November 15/08 9:21 am - News Releases: BC Bike Race, Crank the Shield, Intermontane Challenge

Posted by Editoress on 11/15/08
 

The BC Bike Race Announces Addition of Singlespeed Categoriesin 2009
Press release

The BC Bike Race has finalized its plans to host two Singlespeed Categories in the upcoming 2009 Event (June 28-July 4th). Leader’s jerseys will be awarded in the Men’s Open and Women’s Open categories*.

The BC Bike Race is a seven day epic mountain bike stage race from Victoria to Whistler on the west coast of Canada. The route passes through lush rain forests, over the Coastal mountain range and spends the majority of it’s time on singletrack built by mountain bikers for mountain bikers.

“Having seen the global growing interest in Singlespeed we thought it was only fitting that the singlespeeders have their own category. We are currently designing the leader’s jerseys for these two categories and if all things go well in 2009, we look to increase the number of categories for the upcoming years”, said President Dean Payne.

Dejay Birtch an advocate for singelspeeders and a participant of the 2008 BC Bike Race was instrumental in pushing forward these new categories. “I think we (the singlespeeders) are looking to be recognized and as our numbers grow, our representation should as well”, said an excited Dejay.

Registration is open for the 2009 BC Bike Race at: www.bcbikerace.com

* all categories must have five teams minimal to be an official category If another category should have 5 teams we will consider elevating to a full status category.


Crank The Shield – Registration open for 2009!
Press release

In eastern North America, this is the mountain bike stage race not to miss!

After last year’s success, Crank The Shield is destined to become a perennial classic that endurance riders from around North America and abroad will like to be a part of. This 3-day stage event begins September 18th, and concludes September 20th, 2009.

All three Crank The Shield stages wind through some of the most breathtaking scenery, and epic riding Ontario’s near north has to offer. New for 2009, competitors can expect many improvements based on feedback from past participants. Some of which include singletrack re-routes around low-lying areas, a vastly improved first stage, and the use of more mountain bike specific trails. Riders this year will also benefit from the start of the race being at Haliburton Forest, and finishing at the same location three stages later. A combination of back roads, multi-line rocky ATV trails, and mountain bike specific trails will take riders 250 km over 3 days.

Highlights along the way include fully stocked aid stations, a ride through downtown Minden, a stage finish in the beautiful town of Haliburton, and an Ontario Provincial Police escorted neutral ride. In addition to the fabulous riding, we include free tech support from some of the best in the business, excellent meals at the end of each stage, and phenomenal summer camp accommodations.

Registration has just opened for this event, and as an early-bird bonus, the first 150 registered will get an official Crank The Shield race kit including, jersey, bib cycling shorts, and cycling socks!

For more information, and to register, visit www.cranktheshield.com.


Intermontane Challenge Attracts Top North American Competitors And Sponsor
Press release

The Intermontane Challenge and its unique “cloverleaf” course design filled with epic BC single-track has drawn top talent from the US and Canada in its solo men's category. For the inaugural event on July 27 - 31 , 2009 top ranked US rider and former Olympian David “Tinker" Juarez has confirmed his participation and in his words “ is ready to rock n' roll solo”. Joining this legend in the sport is top Canadian and former Kamloops native Chris Sheppard.

With the top prize of $10,000 CDN on the line for the overall win in the men's and women's solo categories the Intermontane Challenge has drawn some of the top talent in the sport. Competitive athletes have cited the advantage of not having to move from place to place, the re-assuring luxury of quality food and accommodation options and the ability to compete solo as reasons why they have chosen the Intermontane Challenge as their stage race for 2009. This same response has been echoed by the rest of the entrants as well proving that our “cloverleaf” course design has been worth the effort to construct.

Long after the dust has settled and the event is over, local riders and tourists alike will be able to enjoy the legacy of trails that the event will have created throughout the entire riding season. With the Intermontane Challenge the race doesn't truly end on day 5, it's just the beginning of something even bigger!

Joining such top talent in the racing end of the sport is another true leader in the industry side of things - THULE has come on board with the Intermontane Challenge to create “The Ride of the Day Award” presented by Thule. This unique award will be given out each day to recognize some of the racers in the field who care more about having fun and finishing than suffering like the frontrunners!

Product donated by Thule will allow everyone competing a chance to share in the glory of great day in the saddle, not just the pros. Being a world leader in finding solutions for the transport of all types of sporting equipment, Thule is also a passionate supporter of the competitive end of the sport of mountain biking.

This exciting partnership also has its roots in both parties respect for the environment - we have created a “cloverleaf” course design to minimize our impact on the environment while Thule has gone so far as adding solar panels to the roof of its Seymour, Connecticut manufacturing and office facility that will offset 26% of the total energy used! In the end we both want to have fun and have come together to show our commitment to a more responsible and sustainable form of mountain bike stage racing.

The Intermontane Challenge is 25% Sold Out and registration is open to anyone looking for 5 days of epic off-road racing set in the rugged Interior Region of British Columbia. Entries are capped at 300 total spots. Pick your category - solo or team. Pack your bags once and drop them in Kamloops prior to the start of the inaugural 2009 event.

Don't pack up until the race is over and you've had one of the best times ever on your mountain bike. Don't let all of the comforts of our event fool you into thinking this race is going to be easy - our 5 single-track based stages will have racers begging for the finish line but cruelly wanting more!

Register for the Intermontane Challenge now and get your first shot at the most challenging and unique event of 2009! Log on to our official website www.intermontanechallenge.com and click on our News area for all the details.