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Saturday, July 03, 2010

2010 Day Seven Update: Whistler Finale!

What an incredible week of racing it’s been!  With a final farewell-tour stage in beautiful Whistler, the BC Bike Race 2010 edition has come to a close. The Whistler stage was filled with some challenging climbing, a sample of the Whistler Bike Park, some fun rips through the Lost Lake trails, and one final victory roll under the towering BC Bike Race finish line arch.

 

Racers were greeted with congratulations, handshakes, a finisher’s medal and t-shirt, and big, warm hugs from BC Bike Race staff. President Dean Payne handed out medals and personally congratulated racers on their effort and thanked them for being a part of the 2010 BC Bike Race event.

Media Manager, Dave Howells, interviewed racers as they crossed the finish line that marked the end of what was, for some, a life-changing journey. There were words of elation, gratitude and pure pride as the realization of their accomplishment set in. Some, understandably, were moved to tears.

 

A seven-day event like this one often requires participants to push beyond perceived boundaries at which point they learn incredible lessons about their potential, abilities, and strengths. It builds relationships between teammates, strangers and self. It imprints memories that will not soon fade away.

For many racers, the Day Seven course was about “staying safe” and simply crossing the finish line; for others, there were boundaries to be pushed and medals to be had.

As with yesterday’s stage, the hometown advantage created opportunities for some racers and the podium placements varied from previous stages. The Overall results, however, were as expected based on already established leads.

Highlights from the final day of racing include:

STAGE 7 RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS

Epic Team of 2 Men – Max Knox & Branden Stewart, DCM1 1:26:41 (2^nd Kris Sneddon & Barry Wicks, Team Kona  1:26:56)

Epic Team of 2 Women – Alana Heise & Kate Aardal, Terralandscape-Hardcore Racing 3:27:18

Epic Solo Men – Jason Sager, Team Jamis  1:22:22 (2^nd Chris Sheppard 1:22:23)

Epic Solo Masters Men – Craig Gillet 1:34:46 (2^nd Ted Russo 1:35:51)

OVERALL 2010 BCBR TOP FINISHERS

Epic Team of 2 Men – Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks, Team Kona 18:34:21

Epic Team of 2 Women – Alana Heise & Kate Aardal, Terralandscape-Hardcore Racing 23:12:35

Epic Team of 2 Mixed – Geoff Kabush, Team Rocky Mountain - Maxxis & Catharine Pendrel, Team Luna  20:57:54

Epic Solo Men – Chris Sheppard, Team Rocky Mountain Bikes 18:17:32

Epic Solo Women – Melanie McQuaid, Team Specialized  22:22:18

Epic Solo Masters Men – Ted Russo 21:26:41

Epic Solo Masters Women – Lisa Le Poole,  26:55:55

Epic Team of 2 Veterans 80 – Doug Krumpelman & Mike Gaertner, Vertical Earth

Epic Team of 2 Veterans 100 – Barry Beck & Bill McMillan, BC Ferries Coastal Class 23:59:39

Epic Teams of 3 or More – Michel Thuy, Amo Thuy, Daniel Thuy, KM10 29:52:02

Challenge Solo Men Brent Dyer 18:17:11

Challenge Solo Women Kelly Sherbinin 16:23:54

Challenge Team of 2 Mixed Isabelle Deguise & Dan Webster 20:56:16

No real surprises in the Overall race results today. In a ceremony beneath the start/finish line arch, the category stage winners and overall winners received their awards: medals to the top three in the stage, and yellow jerseys and a unique etched glass trophy to the overall winners.

 

The event officially came to a close with a banquet at the host hotel, Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Dave Silver, official BCBR photographer, composed a slideshow that reflected moments captured throughout the seven days of racing. Then, the post-event stage took place where racers danced the lactic acid out of their legs and had their final moments together as the BCBR 2010 alumni.

 

Throughout race week participants and staff were fueled by Kicking Horse Coffee every morning and by many great energizers, such as Sharkies, Clif Bars, Honey Stingers, Red Bull and more at the aid stations throughout the week. Many thanks to all the BC Bike Race sponsors for providing the support necessary to make an event like the BCBR successful.

Interesting fact of the day: Melanie McQuaid, Epic Solo Women winner and 3-time Xterra Champion, is in the midst of her training program for this year’s events. After every stage McQuaid would set off for a training run or swim.

Next up: Registration for BC Bike Race 2011 opens on July 4, 2010. Limited quantities of “Uber-Early Bird” pricing will be available. Don’t miss out!

For full race results and 2011 registration details, check out www.bcbikerace.com.

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

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Thursday, July 01, 2010

SHIMANO Day 6: Squamish....Kids Race and More!

