May 23, 2006 – Here is the latest from the Canadian Giant Team:

Canadian National series#1

This past weekend the Canadian National downhill series kicked off in Bromont, Quebec. All the top teams and top riders showed up to dual it out over the weekend for early season bragging rights. Due to the weather, the Bromont downhill course turned out to be one of the hardest courses some riders have ever ridden, many people where just happy to make it down in one piece. For the two weeks prior to the event, Quebec has seen record rainfall and the mountain courses didn’t fair too well. Only the top few riders were able to tame the treacherous course with axel deep mud, waterholes and exposed rock.

Giant Canada’s Eric Goss proved to be the fastest rider in Canada this weekend. Eric flew down the run and claimed top honors for the weekend and the top spot on the podium! Eric said his run was really good; he toned it down in a few really harsh spots and kept it wide open on the rest of the course. To quote Transcend Magazine, “The rain turned torrential. Eric Goss rode like it was dry!”

Giant’s Luke Kitzanuk also put in a great race run and he joined Eric on the podium with a solid third place finish! When asked how he felt about the racecourse Luke commented, “It was by far the hardest conditions I’ve ever had to compete in. The course just kept on changing, new lines appeared while others were obliterated, one run you’d be riding down a 6” deep mud portion of track, the next run the same section would be an axle deep ditch with a river in it! I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Giant’s newest team member, Charles Dube, also laid down a fast run and notched himself a sixth place finish in the first National series of the year. “The track was very hard on the body and the bike, I have some big dents in my rims. But I am very happy with my result, I had a clean run — no falls, but I think I was a bit too conservative.”

The team is now on the way to Mount Tremblant, Quebec for the second installment on the Canadian National series this coming weekend. I would imagine we will be leaving our Maxxis Swampthing tires on our bikes, since the safe bet will be on rain and mud again!

Pro Elite Men
1. Eric Goss — Giant Bicycle Canada – 5:10.230
2. Geoff Pendrel — Devinci Cycles – 5:12.260
3. Luke Kitzanuk — Giant Bicycle Canada – 5:14.280
4. Tyler Morland — Cove Bikes – 5:15.660
5. Mathieu Laurin — Devinci Cycles – 5:18.950
6. Charles-Alexandre Dubé — Giant Bicycle Canada – 5:19.510
7. Louis-Philippe Leonard — Ironhorse – 5:19.720
8. Antoine Aubert-Larose — Commencal – 5:22.940
9. Hans Lambert – Ironhorse – 5:23.650
10. Benoit Rioux – Independent – 5:26.090

April 23, 2006 – Giant Canada’s Luke Kitzanuk lends his team race bike to asilvertouch.com for a short online review.

During the March 18-19 Giant Bike Demo in Vancouver, B.C. Robbie Davidson of asilvertouch.com took Luke’s race bike for a few downhill runs on Seymour Mountain.

To find out what he had to say go to www.asilvertouch.com/features.php?feature_id=91 to read the article or click on the picture below.