April 30, 2003 (Delta, B.C.) – The birth of the Tour de Delta and the return of the Steamworks Tour de Gastown continue to pump new life into bike racing in BC. The number of competitors is reaching record highs and the quality of road racing in the province has also jumped dramatically. The rapid growth has taken place in the two years since Delta and Gastown joined the longtime foundation of cycling in BC, the Tour de White Rock, and the SISU BC Cup Series to create BC Super Cycling Week.
“We had record attendance, just under 200, for the first SISU BC Cup race of the year (the Harris-Roubaix in Pitt Meadows) and that was on one of the wettest and coldest days of the year,” reports Allan Prazsky, Cycling BC's Technical Director of Road, Track & Cyclo-Cross. “Best of all, we were up in every category, the men, women and juniors.”
The same, encouraging trend is showing up everywhere cyclists race this year. Veteran cyclist Jamie Davidson hasn't seen anything like it in more than two decades on the racing scene.
“This was our best spring season ever,” Davidson said. “It's the most racers and the most teams ever. We've had riders from 33 different teams out this year and we're seeing more actual team tactics. It's just great.”
It's not just the quantity but the quality of the teams that is encouraging for the faithful few who've kept cycling alive in BC during a couple of lean decades. In early April, the province's newest racing team, Symmetrics, became the first BC team in decades to win a major race in the USA. Symmetrics had four riders in the top 15 in one of the biggest races of the year in the Pacific Northwest, the TST Road Race in Seattle. The fastest of 85 riders in the 105k event was Corey Lange of Victoria. It was the biggest win of his career for one of the rising stars of Canadian cycling, who reinforced his reputation as a great hill climber with a third place finish in last year's Tour de White Rock.
Everyone attributes the change in BC racing to the creation of the Tour de Delta and the return of Gastown after a ten year hiatus, but insiders also pay a lot of credit to the SISU BC Cup series. “Delta and Gastown have taken racing to the next level, no question about it,” says Larry Zimich, 38, of North Vancouver, who's been racing for 19 years.” The enthusiasm and professionalism have really increased. That's the biggest differences I've noticed. They've become the biggest races. I love Delta with its point-to-point race between the three different communities, and seeing the people come out, support it and start to understand what it's all about. And Gastown is great. It's how I got in the sport. The first race I ever saw was Gastown, with the huge crowds and great racing. My eyes were like saucers. We need big events like that to bring new people to the sport but we're also fortunate to have the entire BC Cup series. It rivals some of the best series in the US. I've never seen the kind of numbers we've got showing up for races, especially at the lower level. It's incredible. We need to retain the top level and increase the lower level. That's what's happening.”
Providing a competitive forum for the elite cyclists while also creating a training ground for newcomers was what Allan Prazsky set out to do when he went searching for a sponsor for the BC Cup Series in 1999.
“We did have a BC Cup series in the early 90's, but it was an off and on again kind of thing. I felt there was a need to grow a high performance series in BC. We've got a lot of talented cyclists. This showcases their talents. We've got six races this year and we'd like to move into the Okanagan next year. Osoyoos is very interested. They really like what Delta has done with the municipality getting behind the project and turning it into such a success.”
Racers get performance points for each race and the overall SISU BC Cup championship has become an important incentive for the top men and women. “To say you've won a BC Cup race or the overall title has really come to mean something,” said Allan Prazsky.
Zimich agrees. The 38 year old out sprinted riders 10-15 years younger than him to capture Harris-Roubaix, the SISU BC Cup season opener in Pitt Meadows. He called it “one of the sweetest wins” of a career that includes the 1993 BC Road Race Championship and a gold medal at the Masters World Cup Hill Climb in 1997.
“My age was a big motivation,” he explained. “I wanted to show you're not washed up at 38 it just takes a little more effort and pain.”
Zimich also wanted to prove the training methods he coaches work. In addition to working in the medical supply business and training for races, Zimich also coaches 18 triathletes and cyclists aged 20 to 64. He's on a mission to stop prospective new racers being scared away by the fear of having to spend all day, every day on a bike to become a racer.
“I emphasize quality over quantity,” said Zimich. “There's a reason why the same five or six guys locally win all the races. They know how to train. All it takes is a couple of hours a day to be competitive. If you can push it up to 18-20 hours a week that can make the difference between competing and winning.”
Larry and wife Barbara, a three time BC Road Race Champion, will find those extra few hours this year as they train for the five remaining SISU BC Cup races and the Masters World Cup in Austria in August.
“To win again at the World Masters is our big goal for this year. But I'm also aiming for Delta. I was fifth the first year and then got a flat tire last year. I can't wait for this year. I'm even going to race the criterium for the first time. Delta is still the number one race for me.”