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Friday, September 11, 2009

(New Date!) Wanna Beat the November Blahs? Get on Your Bike!!

Live in the Vancouver area? Wondering how you can plan to beat the November blahs! Get on Your Bike!

What: Get on Your Bike! The Goodtimes Spin Relay
When: 7am-7pm November 29, 2009
Where: The Steve Nash Sports Club, Vancouver
Why:  Besides beating the blahs, to raise funds to send kids battling or affected by cancer to the Canadian Cancer Society's Camp Goodtimes for one week next summer. How's that for a great way to kick off the holiday weekend!?!

Get on Your Bike! is registering teams of 1-12 people to come out and spin in relay format for 12hrs at the Steve Nash Sports Club cycling studio. The Sports Club is an incredible fitness facility with state of the art everything - including top of the line, fully adjustable stationary bikes and full audio & video in the cycling studio. That means you'll be watching movies & videos plus listening to great tunes while you spin! And, certified spin instructors will be stopping by every few hours to teach some impromptu spin classes, just to mix things up a little!

Participants don't need to bring anything - no bikes, no trainers, no rollers... nada! It's all provided by the Steve Nash Sports Club. Oh and they have amazing steam room and sauna facilities for use by Get on Your Bike! teams as well.

You simply have to see this fitness facility to believe how wonderful it really is!



Here's how the fundraising part works: teams participating in Get on Your Bike! are asked to raise $1500 in pledges - the cost to the CCS to send one child with cancer to Camp Goodtimes for one week (there is never any cost to the families). Simply, each $1500 raised by a Get on Your Bike! team, makes one kid’s dream week at Camp Goodtimes come true!! That works out to $125 in funds raised per person on a team of 12!

Every year in Canada 850 kids will be newly diagnosed with cancer. 135 of them will not survive. Camp Goodtimes is a place where kids with cancer can go and just be kids... even if only for a week. Camp Goodtimes has an incredible impact on those who attend. Simply, Camp Goodtimes changes lives.

20 teams registered in Get on Your Bike! sends 20 kids to camp...

To register your team, or for more info check out www.getonyourbike.ca  Space is limited, so act now!

We all know that cyclists - be they roadies, xc'ers or DH rippers - are community-focused athletes. This is just one way for riders in the BC Bike Race area to get involved this Fall... what's happening in your neck of the woods? Dunno? Why not check it out and be the change...!

Posted by BC Bike Race at 2:31 AM Pacific time

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Sunday, July 05, 2009

Stage 7 Highlights

Whistler Creekside was thriving with energy as the seventh and final stage of the BC Bike Race rolled into town.

370 racers from more than 16 countries have tested their bodies, their bikes and, in some cases, their friendships this week while pedaling through more than 350 kilometers of singletrack in south western British Columbia. 


The final Whistler stage was a mere 30km long, roughly half the distance of the other stages in the race. In speaking to racers after Stage 6 in Squamish, many were relieved to have less distance to cover on the final day...the finisher's medal was within reach.

It turned out that the shorter distance was not indicative of the amount of effort required to complete the final stage. Day 7 course designer, Grant Lamont, knows the Whistler trail network like no one else and took advantage of that inside track to create a course that racers would remember.
From the 10am Creekside start, racers rode up some seriously tough, steep climbs right to the top of an aptly named trail, "See Colours & Puke." From there, they worked their way into trails like Tunnel Vision, which has some challenging sections that some riders will have elected to walk.

It was not a sit back and relax kind of day, but it did allow many riders to realize their skills progression through the week.  And there was an endless stream of smiles, cheers, and tears of joy as riders crossed the finish line anywhere from 1 hour 46 minutes to 4 hours and 50 minutes later.

Each rider that crossed the line received either a coveted Finisher medal - if they completed all seven days within the cutoff range; or a coveted Participant medal - if they completed some of the stages but not all.


This year there were some great stories that developed within the race - especially in the Team of Two Open Men category. The intense battle between Seamus McGrath  & Chris Sheppard (Jamis / Santa Cruz) and Kris Sneddon & Barry Wicks (Team Kona) was fun to watch unfold.


It was an unbelievable week that staff and participants are not soon to forget. In fact, many teams expressed strong interest at the prospect of returning to BC Bike Race for 2010.

Registration will open on July 6th for the 2010 BC Bike Race - with a limited early-bird special that's not to be missed: CAD$1499 + GST per person. www.bcbikerace.com for more details.

