July 5, 2009 (Whistler, BC) – Whistler Creekside was thriving with energy as the seventh and final stage of the BC Bike Race rolled into town. 370 racers from more than 16 countries have tested their bodies, their bikes and, in some cases, their friendships this week while pedaling through more than 350 kilometers of single track in south western British Columbia.

The final Whistler stage was a mere 30km long, roughly half the distance of the other stages in the race. In speaking to racers after Stage 6 in Squamish, many were relieved to have less distance to cover on the final day… the finisher’s medal was within reach.

It turned out that the shorter distance was not indicative of the amount of effort required to complete the final stage. Day 7 course designer, Grant Lamont, knows the Whistler trail network like no one else and took advantage of that inside track to create a course that racers would remember.

From the 10am Creekside start, racers rode up some seriously tough, steep climbs right to the top of an aptly named trail, “See Colours & Puke.” From there, they worked their way into trails like Tunnel Vision, which has some challenging sections that some riders will have elected to walk.

It was not a sit back and relax kind of day, but it did allow many riders to realize their skills progression through the week. And there was an endless stream of smiles, cheers, and tears of joy as riders crossed the finish line anywhere from 1 hour 46 minutes to 4 hours and 50 minutes later.

Each rider that crossed the line received either a coveted Finisher medal – if they completed all seven days within the cutoff range; or a coveted Participant medal – if they completed some of the stages but not all.

This year there were some great stories that developed within the race – especially in the Team of Two Open Men category. The intense battle between Seamus McGrath & Chris Sheppard (Jamis / Santa Cruz) and Kris Sneddon & Barry Wicks (Team Kona) was fun to watch unfold.

It was an unbelievable week that staff and participants are not soon to forget. In fact, many teams expressed strong interest at the prospect of returning to BC Bike Race for 2010.

Registration is coming on Monday, July 6th for the 2010 BC Bike Race – with a limited early-bird special that’s not to be missed: CAD$1,499 + GST per person. www.bcbikerace.com for more details.

For full results, including Stage 7, check the online results posting. The BC Bike Race 2009 Cumulative Winners are as follows:

Final GC

Men’s Team
1. Seamus McGrath, Chris Sheppard (Jamis / Santa Cruz) 18:27:31
2. Barry Wicks, Kris Sneddon (Team Kona) 18:44:50
3. Brandon Stewart, Max Knox (Trek Racing Cooperative) 19:19:09

Women’s Team
1. Katerina Nash, Catharine Pendrel (Luna Chix) 21:49:42
2. Alison Sydor, Lea Davison (Rocky Mountain) 22:42:03
3. Lisa Ludwig, Dawn Anderson (Oak Bay Bikes) 25:13:35

Mixed Team
1. Ryan Trebone, Georgia Gould (Gould) 21:26:23
2. Jeff Neilson, Mical Dyck (Terrascape/Trek Toronto) 22:52:17
3. Sue Butler, Bryan Alders (Monavie Cannondale 3) 23:25:06
4. Sandra Walter, Steve Devantier (Local Ride/Pedal)

Solo Men
1. Colin Kerr (Team Kerr) 19:41:05
2. Reudi Schnyder (Schnyder) 20:19:40
3. Tony Hogg (Hoggy R&R Sport NZ) 20:39:00

Solo Men 40+
1. Roger Bartels (Norcal Bike Sport) 21:21:13
2. Mark Sevenoff (Western Spirit) 22:01:23
3. Ted Russo (Openroad Group/Secret Cycles) 22:11:34

Solo Women
1. Megan Rose (Rose) 26:26:53
2. Tori Fahey (The Bee) 33:09:53
3. Claire Garcia-Webb (The Third Wheel) 33:39:51

Solo Women 40+
1. Lisa McBain (Power to Be) 31:36:25
2. Sarah Heine (This Kiwi Can’t Fly) 39:41:42
3. Lori Halwa (Valley Girl) 42:13:41

Team of Two Veterans 80+
1. Normon Thibault & Peter Stevenson (Frontrunners-Experience Cycle) 22:19:50
2. Geoff Clark & Pat Doyle (Deadgoat Racing) 23:03:55
3. Matt Ohran & Tim Butler (Monavie-Cannondale River City Bicycles) 23:15:02

Team of Two Veterans 100+
1. Francois Amyot & Daniel Auclair (Zootallures) 25:45:18
2. Jamie Emery & Robin Willard (Emery/Willard) 27:52:35
3. Gilles Morneau & Isabelle Cantin (Velomag/Kona/Le Pedalier) 28:30:11

Team of Three or More
1. Peter Gowthorpe, George Sciberras, Greg Shikaze (Oakville Cyclepath Cutters)
2. Keli Sherbinin, Darren Butler, Rick Loader, Chris Brown (Sports Insurance) 33:03:55
3. Scott Darling, Bill Darling, Francis Sutherland (Bicker Bros +1) 35:48:13