March 2007 - Posts

• BC Bike Race - Run, Ride and Rip it Up in Comox Valley!

  From : http://www.bcbikerace.com/Race_Info/Scouting_Reports/ On the weekend of January 20/21, Management Team members Dean Payne, Andreas Hestler, Thomas Howard and John Crosby went on a venue scouting mission to the Comox Valley area. John Crosby reflects on the Stage 3 finish line venue, "On Day 3, racers will be coming off the hills to the small town of Cumberland which is nestled in the hills just west of the Island Hwy (#19) with a population of just over 2,700 people. Thomas Howard, Dean Payne and I found a town full of history, parks, heritage buildings and small shops that would be a great way for racers' moral support teams (friends and family) to spend their day. There is a water park, playgrounds and sports fields that will keep any children and kids at heart entertained during a nice summer day in BC." The Team stayed at the Riding Fool Hostel in the heart of Cumberland and took advantage of the close proximity to Mt Washington where the first race in the Yeti Snowshoe Series was held. Andreas Hestler placed third overall in the race...not bad for a biker! Dre credits the tough sport of snowshoe running with giving him a great option for winter cross-training. Congratulations to Marc Campbell and his crew for putting on an amazing race. The next Yeti Race is on Feb 3rd at Mt Seymour in North Vancouver. Head out and try a great new sport and get in some serious cross-training time! While the Management Team hit the snow, Stage 3 Race Director and Riding Fool Hostel owner, Jeremy Grasby, hit the trails. After a great ride that weekend Jeremy was pumped, "People should be really excited about the Stage 3 riding because of the rawness of the terrain in this area!" We'll definitely be back to scout the trails in the Comox Valley area later this spring. Meanwhile, stay tuned for the next scouting report. Posted Mar 28 2007, 10:11 AM by Skifreak with no comments Filed under: General Racing, Cycling Events, BC Bike Race

• Island Cup Series Points Information

  For 2007, Cycling BC will be providing points to be accumulated from many races throughout the season for the provincial champion in each discipline. Review the following information from the Cycling BC website 2007 FloraGlo Provincial Ranking Points Similar to 2006, riders will gain and vie for FloraGlo BC Provincial Points as they compete around the province.  This system replaces the BC Cup Series and follows the similar National model adopted  by the CCA. Where are Points Awarded? At all races sanctioned in BC including National Championships, Canada Cups, Provincial and Multi-Club sanctioned races.  Points are not awarded for Club level races as denoted on calendar.  How are Points Awarded? The scale of points awarded at each event depends upon its level of sanction. For example, more Points are awarded for a Canada Cup than for a Multi-Club Race There is no minimum or maximum number of races, nor are there any mandatory races; all points accumulated beginning April 1st, until September 23rd, 2007 count for the 2007 ranking. Who is Eligible and What do Winners Receive: You must hold a 2007 CCA/UCI Race Licence to be eligible and be licenced above the Novice level.  See www.cycling.bc.ca/index.php for category listing. The highest ranked rider in each category will receive a symbolic award at the Mountain Bike Season Wrap Up Party tentatively scheduled for September 29, 2007.  In addition, the overall top male & female in each discipline (XC & DH) will receive a FloraGlo Champion jersey and a FloraGlo prize basket. How are points tabulated? Canada Cup and Nationals: Scale I: (1st to 10th): 20, 15, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Provincial or Multi-Club Race: Scale II: (1st to 5th): 10, 6, 3, 2, 1 Are FloraGlo points used for upgrade points as well? As there are no longer subcategories within the age group categories (ie. Sport, Expert) upgrade points are not applicable.  However, the only exception is for those in Senior (19+).  If and when 60 points are accumulated in the Senior open field, you may be upgraded to Elite based on upgrade policies [a rider must achieve an average speed (for XC – time divided by laps) or finish time (for DH) that places them within the top 25% of the field in the Elite category]. Posted Mar 20 2007, 11:52 PM by Skifreak with no comments Filed under: General Racing, Island Cup Races, BC Cup Races, Canada Cup Races, Cycling Events

• Island Cup 2007 - It's all downhill from here - or maybe up too?