The area surrounding the Brennan Park Recreation Centre in Squamish transformed overnight into  an amazing mountain bike festival in preparation for Shimano Day at BC Bike Race. Just prior to race start, the entire BCBR crew gathered together beneath the iconic Bear-on-Bike ‘BOB’) start/finish line arch that towered in the parking lot. One annual team photo later, the crew was on their way and replaced by approximately 40 guests invited to ride the Challenge course and stay afterward to join non-riding guests for drinks and a wonderful barbeque outside ‘The Executive.’ Race week simply wouldn’t be the same BC Bike Race without Dean’s RV corporate headquarters.

 

The guest list read like the who’s who of the mountain biking industry. Notables included former Olympian and 2009 BCBR winner, Seamus McGrath, plus Andrew Shandro and Dik Cox. Watching some of those guests on trail, running a clinic on how to ride BC singletrack, is nothing short of inspiring. One of the Day’s guests, Specialized’s Matt Ryan, cleared the Challenge course in an amazing 1:53:26 to be the first person of the day to cross the finish line. 

The biggest attraction of Shimano Day was the BC Bike Race Shimano Kids Race. For one Twoonie, kids got to participate in the race, earn a BCBR finishers medal, and had a chance to win a new Rocky Mountain Kids Edge 20 mountain bike. The event was a huge success, with numerous waves of children, grouped by age, charging around the track. BCBR MC Drew Bragg commentated the races, Dave Norona, riding his electric moto, led the race pack off the start line, and pro mountain bikers Chris Sheppard, Catharine Pendrel, and Seamus McGrath rode with each group of kids, cheering them on and coaching on the fly. The race generated a great turnout and all proceeds from entry fees went to support the local mountain biking organization.

 

The sixth day of BCBR saw some changes in the stage standings, the highlights of which include:

STAGE RESULTS

Epic Team of 2 Men – Kris Sneddon & Barry Wicks, Team Kona  2:35:51

Epic Team of 2 Women – Alana Heise & Kate Aardal, Terralandscape-Hardcore Racing 3:27:18

Epic Solo Men – Colin Kerr, Team Rocky Mountain Bikes 2:28:55

Epic Solo Masters Men – Ted Russo 2:56:58  (5^th Simon Pulfrey 3:07:00)

CUMULATIVE RESULTS

Epic Team of 2 Men – Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks, Team Kona 17:07:25
Epic Team of 2 Women – Alana Heise & Kate Aardal, Terralandscape-Hardcore Racing 23:12:35
Epic Team of 2 Mixed – Geoff Kabush, Team Rocky Mountain - Maxxis & Catharine Pendrel, Team Luna  18:53:31
Epic Solo Men – Chris Sheppard, Team Rocky Mountain Bikes 16:55:09 (2^nd Jason Sager 17:03:05)
Epic Solo Women – Melanie McQuaid, Team Specialized  20:45:43

Geoff Kabush, Team Rocky Mountain – Maxxis and partner Catharine Pendrel, Team Luna, once again dominated the Team of 2 Mixed category in the Epic version. The pair finished in 2:42:25 which puts them in a solid 13 minute lead over the next team of Jeff Neilson and Mical Dyck. As Kabush rolled through the line, BCBR Media Manager, Dave Howells, snagged a quick interview with the yellow jersey wearing racer who said, "These are some of the best trails in the world, and he wanted to come out and enjoy the experience. (Kabush) wanted to ride the trails that the Squamish Cycling groups have done such amazing work on."

The Kona boys still dominate the GC by roughly 26 minutes over DCM, although Sneddon admitted that they had a tough day on course and are starting to feel the effects of five straight days of epic racing. It’s easier to make little mistakes and misjudgements when racers are feeling not only physically tired but also mentally so. Team Kona’s goal for Day 7 is to play it safe and smart.

It seems that the hometown advantage has played out here on the Squamish BC Bike Race course. Colin Kerr (Rocky Mountain Bikes), local favourite and last year’s BC Bike Race Solo Men winner, blasted through the finish line in a blistering 2:28:55, four and a half minutes ahead Jason Sager and Chris Sheppard. Sheppard, however, still dons the yellow jersey for the final day of racing in Whistler. Sheppard has owned the GC since day one and maintains an almost 8 minute lead over Sager with one day left to go.

Interesting fact of the day: Geoff Kabush and Catharine Pendrel are currently in 15^th place of all teams in the BCBR, which means that of the 500 racers here with us this year, only 14 teams finished ahead of Geoff and Catharine. These two are fun to watch!

Next up: Day Seven in Whistler. The Victory Lap, the Champs Elysees…the journey reaches its goal.

