The inaugural running of the Bearspaw Open, presented with The RCMP – A Career Nowhere Near Ordinary took place yesterday in the NW of Calgary on a challenging new course for the Alberta peloton. The tough course was made just a little bit tougher with temperatures in the low 30’s throughout the day and blistering sun.
As expected, the 1k+ Campione Cycles Climb proved to be the decisive obstacle of the day for all races. On each ascent of the climb the gates would swing open at the back of the pack and a selection made of the strongest and smartest riders. After cresting the top of the Campione Cycles Climb riders then had to cope with a technical trip through the rolling and narrow back half of the course, where many battles were played out for position at the front – crucial for the tough corner leading into the base of the climb after the fast descent down 12 Mile Coulee Road.
The first races of the day were the Alberta U15 M/F Provincial Road Championships. The men’s race saw Samuel Beaudoin from Juventus CC out of Edmonton taking the win over Ben Marquart (Independent, -0:20) and Robert Dunn (Independent, -3:54). The women’s race was taken by Andrea St. Germain (CMC/Bow Cycle) over Zoe Dahl (CMC/Bow Cycle, -0:44). All competitors in these races are to be congratulated on the exceptional sportsmanship observed out on the course. In such tough and hot conditions, and on such a challenging course, it was excellent to see these athletes treat each other with such respect. They set an example that the rest of the peloton should strive to match! Congratulations to all of you!
The next start of the day featured a large combined field of Elite Open B (Categories 4/5), Open Masters Men, and the U17M Alberta Provincial Youth RR Championship, racing 10 laps of the 5.3km course. As expected, it was primarily a race of attrition as several riders would be splintered off the back of the race each time up the Campione Cycles Climb until the race stabilized with a main group of 8-10 riders out of approximately 35 starters. As the main pack settled in Open Masters rider Stephen Kenny (Speed Theory) executed a perfectly timed solo attack, quickly getting down to business and establishing a lead of 30 seconds while the main group tried to figure out how to react. As the race wore on Kenny grew his lead as the chasers were sporadically working together to reel him in. With a couple of laps to go it was pretty clear that Kenny wasn’t coming back barring a mechanical or issues with the heat, and the pack began to race for second place. In the end the Speed Theory rider won by a commanding 1:04 margin, a tremendous feat given the conditions and the length of time he was out on his own.
The U17 Provincial Championship finish was tight with Graham Courtney (Synergy Racing) taking the win over Mac Garvin (CMC/Bow Cycle) and Kris Dahl (CMC/Bow Cycle), all finishing with a time of 1:26:10.
Open Masters, and the overall win for the field, was taken by Stephen Kenny (Speed Theory) after his epic solo move. Blaine Richter (ERTC/Revolution Cycle, -1:56) and Yuri Lipkov (Bicisport, -1:59) rounded out the top 3.
Open B saw Torrian Watson (Bicisport) taking the the win over Christopher McCue (CMC/Bow Cycle) and Tom Charlton (CMC/Bow Cycle).
The Open Women and JR Women Provincial RR Championship combined field was won by the aggressive riding of Nik Volger (Independent) who came all the way from Revelstoke BC to exert her will over the field. Second in the Open Women was Tori Fahey (Deadgoat, -7:09), with third place going to Sandra Yaworski (Speed Theory, -8:20).
The JR Women Provincial Championship saw Samantha Grover (Juventus CC) winning over Jessica Kissel (Bicisport, -3:00) and Lauren Lankester (CMC/Bow Cycle, -6:41). The U17 Women’s Provincial Championship was won by Caeli Barron (Synergy Racing) over Alison Beveridge (Bicisport, -1 lap) and Gina Kissel (Synergy Racing, -1 lap).
The main event of the day was the Elite Open A race (Categories 1/2/3). Alberta’s own Team H&R Block was extremely well represented in the field with 11 riders, and were clearly looking to exert their strength over a field that included strong riders such as Jamie Sparling (Trek Red Truck, p/b Mosaic Homes), Dan and Jon Wood (ERTC/Revolution Cycle), Dan Skinner (Total Restoration), and Shawn Bunnin (Bicisport) to name just a few.
