There will be two courses available to mountain bikers on Saturday, Aug. 6; a short course that will host the Ken Quon "Ride On" race and the inaugural running of a longer event billed as Ride of the Valkyries.
Both races will start at Whistler Secondary School, cross the highway and head up through Alpine Meadows to the Flank Trail. The race will go over the top and then down an area called l'Alpe de Huez - 27 switchbacks that are a challenge to climb but fun to descend. At that point the Ken Quon Ride On race will head back down Rebob to the finish line. The total distance is roughly 12 kilometres.
The Valkyries riders will head back over Mid-Flank to the Industrial Disease decent, then back across South Danimal to the Lower Sproatt climb. After Lower Sproatt the trail goes around Beaver Pond, down Danimal North, back up Whip Me Snip Me, down Lower Beaver Pass, across to Bob's Rebob, then Get Over It and the Emerald Forest to the finish. It's a tough course at just over 30 km and race director Grant Lamont is expecting that the fastest riders will be over two hours.
Most of the trails are blue, although Industrial Disease and Danimal South are two of the toughest trails in the area.
"We've got Neal Kindree racing, and he's just been on a tear lately," said Lamont.
The post-race barbecue will be at the Riverside RV Resort and Campground, as usual.
Registration is online at www.karelo.com. The Ride of the Valkyries is $40, and you must be a member of WORCA to take part. The Ken Quon Memorial Ride On is $20.
All proceeds from the events go towards the Ken Quon Foundation, which raises money to purchase life-saving equipment like vital sign monitors for ambulances and rescue gear for Whistler Fire Rescue Services.
