Whistler – As September dawns, Whistler athletes are gearing up for another go at the Month of Pain. Featuring three cross-country mountain biking events, assorted running races and the Harvest Huckfest slopestyle and slalom month-ender in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, this is a month with which to be reckoned.
The centrepiece of the 30 days of pain is Whistler’s so-called Triple Crown consisting of Saturday’s (Sept. 6) Westside Wheelup, the recently developed Soo Valley Rumble on Sept. 13 and the landmark Cheakamus Challenge on Sept. 20.
A fundraiser for the B.C. Disabled Ski Team, a locals’ classic bike race and a great party, the Westside Wheelup is about 15 years old and as popular as ever. The race starts at Function Junction and winds around to finish at a prize-filled barbecue and raffle in Rainbow Park.
Last year, winner Matt Ryan set an event record of 59 minutes, 11.85 seconds, but the course is slightly different this year as it includes the new extension of A River Runs Through It before the Rainbow Park finish.
This year, all the locals who have supported the event through the years should feel extra proud, organizer Phil Chew said, because they’ll soon be able to watch athletes who have benefited from this fundraiser compete here in the Paralympic Games. The Wheelup has raised a few thousand dollars each year, Chew said, which has helped athletes who have gone on to make the national team and compete in World Cups.
Chew, also the coach of the B.C. Disabled Ski Team, said he’s grateful for the local support.
“The community can feel proud of the fact they’ve contributed to a worthwhile fundraiser that’s helped athletes directly,” he said.
Chew described the race, which begins at noon, as a tough little course with some climbing involved.
“It’s more than a Loonie Race but it’s not quite the Cheakamus Challenge,” he said.
Those interested in volunteering, donating prizes or finding out more should call Chew at (604) 932-2110.
One week later, on Saturday, Sept. 13, the Soo Valley Rumble takes riders into the gem hidden on the other side of Cougar Mountain for the race hosted by the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) to take up the hardcore mantle vacated by the Samurai of Singletrack.
Last year’s Rumble featured a 46-kilometre course up and out of the Soo Valley that included more than 1,000 metres of climbing. WORCA Trails Director Jerome David said the initial climb over the valley’s flank wore out many of the approximately 70 riders in the event, so he’s now issuing the warning that the climb is going to kick off the race again this year. The rest of the course will be announced at an upcoming Loonie Race.
David said the Rumble was designed to carry on some of the traditions set by the gruelling 45- to 70-kilometre Samurai of Singletrack events.
“The idea is to keep the tradition of something really hard and hardcore going, but not make it super long like the Samurai,” he said.
The event has offered the added bonus of reminding riders of the existence of the striking Soo Valley, which is primarily known to the long-time local bikers and those in hardcore training, David said.
“A lot of people (last year said), ‘Wow, we didn’t know the Soo Valley was there.’ It’s a beautiful place,” he said.
Last year, Joanna Harrington rode on from her Westside Wheelup win to capture the Rumble women’s title, and Tyler Allison did the same in the Junior division, setting up his eventual Triple Crown victory, capped by the Cheakamus Challenge.
The point-to-point Rumble begins at 10 a.m. after sign-in starts at 9 a.m. A shuttle is scheduled to carry riders to the start line between 9 and 10 a.m. WORCA is looking for volunteers and sponsors for prizes and coffee, water and food stations — visit WORCA’s website or e-mail info@worca.com for more information.
Riders will have a mere seven days to catch their breath before the Cheakamus Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 20, the grand event that organizers bill as the best point A to point B marathon on Earth.
The 70-kilometre race runs from the Squamish Airport to the Whistler Creekside finish line, rolling through 2,000 metres of climbing and a new piece of the Sea to Sky Trail between Cal Cheak and Sugar Cube Hill along the way. Wildly beautiful but fiercely challenging, this course is expected to draw about 500 riders.
“This event is one of the longest-running mountain bike events in the world that has seen the best riders in Canada from World Champs such as Roland Green and Alison Sydor leading the field,” Race Director Grant Lamont said in a statement.
Sydor is likely to challenge for her sixth event win, pushing local riders such as Harrington to greater heights. World silver medalist and this year’s Test of Metal winner Max Plaxton has dominated the men’s side over the past three years.
For those not feeling up to the big race, organizers are also offering the 40-kilometre Cheakamus Lite that begins at 1 p.m. at the Whistler Bungee Bridge south of the athlete’s village site at Function Junction. The main event begins at 10 a.m., and it all wraps up with a barbecue at Dusty’s featuring meat and veggie burger platters.
Visit www.cheakamuschallenge.com for more information about the race or volunteering, or to register for the event.
This event also gives back to the community, as the Challenge has partnered with Bicycles for Humanity in asking racers to donate bikes and gear for First Nations riders in Mount Currie and Squamish. Lamont is also directing $2 from every paid entry to Cops for Cancer.
For the slopestylers and slalom lovers, the Harvest Huckfest on Sept. 20 and 21 will be the month’s main attraction. The Bike Park is hosting the seventh annual event earlier this year instead of the traditional Thanksgiving weekend slot, as organizers are hoping to take advantage of the warmer weather.
Saturday afternoon is scheduled to feature the two-run amateur slopestyle competition, while the new Gunner Vision Dual Slalom event is planned for Sunday beginning at 11:30 a.m. Competitors can register at Guest Relations for $40 plus $5 lift tickets.
Bursting at the seams with athletic goodness, September also showcases running through events such as the classic fundraising Terry Fox Run, the inaugural Whistler Spirit Run in the Whistler Olympic Park and the Rubble Creek Classic.
