The cross-country and downhill courses are ready, the racers are stoked, and the doughnuts are fresh. The Tim Hortons National Mountain Bike Championships are ready to roll from July 18th to the 22nd at Mount Washington Alpine Resort on Vancouver Island.

Canada's best cross-country and downhill athletes will be competing for national bragging rights and the opportunity to represent Canada on the world stage. With all the events going on, spectators will be forced to do a double-double take! "The schedule is definitely action-packed over the next few days," says Mount Washington's Race Director Mike Manara. "We have athletes here from across the country. It's by far the best racing field we've ever seen at Mount Washington."

In addition to the National Championships, Mount Washington hosts a BC Provincial Downhill and Cross-country race, plus an additional Canada Cup Downhill during the five days of competition.

Racers registered to compete include the Comox Valley's own Kiara Bisaro (2006 Commonwealth Games XC bronze medallist) and Geoff Kabush (currently 6th in World UCI XC rankings). Both athletes round out an already impressive line-up of future Olympic hopefuls and current Olympians registered for the Nationals.

Speaking of Olympic hopefuls, the Timbits Challenge takes place Sunday, July 22nd at 10:50am. Although it sounds like a world-class doughnut eating competition, the Timbits Challenge is a fun-race designed for kids between the ages of 4 and 9. Participants get to ride alongside members of the Canadian Cycling team. All kids registered for the event receive a Timbits medal, water bottle, backpack, cycling t-shirt, snackpack of Timbits, a cycling safety book, bike reflectors, and high fives with all the other riders!

For more information and registration, visit the mountain's Canada Cup website at www.mountwashington.ca/canadacup.

Here is the schedule for the Tim Hortons National Championships:

Mount Washington Alpine Resort is one of the top mountain bike and summer alpine destinations in British Columbia. Scenic chairlift rides and lift-accessed mountain biking run daily until September 23rd. The Resort is located 30 minutes above The Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. WestJet, Central Mountain Air and Pacific Coastal Airlines service the Comox Valley Airport (YQQ). For accommodation and package information, call Mount Washington Alpine Resort at 1-888-231-1499 toll free or locally at 338-1386. Surf to www.mountwashington.ca for additional information including the live mountain cam.