December 28, 2006 – For top B.C. road racer Marni Hambleton, it’s all about the joy of riding a bike. The best part of cycling is “definitely the adrenalin rush,” said the petite, 35-year-old, dark-haired Symmetrics rider/legal assistant. “It’s a beautiful sport. There are so many facets to it.”

Hambleton started out as a mountain biker, but has been road racing since 1996, when friends convinced her to try a Tuesday Nighter, a popular weekly Vancouver criterium race series that has been around since the early “˜80s. “I got dropped like a sack of hammers,” she recounted, the smile almost visible through the receiver, “but I stuck with it.”

It’s a good thing she did. Over her 10-year career, Hambleton has proved herself a strong all-round racer and has pedaled to success on numerous occasions. However, the race that still gives her goosebumps when she thinks about it is Vancouver’s famous Tour de Gastown criterium, where she sprinted to second place, behind Saturn’s Kim Davidge in 2002. “It was such an amazing feeling”¦. it was very memorable,” said Hambleton.

The Tour de Gastown, established in 1973, remains the born and bred Vancouverite’s favourite race. “There’s just something about it,” she said of the historical cycling event that has crowned Lance Armstrong and Ina Teutenberg champions. Hambleton loves the entire B.C. Superweek, two full weekends of international-level racing, with Gastown’s cobblestones, hairpins and festival atmosphere as the mid-week feature. “I think it’s outstanding to have an event like that in B.C.,” she said.

This season’s highlight for Hambleton was winning the Tour de Delta omnium, after placing third in the hill climb, second in the criterium and first in the road race. She was on a roll, with her winning streak extending to the Harris Roubaix B.C. Cup road race, the Bastion Square Grand Prix and another B.C. Cup Overall Series title to complement those she earned in 2001 and 2005.

Hambleton was happy with her 2006 season, especially considering the health problems that put her life on hold in late 2005 and early this year. She suffered a perforated bowel, a serious condition, and needed to be hospitalized. Then, like many athletes, she didn’t allow herself enough time to recover and started training again too soon, which caused a flare-up, landing her in hospital again. “It was the first physical barrier I had come up against,” she said. It was very difficult.”

Despite the residual pain and a strict diet, which excludes her beloved treats of ice cream and lattes, Hambleton is positive about what some might see as a major setback. “It was good for me, it was a good break,” she said of the time she took off to get healthy again.

In 2007, Hambleton will start her fourth season wearing a Symmetrics jersey, alongside teammates Leah Goldstein, Mandy Poitras and Naomi Cooper. They will focus on the B.C. Cup Series, Provincial Championships, National Championships and B.C. Superweek. “She’s amazing to race with,” Hambleton said of teammate Goldstein, who suffered a near-fatal crash in a race in 2005. “She’s so talented, so gifted. It makes me race harder to know I can help her. Mandy [Poitras] too. It’ll be great.” Hambleton is also looking forward to racing with Cooper, a young up-and-comer. Hambleton is also excited about the possibility of stronger competition in the provincial women’s field. “I noticed there seem to be a lot more women’s teams being formed. This year will be very competitive. It will be very exciting.”

Despite her passion for cycling, Hambleton’s biggest challenge is finding the time to fit it into her busy life, since she works four days a week at a Vancouver law firm. In the winter, she trains around 12 hours per week. “It’s very difficult, getting up in the morning, getting on the trainer, going to work, going to yoga, going to the gym,” she said. “I’m very structure-oriented. It’s the way I have to be.” It’s all possible, she said, because of a very regimented schedule and an understanding employer, but she has to be very careful not to tire herself out. What does she do on Thursdays, her weekday off? “I ride my bicycle, do laundry, grocery shop, go to the gym, go to the doctor. I do all the things most people do on weekends.”

And the precious times she’s not training, working or running errands, Hambleton likes to search out new music for her iPod, spend time with friends, cook and watch movies. Musically, she’s almost embarrassed to admit, she’s currently on a Pat Benatar kick, but for hard workouts, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry do the trick. As for food, “I’m really diggin’ ahi tuna right now,” she said, explaining how she quickly sears each side and serves it with steamed mussels in a coconut-curry sauce. “I have to be really careful with what I eat so I don’t end up in the hospital again,” she said.

Hambleton credits her active lifestyle to her parents, who encouraged their daughter to try many different sports as a kid, including soccer, hockey and softball. She is grateful for the support of her parents. “My dad and I talk about cycling stuff constantly,” she said, adding he attends every race to help and cheer.

Hambleton has a hard time imagining life without cycling. “It’s been such a big part of my life,” she said, musing she’s probably be a runner if she didn’t love riding a bike so much. “As long as I love the sport, I’ll still do it. I still smile when I ride my bike.”