May 21, 2003 – The Warp Speed Time Trial in North Vancouver was the first real test of the season on May 10. Sandra Walter rode a strong race on her brand new Marin road bike. Her time of 34 minutes over the challenging 20k course was good enough for fourth place in the Pro Women's event. The top 2 riders in the race were non other than Kappa alumni Leah Goldstein and Sandy Espeseth. Their performances last year as members of Team Kappa earned them positions on a top ranked US pro team for 2003.

Team Kappa's junior sensation Emily Sandwith was the fastest of the junior riders over the same 20k course. Sandwith clocked a time that would have put her sixth in the Pro Women's event, a great ride for the 18-year-old racer! This race was the first in a series of selection events to choose Team BC for this summer 's Western Canada Games.

Meanwhile another of Team Kappa's new recruits was facing a completely different challenge just outside of Duncan on Vancouver Island. Claire Townsend finished second in the first event of the Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race series. Her time was just over five hours on a grueling course that featured a rough sea kayak followed by a short trail run, then a long mountain bike leg, some bush-whacking and finally about 10K of off-road running. A bit bruised and muddied, but still a great finish for Townsend in her first adventure race.

The weekend of May 17-18 saw Team Kappa riders tackling BC and Canada Cup Mountain Bike races. On the east coast, Sandra Walter rode her new Marin Mt Vision Pro to a strong second place finish in the first race of the Canada Cup Mountain Bike series. Matching her best Canada Cup finish from 2002, Walter looks to be on track for another great season!

In BC, Sandwith continued her winning ways, taking first place in the Junior Women's category of the first stop on the BC Cup Mountain Bike series in Summerland. Emily took the lead on the long climb that greeted the racers soon after the start and never looked back. This was also Emily's second top finish in selection races for this summer's Western Canada Games.

Next up for the Kappa Cycling Team:

May 24-25, Victoria Cycling Festival, Victoria, BC
May 25, Ontario Cup MTB Race, Kelso, Ontario
May 31, Canada Cup #2, Hardwood Hills, Ontario