"You guys have the sweetest bike trails anywhere." These were the words of "race dad" Cam Cairns from Squamish, as he hopped on his bike to check out the course for last week's high school series race at Sprockids park in Langdale. Cairns knows something about trails. He is just one of many "race parents" who follow their kids from race to race doing the behind the scenes stuff like feeding riders, wrenching on the bikes and applying Band-aids. His kids Phil (senior) and Alex (Grade 10) both race, and he and his wife Joanne are well known in the B.C. race circuit. So when he says we have the sweetest trails, it's coming from experience.
The Sunshine Coast's Sprockids park is well known in the cycling world. Local race directors Dave Bates and Steve Sleep chose a selection of trails that would provide a fast course with lots of climbing for the race.
"It's more of a traditional cross country course than some of the others in the series," said Bates. "The kids with the heavy bikes will have some trouble with the climbs, but the serious racers will love it."
Once the course was mapped out, members of Sunshine Coast Cycling's race team headed out on foot with rakes, shovels and clippers to clear the course of sticks and other hazards that might damage the expensive parts on a race bike. After grooming the trail, the racers changed clothes and jumped on their bikes for a pre-ride, a slow lap to get the feel of the course, then a timed "hot" lap. They loved the fast, flowing course. To determine how many laps would be in the race, the race directors used the fast lap times.
The course was popular with the out of town kids and the laps were faster than expected. The Sunshine Coast Grade 8 boys continued to dominate that category as they swept the top three spots again. This time Harrison Duxbury-Sleep (Elphi) took the win with Louis Dillon (Chat) and Forrest Riesco (Elphi) in second and third respectively. Other podium finishes include Sebastian Sleep (Elphi), first in Grade 10 boys; Jenna Phelps (Chat), second in Grade 10 girls; Jessica Marquis (Chat), second in Grade 9 girls. See the sports ticker on page B8 for all the results.
