April 27/07 9:11 am - Canada's Best Coming to Mount Washington for MTB Nationals

Posted by Editor on 04/27/07
 

Canada's Best Coming to Mount Washington for MTB Nationals

Canada's best downhill and cross-country mountain bike racers will visit beautiful Vancouver Island from July 19th to the 22nd this summer. Mount Washington Alpine Resort, home of the Island's premiere bike park, plays host to the 2007 Tim Hortons National Mountain Bike Championships.

"One of our goals over the last couple of years was to host the National Championships," explains Mike Manara, Mount Washington's Race Director. "We've hosted Canada Cup and BC Provincial races in previous years but this is our biggest race to date. We're honoured to be staging this year's National Championships."

Over 400 riders from across Canada are expected to compete in the four days of downhill and cross-country racing. Racers scheduled to compete in this year's championships include local riding sensations Kiara Bisaro (2006 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist) and Geoff Kabush (currently 3rd in World UCI MTB rankings) of Courtenay, BC. Other top performing Islanders competing at this year's National Championships include Max Plaxton and Seamus McGrath. Both riders are off to an unbelievable start this season.

The Monster Mile, Mount Washington's notorious downhill course, will be ready to test the skills of Canada's fastest DH racers once again this summer. Downhillers aren't the only athletes being challenged by the mountain at the Nationals in July. Cross-country riders will have to negotiate Mount Washington's physically demanding XC loop and overcome that all-too-familiar excruciating leg burn.

Mount Washington urges the Vancouver Island community to get out and cheer on both national and local racers. If you would like to contribute some of your time to the event, volunteering is the perfect way to get close to the action. Volunteers are needed for marshalling, information, registration, plus a host of other key positions. If you're interested, email volunteers@mountwashington.ca for more details.

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

Mount Washington Alpine Resort opens for summer sightseeing on June 22, 2007. The Resort is located 30 minutes above The Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. WestJet, Air Canada, 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.