The 20 fastest young mountain bikers in B.C. met for a training camp in Cumberland last weekend and five of them were from On The Edge Race Club's (OTE) youth development team.
Sean Stanhope, Christine Lynch, Katherine Short, Matt Brown and Sebastian Sleep all won spots on Team B.C. - the Cycling BC sponsored team that will represent B.C. in the national competition at Sun Peaks in July.
The racers were selected to participate in the camp through a predetermined criteria set out by Cycling B.C. that took into account their results in the high school series and other races held this spring throughout the province.
Coaches Rick Thiesson and Katharine Wright took the group of 13- to 18-year-old male and female athletes through the paces that included everything from bike fitting to nutrition and time trial training. The weekend concluded with a full-blown race designed to test skills and stamina. Thiesson met many of the racers for the first time on the weekend and was impressed with their skills. "We've got some really talented riders here and it's going to be exciting to see them ride against the best in the country," Thiesson said.
While the Team B.C. racers were in Cumberland, OTE race coach Bob Stanhope was in Squamish with six other young racers competing in the Teen Test of Metal, a race designed to push racers beyond their comfort level. The course had plenty of technical challenges that took their toll on the riders' bodies. On the podium were Jennifer Brown, first, and Jenna Phelps, third. Kevin Bates, Sarah Fedor, Stuart Ritchey and Connor Ritchey put in a valiant effort in their competitive age groups.
Several OTE Race Club members will be in Squamish this weekend for the big Test of Metal, a gruelling 67 km course that offers leg-numbing climbs and bone-crunching technical sections.
The members of the On The Edge Race Club would like to thank all the local businesses who have provided them with sponsorship that has helped them so much along the way this season.