Posted by BC Bike Race at 8:23 AM Pacific time

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Thursday, July 01, 2010

2010 Day Five Update: Sechelt to Langdale

Posted by BC Bike Race at 1:15 AM Pacific time

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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

2010 Day Four Update: Sechelt

Racers awoke to an idyllic setting: waves gently lapping against the sandy Powell River shoreline and the Vancouver Island mountain range reflecting in the placid Pacific waters on the horizon. It was a fitting farewell to the most picturesque Base Camp location BC Bike Race has seen.

Another scenic ferry ride kicked off the day, as a small BC Ferries vessel transported the racers and race crew to the Day Four start location in Earls Cove. As the ferry pulled up to the dock, the BCBR logoed arching silhouette hinted at the start location: just metres from the ferry terminal offload ramp. Racers walked off the ferry, located their bikes and warmed up for a big day of singletrack.

Day Four is the first point-to-point stage in this year’s race. Epic riders journeyed 62kms from the ferry terminal to the finish line in the centre of Sechelt. Challenge riders were shuttled to their start location partway along the Epic route and raced the final 28km into Sechelt. Approximately 10-15km of singletrack on this course was hand built just in the last 2 years.

Rod Camposano, the Course Director for this stage and the next, has a long history of trail building and course design and is known for rewarding tough climbs with outrageously fun swoopy singletrack. Today didn’t disappoint. As Rod stood trailside at various points along the route, racers thanked him – and others jokingly cursed him – for the terrific ride.

Many racers proclaimed Day Four to be their favourite stage. “Despite the tough climbs, the downhill was amazing!” said one racer as he stopped to shake Rod’s hand on course. These trails didn’t cause any major shake-ups on the leader board, but there are some nail-bitingly close contests developing, including the mere 5 second spread separating the Epic Solo Masters Men. Chris Sheppard (Rocky Mountain Bikes) still holds the fastest time, though there were less than 3 minutes separating him from the next Solo Male, Jason Sager (Jamis) overall. 

Today’s selected stage and overall highlights:

STAGE RESULTS

Epic Team of 2 Women –  Alana Heise & Kate Aardal, Terralandscape-Hardcore Racing 4:27:29
Epic Team of 2 Mixed – Geoff Kabush, Rocky Mountain - Maxxis & Catharine Pendrel, Team Luna 4:41:06  Epic Solo Men – Chris Sheppard, Team Rocky Mountain Bikes 2:29:31 (Jason Sager 3:14:35; Colin Kerr – 3:25:03)
Epic Solo Masters Men – Simon Pulfrey 3:50:17 & Ted Russo – 3:50:17

CUMULATIVE RESULTS

Epic Team of 2 Men – Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks, Team Kona 8:38:54
Epic Team of 2 Women – Brandi Helstermen & Cathy Zeglinski, Team Northlands Medical Clinic 11:36:39
Epic Team of 2 Mixed – Geoff Kabush, Team Rocky Mountain - Maxxis & Catharine Pendrel, Team Luna 9:39:58
Epic Solo Men – Chris Sheppard, Team Rocky Mountain Bikes 8:32:07
Epic Solo Women – Melanie McQuaid, Team Specialized 10:35:55
Epic Solo Masters Men – Simon Pulfrey 13:50:25 & Ted Russo 1 3:50:30

A long, multi-day, high-mileage event like BCBR makes bike mechanicals inevitable and fine-tuning absolutely necessary. Up until this year, racers had to tend to their own mechanical issues on course. New for 2010, the Shimano team has being setting up a daily “on course” service area at the second Aid Station on the Epic course. Countless riders have taken advantage of the new service offering – from chain lubes to funky shifters, from broken chains to snapped derailleurs the Shimano crew has ensured that racers have emergency bike care to get them to the finish line. 

Shimano has entered into a very solid long term contract with BCBR and they’ve taken advantage of the race week attention to address some items. On June 28, Shimano announced their new XTR line, which doesn’t hit store shelves here until later this year. And July 2 is Shimano day in Squamish, featuring an invitation only VIP area, a kids’ race and, of course, all the excitement of the BC Bike Race. Shimano Day promises to be an outstanding event within an event.

This year BC Bike Race has the challenge of introducing the abbreviated Challenge category and ensuring that the two versions of the course are safely delivered. Today I witnessed a remarkable sight: near the final leg of the race, Chris Sheppard came flying past Rod’s truck. Moments later Kris Holm (mountain unicyclist) pedalled by with a huge smile followed closely by the high-speed Kona/Jamis freight train – Kris Sneddon, Barry Wicks, and Jason Sager. How many times in life will you see the fastest riders in a race split by Kris Holm on a unicycle!? 

Next up: The last leg of Sunshine Coast singletrack… Always a standout with riders of all levels, Highway 102 serves up a 7km long descent into the BC Ferries Langdale terminal where they’ll blast across the finish line, wash up their bikes and hop onto the final ferry trip of the race.

