Friday, October 15, 2010

The Trail Bicycles Eatmore Sprouts Cycling Team in the Paper Again

Comox Valley Record

Comox Valley Echo

Cumberland Coal Cross a Huge Success

Energized by unusually sunny skies, a handful of Comox Valley cyclists recorded some impressive results at last weekend’s Cumberland Coal Cross cyclocross race.

More than 100 cyclists from all over B.C. competed in the third annual event, the first of seven races in the Cross on the Rock Cyclocross Series. From beginners to experts local cyclists were well represented in the results.

In the Beginners category, 12-year-old James Grant of the Comox Valley Cycle Club worked his way to the front of the pack and held off racers three times his age to take the win. His younger brother Mark managed a late surge for fourth place.

In the Beginners Women category, Courtenay’s Salinas LaPerriere showcased her mountain biking skills in the more technical sections of the course on her way to a second place finish in her first ever cyclocross race.

Comox racer Jordan Duncan also finished second in the Intermediate category after leading for most of the race.

Fifteen-year-old mountain biking phenom Amanda Wakeling, of the Trail Bicycles Eatmore Sprouts Cycling Team, battled it out in the most competitive Expert Women’s field ever and managed to capture 6th place.

In the Masters race, Trail Bicycles Eatmore Sprouts rider Andrew Brown broke away from the group in the first lap and managed to hold his position for the remainder of the rest to record a first-place finish.

On a more disappointing note, crowd favourite Jeff Beeston (Trail Bicycles Eatmore Sprouts), the only rider in the competition who managed to clear the barriers on his bike, suffered a flat on course and was never able to catch back up to the leaders of the Expert Men’s field.

Cyclocross, which has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years, is perhaps the most exciting racing format to watch. Known simply as “cross” to cyclists in the know, cyclocross is the cycling equivalent of the steeple-chase. Races are short, usually less than one hour, and take place on relatively short courses that may feature stairs, sand, gravel, long grass or wooded trails.

All manner of obstacles are used to force riders off their bikes, and the Cumberland course didn’t disappoint. Along with a BMX track, the race featured a sand pit, part of a pump track, a short, gnarly climb, a forest section, a set of barriers and a bit of tight circular torture called a “Whirly Whirl.”

The Cumberland Coal Cross was hosted by the Trail Bicycles Eatmore Sprouts Cycling Team who, along with race organizers Curtis Saunders and Lisa Ludwig, couldn’t be happier with the results.

“It’s obviously great to win at home in front of your friends and family, but it’s also exciting to put up some good results for all the local sponsors who have helped us out all year long,” says team rider Andrew Brown.

“Like Cumberland and District Credit Union,” he continues. “Not only are they hugely supportive of the team, but they support other great cycling initiatives as well, like interest-free loans for bicycle purchases.”

Races like the Cumberland Coal Cross, says Brown, would simply not be possible without the support of a long list of sponsors and event volunteers.

To find out more about the Trail Bicycles Eatmore Sprouts Cycling team, visit www.eatmoretrail.ca.



Nigel In the BMX Track
Glen Wakeling
Andrew Grant
Andrew Brown
Jeff Beeston

Glen Wakeling doing battle with the tape, his bike and the ground!