposing these surtaxes would have increased costs for both Canadian retailers and consumers."

Buchar top Canadian in Scotland

The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season resumed last weekend with cross-country and downhill events at Fort Williams in Scotland.

Whistler’s Claire Buchar was the top Canadian in the race, finishing 14 th on a long course where the average time was about five and a half minutes.

Brook Baker, another Whistler rider, managed to pick up some points by finishing in 22 nd place, while Katrina Strand and Danika Schroeter were 26 th and 29 th respectively.

Buchar is off to a strong start this season, finishing 10 th in the season opener two weeks earlier in Spain.

"Hopefully I can use this momentum and confidence to keep me climbing the ladder," she said. "It’s one of those things, you climb a step and climb another, maybe fall back down a few, climb a few more. It takes patience, I guess."

Buchar spent her winter months working on her strength and endurance with local trainers like Diana Rochon and Jason Fridrik, while rehabilitating injuries from the year before with Irene Gutteridge.

"I’m feeling strong and confident and I owe a lot of this to them."

This season Buchar will focus on the World Cup and World Championships, but also plans to race in the national championships. She hopes to be consistently in the top-10 and then win the nationals in Whistler.

She also recently took part in a pro dirt jumping contest on Vancouver Island, where she was the only female competitor in the group.

With most of the top Canadian women now living in Whistler, Buchar always has someone to train with. "We also have a lot of fun so it keeps it not so serious," she said. "At Vigo (Spain) there were two of us in the top-10 so it’s working and we are definitely making our presence felt around the world."

BVOD this Saturday

Beyond the Valleycliffe of the Dolls returns to the Squamish area this Saturday with a slightly different format. Instead of competing on a series of dares, or freeride challenges, the format is a friendly ride on some of the region’s hardest, and hardest to find, singletrack.

Trails included are Five Point, Maker, Labour of Love, Pipe Trail, Rampage, Cougar Ridge, Joint Effort and connector trails. The course could change depending on the weather, but whatever happens riders will tackle all five peaks of the Valleycliffe area. Riders should have armor and be comfortable on technical trails.

The event is open to members of all Cycling B.C. sanctioned clubs, including SORCA, WORCA and the North Shore Mountain Bike Association.

The cost is $25 in advance at Corsa Cycles, Tantalus Bike Shop or Evolution, or $35 at the trail head. Riders should meet at the top of Westway Avenue at 11 a.m. sharp.

The ride will take several hours, but there will be a fruit stand set up at the midway point.