July 16/08 1:05 am - Cardiac Classic report and results

Posted by Editoress on 07/16/08
 

Cardiac Classic July 13th, Burnaby, BC
Report Courtesy Matt Klymson, westcoastracing.ca

West Coast Racing's Cardiac Classic XC held on July 13, 2008 at Burnaby Mountain in BC has garnered unanimous acclaim from the provincial racing community with a first year event launch that left competitors in awe of both the course and the event staging.

“I had no idea there were such sweet XC trails in Burnaby, I had doubts that it would be a very challenging course being so close to the city. Was I ever wrong!” commented Natural Earth Racing's Carsten Ivany (5th place, Pro Men) which is high praise in a province noted for its expansive selection of trails. “That has to be the hardest climb I've ever done in an XC race, it's THE Hors Categorie climb of XC racing”.

Mike Hunter, BC Cup series leader for Master 30-39 men racing for the powerhouse Rocky Mountain - K Capital Source p/b Different Bikes squad, concurred. “That was a classic old school cross-country course. Tough, steep climb, and steep technical descending.” Hunter was in the thick of the day's most closely contended race, locked in a seesaw battle with Graham Cocksedge, decided only on the course's final short paved uphill burst by a 1 second sprint finish margin in Hunter's favour. “On the technical sections I could usually get a little gap on him, and then I would take it easy on the climb and he would catch back up. On the last lap, I had a little bigger gap through Dead Moped, and figured that I was home free, but Graham chased hard and caught me in the final singletrack before the finish line.” Hunter's praise for the event also extended to the organizer West Coast Racing, noting that the Cardiac Classic “has instantly become one of the premiere events on the BC race schedule.”

Many of BC's fastest women came out to play too, with Dawn Berg of Oak Bay Bikes / Everti handily scooping up the first lap hill climb cash prime for pros, before bringing home a 2nd place overall finish on the day behind Aussie Joanna Harrington. “It was very hard”, recounted Berg before adding, “they were tough climbs on a very hot day. The down hill was also fantastic. It was nice and technical, which made you stay focused and it left you with some adrenaline if you took things too fast! It was a great race and I will return for another round!” The Island Racing Club's Joele Guynup, who wound up her day 2 positions back of Berg after an epic battle with Melanie Vaughan of Steed Cycles that eventually saw Vaughan claim the final spot on the pro womens' podium with a scant 1 second lead, was glowing in her report from the course, describing it as, “Some of the best singletrack of the year! The bermed corners were super-smooth and there were lots of bridges and logs to keep your head working--definitely not recovery singletrack!”

While citizen racers Ashleigh Gold and Dmitri Paulakos took the unique cash primes for the citizen hill climb in the day's early 9am start for the women and men respectively, it was Stefan Widmer of Rocky Mountain - K Capital Source p/b Different Bikes who brought home the biggest haul of the day, first nailing down the pro mens'hill climb cash prime to crack open the 11:30am start, and then executing an intelligently managed effort to hold off a stern challenge from Colin Kerr of Different Bikes and collect the lion's share of the pro cash prize purse also. Kerr held tough throughout what became a 2 man battle with Widmer, who recently concluded a breakthrough campaign that saw him finish 3rd in the 2008 Canada Cup national mountain bike series, with Widmer's team mate Kevin Calhoun rounding out the podium. “The race was really tough.” explained Widmer. “A ton of climbing and some challenging descending.” His synopsis of the course was a common theme on this day, as the course designers had laid out a devastating challenge which put the pro men through 5300 feet of cumulative elevation gain and loss over the relatively short distance of 31km, including the leg-breaking one time climb from the staging area to start the event which rose up in the form of a sheer wall over 1000 feet high replete with soul-sucking gradients, finally cresting the top of Burnaby Mountain at the prime line. (check out GPS data at the bottom of citizen racer Neil Hourihane's blog entry at http://www.hourihane.ca/?p=34 for visual evidence of the sinister course profile for his 2 laps) Widmer's account was similar to many other races within the race which told the tale of contrasting advantages of climbing and descending skills, amplified by the difficulty of the course; “I went off the front at the start of the race to ensure that I would get the hill climb prime, but then Colin quickly got back on my wheel in the single track. In fact, in the next 2 laps, Colin and I would climb together but he would continually ride the descents quicker then me putting a good 10-15 seconds into me each lap which I would have to make up at the start of the next climb. Knowing this, I pulled away on the last lap at the top of Cardiac Hill ensuring that I would get a gap on him and enter the singletrack first. After that, I kept it steady on the last climb and brought home my first ever BC Cup win. Thanks for a great race and a great race course!”

