July 30/04 2:57 am - CCA Staff, OCA Statement, Jet Fuel, Olympic Bike for Hesjedal, Abitibi Report, Blizzard Club

Posted by Editor on 07/30/04
 

New Staff at CCA
Courtesy CCA

Canadian Cycling Association is pleased to announce that Mr. Rémi Bérubé will be joining the National Office, in the position of Competition Coordinator, effective August 2nd, 2004.

Mr. Bérubé comes to the CCA with an extensive background in event management. For the past seven years, he has been employed by Gestev, as Technical Director. Mr. Bérubé also has a degree in Recreation Management from the University of Quebec - Trois-Rivières.

The CCA welcomes Rémi to our team, and we are confident that he will make a significant contribution in support of cycling.

Contact information:

Rémi Bérubé

Tel: 613-248-1353, Ext. 2602

E-mail: competition@canadian-cycling.com


L'Association cycliste canadienne a le plaisir d'annoncer que Monsieur Rémi Bérubé se joindra à notre bureau national, en assumant les fonctions de coordonnateur des compétitions à compter du 2 août 2004.

Monsieur Bérubé arrive à l'ACC avec une forte expérience en gestion d'événements. Au cours des sept dernières années, il a assumé les fonctions de directeur technique pour Gestev. De plus, il possède un baccalauréat en récréalogie de l'Université du Québec de Trois-Rivières.

L'ACC lui souhaite la plus cordiale bienvenue au sein de notre équipe, et nous sommes confiants qu'il fera une significative contribution dans le cyclisme.

Information de contact:

Rémi Bérubé

Tel: 613-248-1353, Ext. 2602

Courriel: competition@canadian-cycling.com


OCA Statement on 'Outlaw Events'
Courtesy OCA

Earlier this year we published a statement on Non-Permitted Events. In other words, events that are not sanctioned by the OCA.

I want to make our members aware of the fact that a number of event organizers are again prepared to operate without taking out an event permit (sanction) from the OCA. These include organizers who built their events up under our umbrella and now wish to carry on without us, to organizers who cleverly give you the impression that their event is actually sanctioned by the OCA. I am always amazed by members who participate in these events and afterwards tell me they were certain the event held a sanction.

I have yet to see an organizer of what we refer to as "outlaw" events actually have the courage to state in their documentation that the event is not sanctioned by the OCA. They desperately want to confuse you, as they are afraid that they may scare you away with the truth.

The truth is that an OCA sanctioned event is required to meet a certain standard of care.We have requirements in place for all levels of sanction and the OCA spot checks events to guarantee compliance. At competitive events we provide trained and nationally recognized officials to validate the competition and ensure that the venue meets reasonable safety standards.

A sanctioned event is covered by liability insurance from a regulated insurance company based in Canada. At all sanctioned events, and depending on your level of membership in the OCA you are also covered by the policy.The OCA coverage is for 3rd party liability and includes benefits under an AD&D policy while participating in an OCA approved activity. You have no personal coverage whatsoever while participating in an outlaw event.

There are very few sources of event insurance in Canada. The OCA has access to one of the best programs in the country and with our buying power has been able to obtain very reasonable rates considering the quality of the coverage. In the past year or so we have become aware of firms based in the US, and not regulated by our provincial agencies, offering cut-rate event insurance to some organizers in the province.

The problem is that the insurance has very restrictive policy limits that will not adequately protect the race organizers in the event of a serious lawsuit. I know of no organizers with any significant assets for you to go after once the insurance runs out. All they have to do is declare bankruptcy and you are out of luck.In addition the policies that we have researched do not cover the participants in any way, requiring you to sue, possibly in a US court, in order to obtain any form of a settlement. Don't kid yourself that only the organizer needs insurance, in many cases participants have also been named. The most serious aspect of this insurance is that with a policy based in the US, the province does not regulate the underwriter and they hold no assets in Ontario to back up the policy. If they chose to not pay out a claim you will likely have to go after them in an American court.

The solution is to not take risks with organizers that do not take out a sanction from the OCA. Help us to stamp out "outlaw" events by simply not supporting the event. Start to ask questions - is the event sanctioned and insured by the OCA? If it isn't, put pressure on the organizer by not participating. A list of sanctioned events is kept up to date on our website and I strongly encourage you to only participate in those that have demonstrated their support to your organization by taking out an OCA sanction.

Jim Crosscombe
President


Jet Fuel Coffee at NYC Challenge

The Jet Fuel Coffee team is sending four riders to race on the street of New York at this Sunday's 3rd annual BMC Software NYC Cycling Challenge. The course is a challenging downtown criterium in the heart of the financial district with the riders racing for 100km.

The race is shown live on the New York ABC affiliate (WABC) with three hours of coverage. It will also be shown on OLN in the US on Saturday, August 3. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend the race according to the race organization. The event is part of the USPro Cycling Tour and the race has $40,000USD in prize money.

