February 28, 2008 – The West Coast road racing season is poised to begin with the running of Race #1 of the 2008 Escape Velocity/dEVo Spring Series this Sunday, March 2. Riders who have spent many a lonely hour on their indoor trainers this winter will rejoice at the opportunity to get outside and test their early season fitness on this topographically forgiving course.

The River Road Circuit, the venue for Spring Series Race #1, is a flat, 6.2 km rectangular circuit located adjacent to the Fraser River near historic downtown Fort Langley. Although the course is vertically challenged, it is the perfect venue to test early season fitness, practice group riding skills and will provide a good indicator on who to watch in the subsequent Spring Series races.

Special thanks to our Spring Series sponsors:

– Powerbar – Be Great
– Louis Garneau – The Global Solution
– Wentings Cycle
– La Bicicletta Pro Shop

Our sponsors provide great prizes for the Spring Series and are fantastic supporters of the cycling community in British Columbia. Escape Velocity and dEVo appreciate their continued involvement and commitment to the sport.

Event Details: Spring Series #1
Date: March 2, 2008
Location: Fort Langley, British Columbia. Parking is near the race start area near the junction of 88th Street and 256th Avenue in Langley.
Time: All races start at 10:30 AM sharp, except Novice races which will start after the C group (approximately 12:00 Noon).
Categories: Please see the category suggestions below to help advise you on which category to race.

– A Group: This is generally comprised of category Pro, 1 and 2’s as well as some very fit 3’s .
– B Group: This is composed on the top Category 3’s and 4’s as well as most top Women and top Junior racers.
– C Group: This is the place for most Category 4’s and 5’s as well as Novice racers that have some but limited race experience. In the spirit of the Spring Series if you are new to racing but have been riding consistently over the winter and are keeping up with cat 3’s in your club then B’s are more than likely where you belong.
– Novice: This group is for the complete novice to racing with limited fitness (Novice races ONLY on March 2, 8, 23 and 30).

– Special Instruction 1: Fenders must be removed for racing in the Spring Series.
– Special Instruction 2: You must print off and bring a waiver and sign-on form to your first race. NO WAIVER, NO RACING (download the forms here.
– Special Instruction 3: A valid UCI licence is mandatory for the Spring Series races. USCF licences will not be accepted.

For complete details including course maps, race distances and other important information please click hereAbout the Spring Series
Intended as training races, the Spring Series features some of the toughest competition of the year. With a variety of race courses and categories the series is the perfect venue for those new to cycling to hone their racing skills and for experienced cyclists to test their early season fitness.

For 2008, the Spring Series will consist of seven races on consecutive weekends March 2 through to March 23, culminating with the dEVo Stage Race on the weekend of March 29 and 30. All races will be held in the Fraser Valley area, near beautiful Langley, B.C.

The Spring Series races are organized by Escape Velocity’s youth development program dEVo. All riders in the dEVo program help run the Spring Series races and learn the organization and commitment that is required not only to be successful on the bike, but as an organizer and leader in the sport of cycling. Money raised at the Spring Series races will go to further support of the dEVo racing program.

About Escape Velocity
Founded in August 1989, Team Escape Velocity is a Vancouver, BC based cycling club committed to promoting and developing the sport of cycling in Canada. With membership ranging from novice Category 5 riders to Canadian National Team members and North American champions, we pride ourselves in our community involvement, race organization, youth development, and leadership activities. For more information on EV see: www.escapevelocity.bc.ca.