From the start Team H&R Block started sending riders up the road until a break of 3 containing 2 of their own riders (Mark MacDonald and Chris Devries), along with Jamie Sparling (Trek Red Truck, p/b Mosaic Homes). The break hovered at 30-45 seconds for several laps, and looked to be almost getting absorbed more than once until Sparling would move to the front and start riding some strong tempo with MacDonald. As the race came into the final few laps the combination of the heat and difficulty of the repeated trips up the Campione Cycles Climb caught up with MacDonald as he dropped back to the main field. On the final lap it was Dan Wood (ERTC/Revolution Cycle) bridging to the 2 leaders as they headed up the climb. Devries took the sprint out over Sparling and Wood (both S.T.) and the field was led home by Shawn Bunnin (Bicisport) and MacDonald (both at 0:05).
Congratulations to all riders from the Midweek Mayhem Cycling Association! It was a tough course and a tough day, and it was great to see fast, fierce, and safe racing in all events. Thanks also for your cooperation in creating a great impression on the local community; it will really help us in securing this new race course again for next year. Another word of thanks to Campione Cycles (http://www.campionecycles.com/) for sponsoring the Campione Climb, and to the RCMP for providing traffic safety and control services. Their presence on the roads contributed to a safe day. Thanks also to the Olympic Oval Youth Cycling Development Program parents for putting on a fantastic meal for all participants as part of the “Dinner & Bike Race” event. We look forward to seeing you all out there next year!
Labels: General Info, Race Report
We have also created an event in the Midweek Mayhem Facebook group: click here for the event.
Labels: Facebook, General Info, Resources
Please visit the Midweek Mayhem website to register, purchase meals for "Dinner & a Bike Race", or make a donation to Youth Cycling.
Please note that your meal for Dinner & a Bike Race is included with your race registration. Also, although we are not charging an entry fee for Alberta Youth Provincial Road Race Championship entries, we are requiring that participants purchase a meal for Dinner & a Bike Race.
FYI, there is currently a slight discrepancy in information about pricing for Dinner & a Bike Race. Meals purchased seperately will be $12.00, not $10.00. We will update the information on the Midweek Mayhem website as soon as possible.
Registration payments will be made via PayPal. You do not require a PayPal account to pay, there is a "continue" option which allows you to skip creation of a PayPal account. When you have completed payment, please click the provided link. This will return you to the Midweek Mayhem website where you will provide details such as which event you want to race in, License #, UCI Code, Team, Emergency Contact, etc. You will also need to provide your PayPal receipt ID, which you can find in the confirmation email that PayPal sends when payment is completed. If you have any questions or problems, please email us at midweekracing[at]gmail.com.
Labels: Dinner and a Bike Race, General Info, Organization, Race entries, Youth racing
Menu
- Beef on bun (or vegetarian alternative)
- Corn on the cob
- selection of salads
- dessert
- refreshment
Pricing
Meal is included with your race registration. Pricing for the meal only will be $12 for non-racers, and meals will be able to be pre-purchased through our online payment system. There will be limited quantities of meals available for people wishing to purchase on race day. Please pre-purchase to avoid disappointment!
Labels: Dinner and a Bike Race, General Info, Race entries, Youth racing
The RCMP - A Career Nowhere Near Ordinary
We're excited to announce that the RCMP has come on board with the race, and that the event will now be known as "The Bearspaw Open, presented with The RCMP - A Career Nowhere Near Ordinary". The RCMP is hiring, and will have recruiting staff on-site at Race HQ throughout race day. Forget ordinary. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police offers meaningful work, vast opportunities, the chance to serve across Canada and a career like no other. Visit www.rcmp.ca for more details on a career nowhere near ordinary with the RCMP. Be sure to keep an eye out for the new heritage edition retro highway patrol cruisers and Harley Davidson motorbikes as part of the race caravan on course. The Mounties will also be providing traffic safety services, and will have lots of displays at the Race HQ expo area. They will also be installing 2 speed trap display signs on the course, 1 on the 12 Mile Coulee Road descent, and 1 on the fast rollers on Hamilton Dr., so we'll be able to communicate speeds back to the festivities at Race HQ.
The Campione Cycles Climb
Campione Cycles has signed on with The Bearspaw Open, presented with The RCMP - A Career Nowhere Near Ordinary, as the sponsor of the Campione Climb to the finish. The Campione Climb goes from the exit of Corner 3 all the way to the finish at Race HQ on Nagway Road, and will be the decisive obstacle of the race. Stay tuned for a possible "Campione KOM" competition within the race.