Sunshine Coast Cycling's excellent junior program showed its merit once again, with Katherine Short and Sebastian Sleep easily maintaining control over the top junior categories, pumping out crackling lap times that would have been competitive even in the senior pro races.

Local not-for-profit community club West Coast Racing, the architects of this new event, started out planning for the Cardiac Classic with a simple premise. “We wanted to offer a VIP level of service to everyone at the event, from pros to weekend warriors, to kids - even friends and families coming out as spectators”, explained club president Michael Tunnah, before noting that “With a first time event you can never be sure what numbers to expect, and we've got a tough slot sandwiched in between some other big races around the country, but we set out with a goal to be creative in ways to make it a great day for everyone involved and then simply let the event grow itself year over year.”

Casual weekend warrior racers and families alike agreed with the outcome of months of planning and preparation. “Probably one of the best run and most organized races I've been to. Races started on time, the course was awesome, the feed zone was a nice surprise, prizes/sponsors were great, quick posting of results”, according to racer and father Neil Hourihane. “The little kids' race was a nice touch, my daughter Megan was all keen to enter and had a blast.” Local resident John Preissl, also a parent of one of the youngsters in the less formal Youth Short Course Challenge held on a specially sized smaller course, called it “A great event. It was good to see the mountain being used for a race again. I was very impressed with all the staff and volunteers. The volunteers were a great help for my daughter and her first race. Lauren was very nervous before the race. However, that ended when she got half way through the course. She had a blast and loved the Uvex helmet prize and other goodies. She would love to enter another race now.” The Cardiac Classic youth events, which were held around the fabulous new Barnet Skills Park that served as the main staging area, also played host to participants from Trips for Kids Vancouver (www.tfkvancouver.or) which offers programs in mountain biking for vulnerable youths who took in advice from trials riding superstars Ryan Leech of Norco Bikes (www.ryanleech.com) and the Baia Brothers (www.baiabros.com). M&M Meats from Parkgate, North Vancouver, came out to provide much-needed refueling for everyone with BBQ treats made to order.

Club President Michael Tunnah further described the action from the organizer's perspective behind the scenes. “Matt Klymson from our club assembled a huge crew of dedicated volunteers from within our own membership and the local biking community, and guided them through their roles like clockwork on race day, while our club's Vice President Gord Longden compiled a quality group of very enthusiastic and gracious sponsors who came together to help make sure everyone had a lot of fun.” Hansen Industries (www.hanind.com), a precision metal machining outfit, was the first to sign on as a premier sponsor together with their supplier partner Thomas Skinner (www.thomasskinner.com) which is a provider of machinery to the bike manufacturing industry, among many others. Bicycling sector notables Matt Juhasz of North Shore Bike Shop (www.northshorebikeshop.com) and BC-based Race Face bicycling components (www.raceface.com) then came on board to provide additional backing. Pro racer Aaron Weiss of Kamloops couldn't help but express that he was “shocked at all the prizing that was given away.”

Other participating sponsors included Active Life Physio, Atac Sportswear, Que Pasa, Ryders Eyewear, Trident Performance Sports, and Whole Foods. Organizations cooperating closely with West Coast Racing to bring the event into reality with their assistance in planning for the 2008 Cardiac Classic Bike Fest were the Burnaby Mountain Biking Association (BMBA) ; a not-for-profit society dedicated to maintaining and improving the mountain's trail network, City of Burnaby Parks (Recreation and Cultural Services), Cycling BC, and Simon Fraser University.

Masters 40-49 racer Dave Robertson perhaps summed it up best with the highest compliment any race organizer could hope to hear, “It was among the friendliest and personable race experiences I've had. For next year's edition don't change a thing!"

West Coast Racing is already looking forward to a bigger and better Cardiac Classic in 2009, with planning to start immediately after the club finishes running their long-standing BC Cup Cyclocross event, the Vanier Park 'Cross Classic (www.wescoastracing.ca). The Vanier Park race, which will once again offer opportunities for elite racers right through to first-timer children of all ages, will be held this coming fall on October 12th near the Burrard Bridge in downtown Vancouver, continuing with the club's specialty of operating events at unique urban venues.

Please enjoy picture galleries from various photographers who at the links below. Most have offered to provide full resolution image files for racers to receive pictures of themselves at no charge. Please send requests by email to info@westcoastracing.ca with a direct URL link to the image.

picasaweb.google.com
photobucket 1

photobucket 2