For full results, including Stage 7, check the online results posting.

The BC Bike Race 2009 Cumulative Winners are as follows:

TEAM OF TWO OPEN MEN
1. JAMIS/SANTA CRUZ - Seamus McGrath & Chris Sheppard  18:27:31
2. TEAM KONA - Barry Wicks & Kris Sneddon  18:44:50
3. Team DCM CHROME 1 - Brandon Steward & Max Knox  19:19:09

SOLO MEN
1. TEAM KERR - Colin Kerr  19:41:05
2. SCHNYDER - Reudi Schnyder 20:19:40
3. HOGGY R&R SPORT NZ - Tony Hogg  20:39:00

SOLO MEN 40+
1. NORCAL BIKE SPORT - Roger Bartels  21:21:13
2. WESTERN SPIRIT - Mark Sevenoff  22:01:23
3. OPENROAD GROUP / SECRET CYCLES - Ted Russo  22:11:34

TEAM OF TWO OPEN WOMEN
1. LUNA CHIX - Katerina Nash & Catharine Pendrel  21:49:42
2. ROCKY MOUNTAIN - Alison Sydor & Lea Davison 22:42:03
3. OAK BAY BIKES - Lisa Ludwig & Dawn Anderson    25:13:35

SOLO WOMEN
1. ROSE - Megan Rose  26:26:53
2. THE BEE - Tori Fahey - 33:09:53
3. THE THIRD WHEEL - Claire Garcia-Webb 33:39:51

SOLO WOMEN 40+
1. POWER TO BE - Lisa McBain  31:36:25
2. THIS KIWI CANT FLY - Sarah Heine 39:41:42
3. VALLEY GIRL - Lori Halwa   42:13:41

TEAM OF TWO OPEN MIXED
1. GOULD - Ryan Trebone & Georgia Gould - 21:26:23
2. TERRASCAPE/TREK TORONTO - Jeff Neilson& Mical Dyck 22:52:17
3. MONAVIE CANNONDALE 3 - Sue Butler & Bryan Alders 23:25:06

TEAM OF TWO VETERANS 80+
1. FRONTRUNNERS-EXPERIENCE CYCLE - Normon Thibault & Peter Stevenson 22:19:50
2. DEADGOAT RACING - Geoff Clark & Pat Doyle 23:03:55
3. MONAVIE-CANNONDALE RIVER CITY BICYCLES - Matt Ohran & Tim Butler  23:15:02

TEAM OF TWO VETERANS 100+
1. ZOOTALLURES - Francois Amyot & Daniel Auclair  25:45:18
2. EMERY/WILLARD - Jamie Emery & Robin Willard  27:52:35
3. VELOMAG/KONA/LE PEDALIER - Gilles Morneau & Isabelle Cantin  28:30:11

TEAM OF THREE OR MORE
1. OAKVILLE CYCLEPATH CUTTERS - Peter Gowthorpe, George Sciberras, Greg Shikaze
2. SPORTS INSURANCE - Keli Sherbinin, Darren Butler, Rick Loader, Chris Brown - 33:03:55
3. BICKER BROS  +1 - Scott Darling, Bill Darling, Francis Sutherland 35:48:13

Posted by BC Bike Race at 11:14 PM Pacific time

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Saturday, July 04, 2009

BCBR Stage 6 Highlights

Squamish is known as the recreation capital of Canada and yesterday more than 400 riders in BC Bike Race understood why mountain biking falls under that umbrella.

The usual daily rider contingent was enhanced by a solid 15% today, as roughly 50 people got into their riding gear and followed the pack as they ripped out onto the highly anticipated Day 6 singletrack. Just before the start gun went off, the group of guest riders gathered together beneath the large, arching bob logo for a VIP photo.

Shimano is the title sponsor for Stage 6, which had several activities in store for its visiting dignitaries. Sponsors, supporters, community members, and friends were all invited to sample a day in the life of “The Ultimate Singletrack Experience.” Beyond the heaping serving of fantastic singletrack, Squamish style, the BCBR Base Camp opened its doors to the visiting VIPs and encouraged them to mix and mingle with the riders.


Back out on course, it didn't take long for the first Men's Open category team to cross the finish line.

