April 13, 2011 – Mud, mire, grime, grit, sludge, muck, filth, you name it, we had it last Sunday, April 10th in Belcarra for the John Henry Bikes/West Coast Racing Super-D, and in spite of it all, we still had over seventy eager racers willing and happy to get soaked and filthy!

2011 marks the third consecutive year for the John Henry Bikes/West Coast Racing Super-D, and 2011 is the first we have had bad weather: in the past, it’s been bluebird and warm, but this year we ordered up some serious rain just to make things a tad more challenging.

Once again, West Coast Racing did not disappoint, putting together a genuinely fun course with a great mix of challenging, technical downhill, with equal doses of cardiac-arrest inducing climbs, made even more difficult by a thick layer of something resembling peanut butter covering everything. Having raced the Super-D in both wet and dry weather, I will attest to the fact that it takes a special kind of maniac to shred this course as fast as this year’s winners: grinding up slippery hills after white-knuckling it down greasy rocks and roots takes nerves of steel and damn big lungs.

Looking at the results, I feel a bit of deja-vu: making it a one-two repeat of 2010, bragging rights go to Chris Johnson of Dunbar Cycles for the fastest overall time, with Arthur Gaillot of Suspension Werx/Marx Conditioning less than two seconds back. Fastest females for the day were Lindsay Trimble, racing for CCN, and less than a minute behind her, Jaclyn Delacroix getting it right under the Mudbunnies banner.
Once again, Ryders Eyewear and John Henry Bikes supplied plenty of swag for the competitors, including a 2011 Norco Rampage which went to one very happy 15 year old Bryan Gregory.

Special recognition needs to go to the Mudbunnies cycling club with truly an impressive turnout: five of the eight women riding were all from the Mudbunnies, showing us that maybe we can judge a club by its name!?
Thanks to all the racers and volunteers who braved the weather to make 2011 another successful year for the John Henry Bikes/West Coast Racing Super-D!

Full results and photos available at www.westcoastracing.ca