  The 2007 Island Cup DH series opened up this weekend with a bang…… Well not a bang so much as a wheeze. The Super D style race tested the downhillers off-season training and challenged their commitment to winning. After a 15-20 minute climb up from the parking lot (No Shuttles?) to the starting line racers were sent off in groups of 5. The race snaked down part of Armageddon, followed by another climb up a fire road before following Cripple Creek down to the lower access road. With the winning times hovering around the 8 second mark (Roughly half the length of the majority of Super D races) riders were asked to brave the course not once but twice. With the lowest combined time Jeremy Vosberg came out on top followed closely by Cumberland’s own Dan Espeseth and Victoria’s Drew Mitchell. It was a close race with the top four combined times all within ten Seconds of each other. Talking afterwards to Dan about the race, "It was a lot of fun the weather was better than expected," he said "but I didn't realize I was doing 2 laps till just before I started!" Many racers would have completed 4 laps by the end of the day accumulating approx 40km's of riding - with most on heavier DH bikes. All in all it was a great season opener, I’m sure that the majority of the Island Cup DH veterans are looking forward to the return to the more conventional DH race format on April 15 at Doumont, See you all there!! Report & Photos John Bazett Posted Mar 20 2007, 10:41 PM by Skifreak with no comments Filed under: General Racing, Island Cup Races

• Island Cup 2007 - Nanaimo Super D and Date Changes

  Nanaimo Super D March 18, 2007 The Island Cup MTB Series kicks off this weekend with a Super D race at Doumont in Nanaimo. A super D race is best described as a downhill cross country race. Super D races normally lack the technical danger packed elements of a downhill race and, in most cases, have some significant pedaling. Racers will be timed individually but here's where the Nanaimo Super D makes it interesting....racers will start five at a time. The race starts out on a fire road before dipping into upper Armageddon then out onto another fire road for some more pedalling then finishing off on Cripple Creek. The course is a total of 2.62 kms and has lots of single track along with a few short climbs and tricky descents. Robin Dutton of Arrowsmith Bikes Nanaimo www.arrowsmithbikesnan.com says that the winning time for this race should be around 8 - 8.5 minutes and the bike of choice is a 6 inch travel bike or less. To race all you need is $15 and an island cycling club membership that is affiliated with Cycling BC. A person can join the Nanaimo Mountain Bike Club on site for $35 and this membership will enable the member to race in any Island Series Event or you can get a one day insurance license. To get there: From the island highway turn on the northern Jinglepot Rd exit. Take an immediate right onto Biggs Rd, which will turn into Weigles Rd. Follow this road to the end of the pavement, just past the motocross track on your right you will find registration. Pre-rides 9:00 Registration 10:00 - 11:30 Race Start 12:00 For more information contact or if you would like to volunteer please contact Robin Dutton at 250-758-6675 See you there! THE ISLAND SERIES RACE SCHEDULE PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGES FOR THE NANAIMO AND PARKSVILLE XC RACES Cross Country April 8 Victoria xc tt matt@oakbaybikes.com 22 Nanaimo xc ride@arrowsmithbikesnan.com 29 Parksville xc arrowsmithbikes@telus.net May 6 Duncan xc brian@experiencecycling.com 13 Cumberland xc ridingfool@shaw.ca 27 Campbell River xc lemmings@telus.net June 9 Port Alice xc Double Points tan-shel@cablerocket.com 17 Port Alberni xc Finals ozzies@shaw.ca 23 Cumberland mxc / 12 hour ridingfool@shaw.ca Downhill March 18 Nanaimo super d ride@arrowsmithbikesnan.com April 15 Nanaimo dh ride@arrowsmithbikesnan.com May 6 Parksville dh arrowsmithbikes@telus.net 20 Port Alberni dh ozzies@shaw.ca June 3 cumberland dh ridingfool@shaw.ca 10 Port Alice dh Finals / Double Points tan-shel@cablerocket.com Posted Mar 13 2007, 09:27 AM by Skifreak with 1 comment(s) Filed under: General Racing, Island Cup Races, Cycling Events