It wasn't a huge surprise when the current and long-time yellow-jersey wearing Jamis / Santa Cruz powerhouse team flew around the corner and into sight. They finished the day in 2:44:03, with an overall time gap of cose to 8 minutes over the second place team, Kona. Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon finished the stage in 2:50:50 to secure second spot in the overall GC. South Africans DCM Chrome 1, who finished in 2:52:15 are keeping third place in hand.


With only the short and snappy Whistler stage remaining, the podium spot could still shift hands.

In the women's category team Luna Chix's Catharine Pendrel and Katerina Nash continued to dominate with their aggressive riding style. To take the top podium spot they posted a 3:13:39 for the day's ride, which is a terrific time for the two world-class athletes. Rocky Mountain's Alison Sydor and Lea Davison maintained their tight grip on second place by posting a 3:21:28 finish for the day. Third place went to Oak Bay Bikes Lisa Ludewig and Dawn Anderson who posted 3:51:37.


The GC standings haven't shifted since Day 1: Luna Chix hold onto their jerseys for the duration, with the two-three punch not shifting either. These girls knew where they were meant to be.

Once again, in the Women's Solo Category, North Vancouver's Megan Rose retained the yellow jersey for the sixth time this week after posting a stage winning 3:50:44.


Team of 2 Mixed category riders Georgia Gould & Ryan Trebone maintained their significant lead in the category with a quick time for the day, 3:10:08.

One last stage for the racers to tackle in Whistler!

Posted by BC Bike Race at 2:56 AM Pacific time

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Friday, July 03, 2009

BCBR Day 5 Highlights

Thursday's BC Bike Race route, the second one on the Sunshine Coast, was much anticipated by both BCBR staff and return riders simply because its notorious Hwy 102 trail brings riders to a slick and swoopy mountain bike nirvana. Not a bad way to wrap up a solid day of mountain biking.
Beneath endless bluebird skies, the almost 370 BCBR participants queued up for the start of their Sunshine Coast – Part II adventure; their fifth consecutive day of mountain biking in south-western BC. During Stage 4 on Wednesday, many riders were cursing Course Designer, Rod Camposano, because of the relentless climbing he threw at them. However, by dinner time, the conversation had turned to how much riders loved the trails.

Pumpkin Patch. Black Tower. White Knuckle Tight. Often, mountain bike trail names can be really good clues as to what's in store before you commit to dropping in. After 5 days on the trail BCBR riders were catching on.
The passion and the commitment to mountain biking and trail building can't help but permeate Camposano's flow of conversation as we drive up to check on the first aid station. His genuine passion for creating one Helena race course comes out when he realizes that the flagging for one corner on this course has been removed. 

Home field advantage proved valuable for the Kong team on Thursday's singletrack intensive course. While DCM Chrome's Brandon Stewart and Max Knox had an early lead on the field, the technical singletrack skills that are second nature to the Sweden and Wicks team outshone the South Africans' pure hill strength.
As we've seen throughout the week, Kris Snedden & Barry Wicks (Kona) and Seamus McGrath & Chris Sheppard (Jamis / Santa Cruz) rode a hair's breadth apart for the better part of the course. The finish times – 2:37:47 (Kona) and 2:37:49 (Jamis/Santa Cruz) – reflect exactly how hard-fought this battle is for top spot in the Team of 2 Open Men category. With two more days to go, the competition is unbelievably tight – merely 53 seconds separate the yellow jersey-wearing  Jamis / Santa Cruz from Kona.

In the Solo Open Men category, the experience of seasoned racer Ruedi Schnyder (Schnyder) earned him his second consecutive stage win with a time of 2:41:57. Schnyder crossed the line 15 seconds ahead of Colin Kerr, current yellow jersey wearer. RMB – Different Bikes Kevin Calhoun came in third at 2:50:51.

Colin Kerr was a big fan of Day 5, “Yesterday was hard, I think it was mentally taxing just being up under the powerlines all day (with no shade) and then you have today (almost all climbs were shaded). The singletrack is great and then the 10km flight in to the finish. It feels easy you know that it's an effortless roll the finish.”

Team of 2 Open Women has been a constant 1-2-3 shake out, with Catharine Pendrel & Katerina Nash (Luna Chix) holding a commanding lead over Rocky Mountain's Alison Sydor & Lea Davison and  Lisa Ludwig & Dawn Anderson (Oak Bay Bikes).

Solo Open Women changed leaders once again with Megan Rose, continuous yellow jersey wearer, staking claim on the stage win in 3:50.