Our team includes Andrew Randell who's looking to improve on his 7th place finish from last year. Josh Hall will also be making the trip after placing in the top 25 at the 2002 event. Buck Miller and Jeff Hansen will also be taking the flight down. The riders fly into New York on Saturday and return on Sunday which helps saves the legs for the race and makes for a quick recovery for next weekend's Montreal-Quebec event.

Matt Hansen, Ryan Roth and Thorben Wieditz will be preparing for Montreal-Quebec with the Peterborough and Warkworth events this weekend.


Fisher Styles Out Ryder and Liam for the Olympics
Courtesy Fisher Bikes

Ryder Hesjedal and Liam Killeen of the Subaru-Gary Fisher Professional Mountain Bike Team will represent their respective countries at the Athens Olympic Games. To celebrate the Games each athlete is presented with custom painted 2005 Gary Fisher AC|DC Hardtails.

The AC|DC (Aluminum Carbon Damping Composite) design integrates carbon fiber seat and chainstays into an already proven aluminum design. The frame utilizes the same internally and externally butted ZR9000 front triangle Liam Killeen has tested since the Sea Otter Classic this season. Liam has ridden the prototype to victory at Mt. Snow's NORBA National and onto the podium at the Fort William World Cup.

"This frame design started development after the World Championships last season when I asked Ryder what his ideal race bike was," explains Fisher Product Manager Aaron Mock. "Ryder wanted lightweight first, but he also wanted to take the edge off of rougher courses."

These frames weigh 100 grams lighter then previous Fisher hardtails. The carbon stays combine with the benefits of utilizing a 27.2mm seatpost delivering a significantly more comfortable ride, helping conserve energy during race situations.

"The additional details added to the Olympic frames are these special paint jobs," adds Graphic Designer Eric Lynn. "Both are really cool. Ryder's frame took a full week to paint. It's hand-painted with the lightest paint we have. It represents the Canadian landscape starting with the East Coast at the headtube, crosses through the plains and mountains, and finishes on the West Coast with carbon fiber whales on the stays. It's pretty sweet when you see it in person." Ryder's Bike, Closeup

"Liam's uses the same light-weight paint and represents the Union Jack. There is no more iconic symbol of the UK and it will match Liam's National Team uniform perfectly," continues Lynn. "We pulled out all the stops to make sure the guys knew how much we appreciated all of their efforts." Liam's Bike

AC|DC hardtails are planned for introduction at Fisher's Dealer Sales Meeting the second week in August. Bikes are scheduled for availability by November.


Tour d'Abitibi Report

By Jordie Kofman, Midweek Ontario team

Having just returned from the Tour de l'Abitibi, I would have to say that this event was by far the most difficult race that I had ever experienced. The pace was not comparable to anything that I had ever ridden before and it took a few stages to get used to the aggressive tactics of the other riders. That said, the Midweek Team of Mark Batty, Shawn Clarke, Kyle Douglas, Keith Gauld, Kris Lysionek and myself persevered and ended up doing fairly well.

Unfortunately, we lost Kris Lysionek early in the race due to a brutal crash on the crit circuit. As a team, we all worked extremely hard, rode aggressively, and got involved in some good breaks. Of course, there were the usual complaints of multiple crashes, broken equipment, road rash, saddle sores and general fatigue. This was definitely one of the greatest learning experiences of my cycling career. I would like to thank Peter McCaffery for making the second Abitibi team possible, Peter Hurley for supporting us throughout the tour, and Brandon Crichton for working endlessly on our bikes.

Photo of Jordie Kofman


Blizzard Bike Club - Fort St. John, BC
Courtesy Pat Ferris

July 29, 2004

Stephen Ferris won the Baldonnel time trial, Thursday, with a time of 24:42. Pat Ferris was second at 25:26 and Gilbert Bilodeau third at 26:02. Ed Fornelli was 4th at 26:17 and Dean Lowry 5th at 27:26.

The Bilodeau Family was out in for force with 5 riders competing. Provincial Champion Tessa Bilodeau lead the way with Gilbert, Jolea, Adam and Tiffany also racing. Matt Sparling was 6th at 27:46, Terry Stone 27:58, Tessa Bilodeau 28:00, Joseph Gladysz 28:16 and Sam Keats 29:04. Ken Nix was 11th at 29:10, Steve Sparling 29:23, David Ferris 29:33, Jack Gladysz 29:41, Richard Wood 29:50, Trisha Gladysz 29:51, Adam Currie 30:28, Jason Sparling 31:27, Jolea Bilodeau 36:56, Adam Bilodeau 39:01, Dawn Gladysz 40:26 and Marg Evens 40:53. Tiffany Bilodeau won the 8 km with 17:12.

Coming up:
-Sunday 40 km time trial at Cecil Lake at 10:00 am
-Monday road race from Ole Lake (Alberta) at 10:00 am.