September 18, 2009 (Haliburton, ON) – Pedal Magazine is pleased once again to bring readers exclusive daily coverage of the 2nd annual Crank the Shield (CTS), Sept 18-20, Ontario’s only epic MTB stage race. Our reporter Matt Klymson is a 2-time solo winner at the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice (North America’s largest 24 hour event), and a survivor of the inaugural CTS in 2008. A Toronto native, he now resides in B.C., and is racing this year for the Ontario-based team Cycle Solutions/Angry Johnny’s.

Crank the Shield 2009
How does an organizer follow up on a complex event that was already a remarkable success in its first year? While some might be willing to rest on previous laurels, Chico Racing undertook their customary process of querying participants and finding ways to further improve the experience of 3 days of epic mountain biking stages winding around Ontario’s Great Canadian Shield region. Feedback from participants yielded a common theme, asking for solutions to the frequency of muddier trail segments that proved to be a formidable obstacle in 2008 after a summer replete with rain.

Stage 1 – Friday, Sept. 18 – Haliburton Forest to Kandalore
Stage 2 – Saturday, Sept. 19 – Kanadalore to Camp White Pine
Stage 3 – Sunday, Sept. 20 – Camp White Pine to Haliburton Forest

Rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, Chico ringleaders Adam and Sean Ruppel proposed a simple fix: if the trails our riders want don’t exist yet, we’ll build them! Along with input from many helpful volunteer hands, Chico and Crank the Shield have now given Haliburton Forest a legacy from the event consisting of lengthy stretches of beautiful new singletrack, promising a remarkably different and improved route for stage 1.

The rugged, rocky goodness of stage 2 and the luscious, loamy, twisty singletrack of stage 3 are making a welcomed return for this year, giving riders a triple header of high quality course layouts through a wide variety of terrain. Last year’s logistical triumph that provided overnight accommodations for racers at permanent cabins is once again the centrepiece of support, while hardier souls have a new “unsupported” option to allow them to sleep under the stars at a more economical registration fee.

In addition to the excellent prizing list and other support from CTS sponsors, BC Bike Race founder Dean Payne is coming from the west coast to sample Ontario-style stage racing for himself, teaming up with adventure and action sports celebrity Dave Norona, also journeying here from BC. In the best spirit of east-west relations, Dean is bringing along another treasure, in the form of a free 2010 entry package to the storied BC Bike Race for some lucky CTS competitor.

Solo and team entries across a number of age categories and gearing choices (singlespeed!) will duke it out for speedy finish times, and the unofficial title of “Whoever is having the most fun wins”. Some of the top end talent that attended last year’s maiden voyage of CTS are otherwise occupied returning from World Cup racing overseas, but otherwise the competitive entries appear to be deeper in many categories for 2009.

In particular, look for deep fields in the Men’s Team Under 80 and Solo 30-39 to flip flop stage placements and overall general classification almost daily. At the pointy end of the standings, top O-Cup racers Stu Alp and Danny Souter will undoubtedly make a splash in the Men Under 30 Solo, while in the Women Under 40 Solo Kate Aardal from Alberta will look to her title defend against last year’s runner up Tricia Spooner.

In the Men’s Singlespeed Solo category Jamie Davies looks to have the upper hand on paper based on local 2009 race results, but could be challenged by any of Guy Leclair, Mark Lepper, or U.S.-based Joe Cruz, the latter two will resume their friendly grudge match of last year for bragging rights among the cog challenged set. Count on some unexpected results from dark horse entries, along with a few spectacular flameouts that are inevitable across three epic days of demanding stages.

Check back for daily stage reports – full event information click <http://www.cranktheshield.com>www.cranktheshield.com.