There was little change in the remaining categories and overall standings for the rest of the groups.

Two more days of solid BCBR action lie ahead. Next stop: Squamish

Posted by BC Bike Race at 2:16 AM Pacific time

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Thursday, July 02, 2009

BCBR Stage 4 Highlights

Ah, Canada Day – the holiday where “you can do anything” for one day. Maybe that's not the holiday's real motto, but it is certainly the experience that BC Bike Race organizers would like to create on this day for their participants.

How's this for the start of the fourth day of epic mountain biking and a celebration of west coast Canada? A 4:30am wake-up call as pre-cursor to watching the remnants of a beautiful sunrise over the Georiga Straight while waiting to board the first BC Ferries crossing of the day. Then chowing on breakfast while admiring the view of the coastal areas off the bow.
A quick road transport to the next ferry terminal, Saltery Bay, leaves racers mingling with other racers as they grow comfortable with the riders in their own “pack” each day. One more scenic sailing down the coastal area ultimately leads to the final transfer destination for the day – Earls Cove ferry terminal – which is a popular and inspirational BC Bike Race start line...

For six BCBR participants whose shuttle driver accidentally missed the early morning ferry by 15 minutes, it might seem that BCBR really can do anything. In missing the ferry, those teams would not make the start line in time; however, their shuttle driver did treat them all to a very Canadian Tim Horton's breakfast to take the edge off. Meanwhile, Harbour Air, presenting sponsor of BC Bike Race, freed one charter floatplane and flew it to the Comox harbour to pick up the anxious racers and carry them directly to the Earls Cove start line ahead of the rest of the racers.
Once the ferry docked, riders arrived at the quaint landing in Earls Cove where the familiar Bear on Bike start/finish arch stood waiting, along with 360 bikes ready to ride. With racers seeded in the starting chute, the course director, Rod Camposano, shared trail insights and highlights. Those who know Rod knew it would be a relentlessly hilly day.

All eyes would be on Open Men local favourite Kris Sneddon and his partner Barry Wicks as well as the remaining top 3 teams, Jamis/Santa Cruz, DCM and Trek. With the history that these teams have built in just 3 days, they are creating a considerable buzz. However, the real focal point of today's battle is the fact that Sneddon grew up in this area and even help to build some of the trail network that riders would experience. It was time to find out how much advantage knowing the trails like the back of your hand actually can bring.

For the majority of the race, Team Kona lead the group through all of the singletrack but always had Seamus McGrath and Chris Sheppard stuck on their rear wheels, even as they ripped through some incredible sections at 'mach chicken.' In the end, Team Kona would take the stage in 3:27:46 and retain their GC leade, with Team Jamis / Stanta Cruz right behind in 3:28:04.

South Africa's Team DCM, in the process of securing their third place position over Trek, is proving to be incredibly strong on the climbs, but much weaker technically. Although they do claim to have noticed that their technical insecurities will drop.

The big question at the finish line was what happened for Kona to gap out Seamus and Chris in the very last ten minutes of the race.

Sneddon recappped the competition, “Well it was mostly just givin'er as fast as we could in the singletrack. There are also a couple of corners where if you don't really know the course, then you are afraid to go too fast around. It's just too scary. We just got a little bit of a gap, and I think they probably hit their brakes a little bit on stuff like that and we slowly spread it out a little bit.  But trust me, we were going scary fast. It was sort of a chance we took and it would be pretty easy to go off the bike. We were full out, full throttle and you don't want to be breaking the bike. We don't really want to do it.”

The Solo Men's cat is heating up right now, too, as current GC leader, Colin Kerr, blasted across the Sechelt finish line in 3:43:13; unknown to Colin, until too late, Ruedi Schnyer snuck up in stealth mode to close the gap and cross the finish line in 3:43:11. Next across was Kevin Calhoun, in 3:49:20, with early stage winner, Tony HOGG, crossing approximately seven minutes later. This will be a close contest throughout the remaining three stages this week.

With a few little change ups here and there, the finish board is starting to come to life!

Next up for these intrepid adventurers: Sechelt unto itself! Enjoy!

Dave Howells                        Beth Crowther
Media Director                        MarComm / Staff Writer
e Dave@bcbikerace.com          e beth@bcbikerace.com
c +1.778.837-8557                 c +1.604.805.2175

Posted by BC Bike Race at 3:18 AM Pacific time

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