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Whistler riders in Canada Cup

Local riders held their own against the best in Canada last weekend at the third Canada Cup event of the season at Mont Tremblant, Quebec.

Local riders held their own against the best in Canada last weekend at the third Canada Cup event of the season at Mont Tremblant, Quebec.

In the cross-country event, Tyler West and Will Routley finished in the middle of the pack in the Elite category, finishing 27 th and 30 th respectively, 20 minutes back of the pace set by Peter Wedge of New Brunswick.

More amazing was the fact that more than 20 starters did not even finish the competition.

"It’s was a tough race," said Routley, who participated in three Canada Cup events over four weeks, plus an Ontario Cup event on his off-weekend. "At the beginning of the race they couldn’t decide whether to make it a four or a five lap event for the men, and they went with five laps. With half an hour for a lap, that’s a long race."

Routley said all of the Canada Cup events were longer than usual, with the top racers taking more than two hours to finish.

Routley hoped to do better, but consoled himself with the fact that none of the racers who participated in the previous two Canada Cup events at Hardwood Hills in Ontario and Bromont in Quebec did well at Tremblant either. It was also tough with racers in Canada from the U.S., Mexico and New Zealand competing for UCI points.

"It’s a different kind of racing. Out here (West Coast), there is usually a long climb followed by a long downhill. Over there (Eastern Canada), the races are more constant, up and down, so you don’t get a chance to rest at all, you have to ride hard the whole way," Routley said.

Routley started the day well with the lead pack, but as a result of the humidity and other factors, he started to feel drained. He slipped back into 30 th place.

The result only dropped him a few positions in the overall Canada Cup rankings as the series moves out West at the end of June. Meanwhile, Routley will focus on provincial road championships this weekend, followed by the Squamish Test of Metal. July features a World Cup at Grouse Mountain, and the Tim Horton’s Canadian Mountain Bike Nationals in Whistler.

Routley currently rides for the Rocky Mountain/Crystal Decisions team, and is sponsored by Whistler Lodging Co., Flash-5 and Ryders.

Will’s father Tony Routley came close in the Master Expert 40 to 49 race, finishing seventh out of more than 50 riders. He was five minutes behind the race winner.

In the downhill events, Whistler’s Claire Buchar finished third overall in the Elite category, six seconds back of second place and 14 seconds back of the winning pace set by B.C.’s Danika Schroeter.

In the Elite Men’s race, Dave Burch finished 12 th out of a field of 83 riders. His goal was to place in the top-10, and earn his first UCI points. All he would need is a single UCI point to be able to race in the World Cup downhill at Grouse in July.

Burch sent the Pique a detailed race report from Mont Tremblant.

"The course started in a wooded singletrack littered with large rocks and off-angle roots, out onto a ski run for 20 seconds of open pedalling and fall-line corners, and back into more technical singletrack. Over and around more basketball sized rocks to the crux move: across a sloped wet rock to a right turn onto a slick platform, and a tree if you took too much speed down the rock. A bermed section followed that spit riders out into a pedal section across a ski run to the last singletrack section of hardpacked dirt corners, rocks, and two stream crossings before exiting out to the home run across and down to the bottom."

Burch said his training runs were terrible, and he only managed one training run on competition day before they closed the course. "I felt frustrated because I wasn’t feelin’ the flow…and kept sliding down that rock on my ass."

Burch decided there was nothing more he could do so he relaxed, and to his surprise he had his best run of the weekend out of the gate that day. He came through the finish 30 seconds faster the three riders who lead the way, and he held onto his lead for the next dozen or so riders until someone finally bested his time. From there he slipped into 12 th place, being edged out of the top-10 and his UCI point by just 0.08 seconds.

"I am stoked with my placing but choked at being so close to my goal," said Burch,

His Whistler roommate Chris Dewar was 16 th .

All three Whistler downhillers represent the Evolution Bike Shop. Burch is also sponsored by Brodie, and Buchar rides for Balfa. The fourth member of the Evolution team, Brodie team rider Jeff Beatty, missed the event with a broken wrist.

The Canada Cup series continues at the end of July with an event at Fernie Alpine Resort.

For complete results from the event, visit www.canadiancyclist.com.