Established in 1996, Campione Cycles is the final version in a long line of bicycle stores. The product of four generations in the bicycle industry, Campione can trace its lineage back to the province of Trentino in Italy, and parallel to the expansion of professional road racing in Canada.
We are a brick and mortar bicycle company with stores in Vancouver and Calgary.
Campione Cycles remains 100% family owned and operated.
Labels: General Info, Race Course, Sponsorship
Stay tuned!
Labels: General Info, Organization, Race entries
View Larger Map
What we've delivered in response to those goals is a 5.3km long loop around the Bearspaw Golf & Country Club. The start/finish and race headquarters will be at the Bearspaw Lion's Club on Nagway Road, just a few meters north of Hwy 1A between 12 Mile Coulee Road and Bearspaw Road. Travelling in a clockwise direction, racers will turn right off of Nagway Rd onto Hamilton Dr, following it North and East around the golf course until a right turn takes you plunging South down 12 Mile Coulee Rd. At the bottom of 12 Mile Coulee racers will make a fast tricky right sweeping corner back onto Nagway, and will then immediately climb more than 100 feet in just over a kilometer to the finish line.
Here's some information on the major features of the course:
1. Climbing: there is several hundred feet of climbing on each 5.2k lap of the course. The climb to the start/finish will, in particular, be selective as races wear on. Riders will need to fight for position coming into the last corner in order to be at the front and avoid the gaps that are sure to open up at this point. While it's not particularly steep, this climb is deceptively hard when tired, especially when you factor in the prevailing strong westerly winds in this area.
2. Final Corner: As mentioned above, racers who want to have a chance of winning this race will need to be working hard to maintain position at the front coming into this challenging corner. There's something of an optical illusion at play as you approach the entrance that makes it appear much tougher than it is. Riders who can trust their cornering skills at the front should be able to make it through without scrubbing too much speed. Those who are wallowing in the middle to back of the field will likely be almost doing track stands while they watch the leaders rocket away up the climb with the help of the speed they carried. Be out of the top 10 at your own risk - you could be out of the race!
3. Rolling terrain, curvy road: If you are racing from the front you could well be able to turn small gaps into long breakaways. This course has the potential to get out of sight of the main field, and "out of site" often becomes "out of mind". A 30-40 second gap might well be enough to be gone and never seen again! As such, we absolutely think that smart racing will mean just as much as strong legs on this course.
We believe that we've delivered on our goal of developing a challenging selective race course that is great for spectators. The winners on this circuit should truly be the smartest and strongest riders in the bunch. We look forward to seeing you on August 7th!
Labels: General Info, Race Course
After the main part of the meeting was over I had a chance to talk with Scott Kelly (Road/Track/Cyclocross coordinator from the ABA) and Jayson Gillespie (Alberta Provincial team coach). I mentioned that as a not for profit event we were looking for somewhere to send proceeds from the race (if any, trying not to be too optimistic here!), and that I was hoping that I could forward any profits to the ABA in order to keep the money in the sport. They were both super-cool with that, and after some quick discussion we decided that we could earmark the money to support the Provincial team. This helps meet Midweek Mayhem's goals of supporting/developing racing here in Alberta, along with the race organization desire to keep money/proceeds in the sport.
(More information on the Alberta Provincial Cycling team)
Labels: General Info, Youth racing
Welcome to Circuit de Mayhem '08
0 Comments Published by noel. on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 8:48 AM.
CdM is a new race this year, hosted by the Midweek Mayhem Racing Association. Midweek Mayhem is a long running Calgary weekly race series which includes Crit throughout the late Spring and all Summer, plus a Cyclocross series in the Fall. MMRA is an organization that is set up outside of the "normal" cycling club structure so as to be a neutral host of weekly racing that all of Calgary's clubs and Independents can take part of.
The CdM has come into being this season as a result of the superweek of racing taking place this year in conjunction with Calgary Bike Week. Scheduled to take place on Thursday August 7th, CdM helps fill a 10 day span which includes the Tour de Bowness stage race, the regular Mayhem Tuesday night races, the Wild Rose criterium, and the Provincial ITT/TTT champs in Canmore.
We're still in the planning process, and as a first-time race organizer it's all a bit daunting. One of the reasons I chose to create this blog is to document the process of race organization for others to draw on in the future. Please keep checking back to follow up on the trials and tribulations of race organization! Mayhem is sure to ensue...
Labels: General Info
