April 24, 2004 – Though August is fast approaching, it still remains to be seen whether one of North America's most prestigious mountain bike events will be held this year.

A new company called twenty4 sports is advertising and collecting registrations for a 24-hour event that it is hoping to stage August 21-22 at Hardwood Hills, near Barrie, Ontario. Officials for Hardwood Hills, however, maintain that there will be no event at its facility that weekend. The issue could eventually be resolved in the courts since twenty4 sports has initiated legal proceedings against Hardwood Hills. The two sides have failed to see eye-to-eye since twenty4 sports was founded early this year.

The new company, headed by Stuart Dorland, was formed shortly after Trilife Inc., (Dorland's company as well) which organized 24-hour events across North America for the past 10 years, declared bankruptcy in December 2003. Trilife's flagship Canadian race was held annually at Hardwood Hills at that end of August.

Dorland's new company sent out a news release in January announcing it had purchased all of Trilife's assets, including the contracts it had for its 24-hour races. Glenn Meeuwisse, general manager of Hardwood Hills, has insisted all along that twenty4 sports does not have a contract with his facility since the previous contract Trilife had was not transferable to another company. But Dorland maintains he has a legally binding contract to organize an event at Hardwood Hills in August.

Due to the vast difference of opinion in the matter, Dorland decided to take legal action. In February, twenty4 sports initiated a lawsuit against Harwood Hills. requesting that the facility abide by the existing contract it has with Trilife. Meeuwisse said his facility had 20 days to respond to the lawsuit, which it did, declaring that the lawsuit would be defended. That was in early March.

“We're waiting to hear from our lawyer where it goes from here,” Meeuwisse said in mid-April. “It depends on how far (Dorland) wants to try and go with this.”

Dorland sent Bike Trade Canada an email that said he was unable to provide more information as his lawyers were handling the matter.