October 24/05 9:29 am - Blizzard Bike Club News, Dead Goat `Cross

Posted by Editoress on 10/24/05
 

Blizzard Bike Club Fort St. John, BC

Oct 23rd

Robin Baillie won the club Cyclo-Cross Championship, Sunday, with a dominating performance over 2004 Champ Mike Heintzman and Pat Ferris and a record turnout of nineteen riders.

Conditions were warm and sunny for the 8th 'Muddy Face Trophy' at Beatton River Park. A record nineteen riders were on the start line. The winner of the race would win the Series as well as the club championship.

Robin Baillie led from the gun, with Stephen Ferris on his heels, with Mike Heintzman and Pat Ferris struggling to keep in contact. Baillie put on a clinic for the other riders to see. Stephen Ferris was the only rider to even stay within one lap of Baillie, until Ferris slid out on a fast corner with 2 laps to go, damaging his bike and was unable to continue.

Robin Baillie was the winner with 17 laps covered in 1 hour. Mike Heintzman was second at 15 laps and Pat Ferris 3rd, Matt Sparling 4th and Roger St. Jean 5th all at 13 laps. Eric Lowry was 6th, Kevin Cooper 7, Sam Keats 8th and Gord Harris 9th with 12 laps. Barb Polehoykie was 10th and Richard Wood 11th with 11 laps. Dean Lowry was 12th at 10 laps. Adam Currie was 13th and Lisa Verbisky 14th and the duo of Grant Spelsberg and Steve Sparling teamed were 15th all at 9 laps. Stephen Ferris did 15 laps before crashing out. Vince Lowry did 2 laps for 11:03 and Karen Lowry did one lap at 7:28.

Robin Baillie wins the Cyclo-Cross Series with 26 points, just 2 ahead of 2004 winner Mike Heintzman. Pat Ferris was third at 17, Roger St. Jean 4th at 12 and Matt Sparling 5th at 7.

Barb Polehoykie wins the Women's Series with a perfect 35 points.

Coming up:
- Official local racing is over for the 2005 season.
- A contingent of Blizzards are going to Red Deer for the Provincial Cyclo-Cross Championships, next Sunday.

The Blizzard Bike Club held its 23rd Annual Awards Banquet at the Northern Grand, Saturday night.

Barb Polehoykie and Pat Ferris were the top individual winners and took home four major trophies, each.

The yearly points age class winners were:

Duathlon Under 15: Jolea Bilodeau
Men's Duathlon: Pat Ferris
Women's Duathlon: Barb Polehoykie
Duathlon Under 19: Gilbert Bilodeau
Pee Wee Boys: Cayle Bell
Minime Girls: Jolea Bilodeau
Cadet Boys: Matt Sparling
Junior Girls: Trisha Gladysz
Senior Women: Tessa Bilodeau
Senior Men's: Tim Gladysz
Veteran A Women: Lisa Verbisky
Veteran A Men: Adam Currie
Veteran B Women: Barb Polehoykie
Veteran B Men: Rod Lewis
Veteran C Women: Dawn Gladysz
Veteran C Men: Pat Ferris
Veteran E Men: Terry Stone
Veterans D Men: Richard Wood
Mountain bike Men: Pat Ferris
Mountain bike Women: Barb Polehoykie
Mountain bike Under 19: Matt Sparling
Fastest 16 km times: Stephen Ferris (23:43) and Trisha Gladysz (27:33)
Most Improved: Richard Wood
Half Wheel: Ken Nix
Combines Cup Men: Pat Ferris
Women's' Combines Cup: Barb Polehoykie
Cyclo cross Series: Robin Baillie

Forty-four members were in attendance for an excellent meal and draw prizes, with emcee Patrick Ferris. The banquet capped off another great club season.

Season highlights include sending fifteen riders to the World Masters Games and Wim Kok's LEL 1400 km. ride.


Alberta Deadgoat 'Cross
Courtesy Jason Gillespie

The Deadgoat 'Cross was held on Sunday, October 23 at the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School in Okotoks, Alberta. 75 competitors in 4 categories raced the muddy course under sunny and 20C conditions. An initial cool, brisk morning allowed the sport men and women categories to race relatively mud-free, but as the weather warm up quickly, the frozen mud quickly thawed and became a deciding factor for elite / open men's race. Nick Friesen (The Bike Shop) and Tim Heemskerk (United Cycle) pulled ahead of the remainder of the field and maintained their lead up to the last fews laps of the race, when the rear derailleur on Tim Heemskerk's bike couldn't take the strain of the mud build up and snapped allowing Nick Friesen to take a clear victory over the field.

This was the sixth and final race of the Alberta Cyclocross series for the Pedalhead Road Works Cyclo-cross Cup. The following are this year's winners:

Elite/Open Men: Tim Heemskerk (United Cycle)
Open Women: Marg Fedyna (ERTC/redbike)
Expert Men: Michael Johns (CABC/Projekt One)
Sport Men: Gunnar Giese (United Cycle)

Next Sunday (Oct 30'05) will see the Alberta Cyclo-cross provincials taking place at Red Deer College in Red Deer, AB. UCI categories will be used for this race: Junior Men/Women, Elite Men/Women, Master Men/Women. More information about the race can be found HERE. This race will be the selection race for the Alberta Provincial Team. See the Alberta Bicycle Association website for more information.