July 6/07 10:20 am - B.C. Bike Race: Stage 5 report & full results

Posted by Editoress on 07/6/07
 

B.C. Bike Race: The Pacific Traverse
Courtesy BC Bike Race organization

Stage 5 (July 5th): Sechelt to Langdale Ferry Terminal, 58km

Trek-Volkswagen’s Jeff Schalk summed up the feelings of nearly every rider who took the start line for stage 5 of the B.C. Bike Race — The Pacific Traverse with this simple assessment of the 58-kilometre fun ride from Sechelt to the Langdale Ferry Terminal.

“It was honestly one of the first times I’ve totally forgotten about the race and just enjoyed the ride,” said Schalk, who along with teammate Chris Eatough won their fifth straight stage and maintained a commanding lead in the overall standings ahead of the Rocky Mountain duo of Andreas Hestler and Kevin Calhoun. “It was just me and a friend bombing through the woods. That’s never happened to me before, so it really says a lot about the course.”

Indeed, big grins, hoots, hollers and uncontrollable giggling were in ample supply Thursday, as the seven-day stage race made a southern run along the Sunshine Coast. The impetus for all this fun was the Rod Camposano-designed course that included some of the best trails in B.C. — and the entire world for that matter. The area is known as the Rat Race Trail System, but it’s humans that have all the fun on these buff and fast rainforest trails.

“This was the best day so far,” said Jennifer Keefer, who along with partner Jen Sawrenko, took the stage win in the women’s race, stopping the four-day unbeaten streak of Team Shore Girls Don’t Cry. “There was so much fun, ripping singletrack. We ride the North Shore all the time so we were in our element.”

The previously unbeaten Shore Girls Don’t Cry duo of Cynthia Young and Michelle Newton has a tough day, with Newton battling mechanical issues that kept them off the podium all together. Fortunately for the Shore Girls, they came into the day with an hour and 25 minute lead, and were able to hold the top spot in the overall standings.

There was also a new winner in the 80-plus veterans category, with Rod Dagneau and Mike Charuk of Team Whistler breaking through for the stage victory. It was no coincidence that these local boys stepped to the top of the podium. Thursday’s stage definitely favored the seasoned B.C. riders who were adept at technical singletrack with the occasional narrow bridge mixed in.

In the overall standings Randy Richmond and Sandy Mitchell (Gerick-Nelson) retained their lead. The same went for David Harris and Lynda Wallenfels (Team Desert Cyclery/HealthFX) in open mixed, and Doug Nottebrock and Con Diamond (Kootenay-Okanagan Cooperative) in veterans 100-plus. Both those later teams remain unbeaten in this seven-day stage race that finishes in Whistler on Saturday.

Racing Wednesday kicked off at 8 a.m. as the 160-plus riders — including Vancouver Canucks great Trevor Linden — rolled away from the stage 4 base camp and wound their way along the water, and then up and out of Sechelt.

Linden and a few friends showed up at the B.C. Bike Race Wednesday night, sitting down for dinner and then taking in an authentic native dance performance at the Sechelt Indian Band Longhouse. Linden is an avid mountain biker, who’s racing in this year’s TransAlps stage race. At the B.C. Bike Race he was looking to get a few miles in and check out his home province race. Word on the course was that the iconic Canucks centre had some skills, but also took a few licks — and spills — and needed a little medical attention when he crossed the finish line at the ferry terminal in Langdale.

Linden wasn’t alone in the bumps and bruises department, but for the majority of riders simply had the time of their lives before rolling across the finish and onto a waiting BC Ferry that brought the race caravan back to the mainland for good when it entered the docks at Horseshoe Bay. From there is was a quick bus ride up the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Squamish. Stage 6 starts there on Friday, as racers take on the toughest stage yet, climbing all the way to Whistler. Ouch...