Team Whistler headed to Penticton for twp days of road racing and temperatures that hit 30 degrees.......sweet! Nothing like racing in
the sun and warmth
after all those cold and wet early season days on the bike.
Day 1 was a
hill climb in Summerland and the word is the climb is short but very steep.
Our pre-ride confirmed just that. 2.6 kms of between 9 and 20% grade. It is
so steep you are out of the saddle half the climb. Tony Routley and Joe
Maika both had good results, getting 2nd in their respective categories.
Tony placing 4th overall!
Day 2 consisted of 3 laps of a 26 km course
mostly flat with a small climb about 5 kms in and another climb after the
turnaround of the of the out and back course. Weather again was stellar
hitting 31 degrees that day. It was an Australian Pursuit format and Tony
Routley's group proved to be the strongest on the day, giving him a 2nd in
his category and a 3rd overall. Good job Tony. Joe Maika also had a solid
day finishing 4th in his cat.
Good showing for Team Whistler and a fun
weekend of racing and amazing weather. And a little wine tasting of
course:)
Riding on unseasonably dry Lost Lake trails, the second Whistler Toonie took place and Team Whistler riders were there to support. Dustin Gordon, started in the second wave and used the race as a training ride to get back to race from after having a child - his ride time was 43 minutes. Taking the opportunity to race the following three team riders places as follow:
Four Team Whistler riders once again made the trek to Squamish for the third 2013 SORCA Toonie. Bad luck for Joe Maika who had a flat which put him out of contention but the big story was the battle between Dave Reid and Tony Routley who finished in 13/14 only 30 seconds apart after battling back and forth. An addtional 30 seconds back was Josh Stott who fnished in 22nd. Tony was the fastest veteran of the day.
Watch for Team Whistler riders in the Ore Crusher this weekend, again in Squamish.
Team Whistler rider Atilla Avsar recently participated in the international multi-sport Paralympic event, Defi Sportif, where he competed in Para-Cycling. This race fits just below the World Cup level and Atilla proved that he is one of the strongest riders competing under the Canadian flag.
Atilla was third overall in the road race which in itself is impressive. Paralympic cycling uses a categorization process whereby the level of impairment for each rider is assessed and they are put into groups with like riders to ensure that winning is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus. As you can imagine, each injury or impairment is significantly so riders are often racing with people with more or less impairment than their own levels and being ranked against the entire group.
Atilla was in the mix throughout the race chasing down. He found himself pitted against a rider World Cup races and is considered to be one the best riders at this level. Atilla countered a number of attacks from this rider but missed the big move while stuck in the pack and was left to chase with one other rider who finished second. He was glad to have a colleague to chase down the attack and was happy with third overall.
One of the challenges Atilla is the limited field sizes in his category - while he was one of the stong riders overall, he was the only rider classed with his level of disability. A larger field, like one would experience in a World Cup, could have worked to Atilla's strength - pack sprints instead of competing against time trial specialists as he did. Atilla hopes to place well at the Canadian Championships so he will be considered for selection to a World Cup and/or the World Championships.
Finishing the weekend ranked number one in his category (after TT and RR wins), Atilla was proud to bring the points to the overall Canadian team.
Team Whistler is proud that riders like Atilla and others race with us and help promote sport for all in the community. Having a physical or visual challenge does not limit what you can do, only how you do it. To learn more about Para-Cycling please click here - we'd love to have you on one of our Tuesday rides!
Team Whistler riders enjoyed the sun and had some great results this weekend.
BC Masters' Cycling event:
Pump your tires and fill your bottles then join Team Whistler riders as they give you tips and help keep a safe and fun riding experience for all levels on the road.
Meet outside Summit Sport (beside Whistler Village Gondola Base)
5:30 pm Tuesday nights starting tomorrow (May 7, 2013)
We will start by doing a warm up lap on Blackcomb way then, depending on the weather, the group will head out to do a ride then be back before sundown.
Ride will be modified or cancelled in the event of a strong storm. See you there!
Are you looking for something to do June 22nd? Bicycles for Humanity (B4H), is a global grassroots (non profit) movement
of local chapters in developed countries whose aim is to empower the people
of Africa by helping them solve the basic problem of mobility. Funds
raised
from this fundraiser, will allow the purchase of a container, and then
ship it full of used bikes to developing countries.
Couple of
options, the 100 km ride to Pembie will be fully supported with option to
continue up Meadows, for total of 150kms.
$40.00 gives you a big lunch,
great ride, as well as several opportunities to win some great
prizes.
Good cause, and will be a lot of fun. If you do come, and have a
used mountain bike in your garage, collecting dust, please bring it with you
and we will take it off your hands and give it to someone who can really use
it for transportation.
Five riders can win a riding session with Pro Rider - Will Routley!
Sign up for the WORKS where you'll race 45kms through a dozen trails to make up the XC Marathon on Saturday. Refuel at the Salmon BBQ afterwards and get ready to take the same bike down Mach Chicken on Sunday.
Don't forget to pre-register and save your spot! Space is limited!
Dust off the road bike - Otto is ready to kick off the Tuesday night rides starting May 7th.
Meet at 5:30 outside Summit Sports (by the Whistler Gondola base) and, especially in the spring, bring food, water and extra clothes. Remember you can always grab a jacket, gloves or snacks at Summit so at least, bring your credit card.
To join the group you will need to be covered by Cycling BC insurance (link coming soon to our membership page but for now: http://cyclingbc.net/cycling-bc/members/