For up-to-date daily information and full race results, check out www.bcbikerace.com.

Posted by BC Bike Race at 1:06 AM Pacific time

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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

BCBR Stage Three Update: Powell River Seaside and Singletrack

The rich blue Pacific Ocean painted a spectacular backdrop for the prominent start/finish line arch land marking the most picturesque Base Camp area of the 2010 BC Bike Race.

Just moments from the docked BC Ferries vessel that brought racers and crew across the Georgia Strait from Vancouver Island, the Willingdon Beach campsite in Powell River was a taste of resort living in the midst of BC Bike Race. The unexpected touches like this make BCBR a mountain biker’s dream vacation destination.

Adding to the Base Camp flavour was a fundraiser beer garden setup by The Save Your Skin Foundation, a BCBR supported charity that raises funds and awareness about skin cancer. Kathy Barnard, founder and Powell River native, travels with BC Bike Race each year, creating awareness, handing out sunscreen, and reminding racers to slather it on. The Powell River stage was Save Your Skin’s day to shine.

Powell River is a brand new addition to the BCBR event. And it could quickly become a race favourite. The people of Powell River rolled out the red carpet for the BC Bike Race – from generous support by local businesses to cheering school kids lining the race route on their lunch break, the community epitomized warm, small town BC “hospitality.”

The midday beachside rolling start was uniquely exciting: every 90 seconds, groups of 50 riders flowed down a gravel path, through the start line arch and into the woods. Each group spun through the gauntlet of spectators furiously clanging cowbells as a show of support. It was reminiscent of the race route excitement of alpine events at Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics and set an overall festive tone that perpetuated throughout the day. 

Top finishers continued to set a blistering pace and had nothing but rave reviews about the spectacular singletrack course organized by local father-son team of Wayne and Russell Brewer and backed by the local cycling association and 50+ on course volunteers. Wayne and the BOMB squad have built and maintained countless kilometres of world-class singletrack in the area that’s been off the mountain biking radar…until today.

Today’s selected stage and overall highlights include:

STAGE RESULTS
Epic
Team of 2 Men – Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks, Team Kona 2:31:39
Team of 2 Women – Brandi Heistermen & Cathy Zeglinski, Team Northlands Medical Clinic 3:38:58
Team of 2 Mixed – Geoff Kabush, Rocky Mountain - Maxxis & Catharine Pendrel, Team Luna 2:51:54
Solo Men – Jason Sager, Team Jamis 2:29:31
Solo Women – Melanie McQuaid, Team Specialized 3:02:37

Challenge
Solo Men – Grant Hvizdos 4:27:13
Solo Women – Kelli Sherbinin, Endless Biking 1:59:56

CUMULATIVE RESULTS
Epic
Team of 2 Men – Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks, Team Kona 8:38:54
Team of 2 Women – Brandi Helstermen & Cathy Zeglinski, Team Northlands Medical Clinic 11:36:39
Team of 2 Mixed – Geoff Kabush, Team Rocky Mountain - Maxxis & Catharine Pendrel , Team Luna 9:39:58
Solo Men – Chris Sheppard, Team Rocky Mountain Bikes 8:32:07
Solo Women – Melanie McQuaid, Team Specialized 10:35:55

Challenge
Solo Men – Darren Butler, Endless Biking 5:28:42
Solo Women – Kelli Sherbinin, Endless Biking 5:55:46

While Chris Sheppard, Team Rocky Mountain Bikes, is still posting the fastest cumulative time of the race (8:32:07), his stage winning streak was broken by Team Jamis’ Jason Sager who blasted through the finish in 2:29:31. Sheppard was just over a minute behind.

The tightest battle for the coveted leader’s jersey is currently brewing in the Epic Solo Masters Men category. Simon Pulfrey took today’s stage win in 2:52:24 and wears the yellow jersey on Day 4 with an overall cumulative time of 10:00:08. Meanwhile, Ted Russo is a mere 5 seconds behind overall. 

Race day wrapped up at the evening dinner with a host of dignitaries welcoming BC Bike Race participants and staff to Powell River. Most touching was a blessing bestowed upon the group by Tla’Amin (Sliammon) First Nations Elder Honourable Dr Elsie Paul, “This is a prayer that is said whenever someone went on a journey by land or by sea. And I understand that you’ve undertaken quite a journey to be here.” In the Tla’Amin language, Dr Paul connected the room full of BC Bike Race participants and crew together through a warm and sincere prayer for a safe continued journey. 

Next up: More Sunshine Coast… With the ocean waves lulling racers to sleep, visions of Sechelt singletrack danced in their heads. More purpose built trails await BC Bike Racers after they blast through the start line nestled into the scenic BC Ferries terminal in Earls Cove.

Posted by BC Bike Race at 3:47 AM Pacific time

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