October 31, 2008 – Here are the latest headlines from the OCA, including cyclocross race reports, event previews, success stories, Toronto International Cyclocross sponsorship news, and employment opportunities. Read on for more.
Eastern Ontario Cyclo-cross Series – Race #5 – Mooney’s Bay
October 26, 2008
by Bob Woods, Organizer
Click here for great photos of the race.
Amazingly, Sunday morning arrived with the rain and the winds of Saturday long gone, and a nice clear day for Cross. Of course there were a few sections of the course with wet spots, but overall the course was surprisingly dry. This race course is always centered around the hill at Mooney’s Bay. Although the hill was used extensively, much to the chagrin of many riders, in contrast to the course last week in Kingston, there was lots of fast flat sections.
Race 1
The first race of the day saw Jon Gee (MB, Euro-sport/The Foodery), Sean Wright (MB, The Cyclery), Ron Amos (MB, Ride With Rendall), Greg Christie (MC, Ride With Rendall) and Chris Olsen (MB, The Cyclery) pull from the starting pack. Jon kept on pulling, but Sean, Ron and Greg were not able to match his speed, and Jon cruised to an unchallenged victory by nearly 2 minutes. Eventually after riding most of the race together, Ron pulled ahead of Greg and finished as the second place overall and 2nd MB. Greg took third overall and 1st MC.
Sophie Matte (The Cyclery) had a great day benefiting from the long flats to take victory in the Women’s category followed by Sara Domina (Independent), who was only 20 seconds ahead of Cathy Lewis (TI Cycle Racing). Novice rider Craig Wadsworth (Independent) looks like he is ready to move out of the Novice category with his impressive 11th place finish. In the MD category, 5 riders sought the victory, with Carroll Roy (X-Cycle) finishing 1st, as the only MD rider to be on the overall winner’s lap.
The first race saw two very encouraging signs. First was that the Women’s category had 22 riders!!!! which was the second largest category after the MB (28 riders). This number was unheard of only a few years ago. Congratulations to the Women for racing and racing hard. Second, we are having riders in the U15 and U13 categories. These kids are racing and enjoying themselves, and are being supported by other racers.
Race 2
The second race changed this week with the inclusion of the Jr and U17 categories. The younger riders have been riding impressively in the first race and it was felt that they would improve more quickly in the second race. The newcomers were pumped. The start of the race was fast, but Osmond Bakker (EM, EMD Serono) put a lead on the pack right from the start. Osmond is definitely the head of the class this year and was not challenged, crossing the line with a near 30 second lead over Aaron Fillion (EM, Ottawa BC) who had been duking it out with Warren MacDonald (EM, EMD Serono). On the last lap, Aaron pulled away from Warren and finished 12 seconds up on him. The Elite Women’s category was won by Jennifer Stephenson (Ultralink) with nearly a 1 minute lead over Tricia Spooner (EMD Serono), who had placed ahead of Jennifer in last week’s race. Top MA rider was Shawn Marshall (Les Rouleurs de l’Outaouais) was 1 minute 30 second ahead of runner up John Fee (The Cyclery).
As for the Juniors and U17’s , Michael Miller (Ride With Rendall) took 11th overall and 1st junior just ahead of Evan McNeely (J&J Cycles) who finished 12th overall. Karl Hoppner (Kunstadt Sports), a U17 racer, finished a very impressive 16th overall. So the Juniors and U17’s demonstrated that they can race with the best, so from now on many of the Elite Men and MA riders can expect to be beaten by some fine young riders in their race.
And how long was the course? Well, winners of the respective Race 1 and 2, Jon Gee and Osmond Bakker, took 13 and 12 minutes per lap to complete each lap.
Indoor Dirt Series – All are welcome – BMX/4X/XC – Everyone!
Yep, you read it right… Indoor BMX and 4X – November, December and January
Brent Smith “Smitty” is never one to sit back and do nothing and has just confirmed a BMX/4X Winter Indoor Racer Series that will take place at the Orangeville Fairgrounds in Nov, Dec and Jan.
Winter indoor MTB and BMX series, with racing and practise riding for all ages and skill levels. All inside a clean, heated building with washrooms and concessions. Featuring a dirt race course, plus a dirt/wood multi line, multi skill level MTB technical course. Each days schedule will include 2 ride only practise sessions and well as one MTB/BMX race. Best 5 of 8 races plus finals for series rankings.
XC mountain bikers will love to be able to work on their rhythm skills and turning skills.
It is a bigger area that the Bike Show track, and the gate will be 4 wide.
Dates are:
– Sunday, November 23
– Sunday, December 7
– Sunday, December 21
– Saturday/Sunday, December 27 and 28
– Saturday/Sunday, January 3 and 4
– Saturday/Sunday, January 24 and 25
Come on out and support this great initiative from Smitty! We have all wanted an indoor – and now we have it – the more support Smitty gets – the longer he can run the series.
Let’s all show our support for this great initiative… and give Smitty a big Hug (and kisses) next time you see him!
GNC Returns as Major Sponsor for the Toronto International Cyclocross
Midweek Cycling Club is proud to announce that GNC has returned as a major sponsor of the Toronto International Cyclocross UCI C1 race weekend, November 8 & 9, in Toronto, Ontario. GNC joins the growing list of sponsors for this exciting event that already includes Clearview Marketing Communications, Amino Vital, Specialized Canada, 3Rox Racing / Scott and Nissan.
Gilles Houde, the President and CEO of GNC Canada, loves the delirious sport of Cyclo-Cross. To Mr. Houde, Cyclo-Cross embodies the mission of GNC: to help people who care about their health and fitness to ‘Live Well’. That’s why GNC made the decision to be a major sponsor of this year’s race. “We get great satisfaction in helping athletes reach their goals. Our research and development of sports nutrition in Canada is cutting edge in its innovation. And our products are available at 160 retail stores.” said Mr. Houde.
New for 2008 is the GNC “Live Well” zone powered by Specialized. The Live Well zone gives non-cyclocross riders a chance to try the sport on a mini racecourse aboard a new Specialized Tricross. A different “Live Well” zone will be set up each day. Open from 10am till 1pm, with elite riders on hand to show you the ropes. The GNC “Live Well” zone powered by Specialized is available to everyone at no charge. Non-licensed riders will be required to purchase 1-day event insurance for $5.
All participants are encouraged to make a donation to the Friends of Canadian Cyclo-Cross Racers Fund. A non-profit fund, developed to help Canadian cyclo-cross riders fulfill their dreams at the Cyclo-Cross World Championships. More information on the Friends of Canadian Cyclo-Cross Racers fund or to make a donation please go to www.cyclocrossontario.com/fccr
For information on the Toronto International Cyclocross UCI C1 race weekend. Or to become a sponsor, please go to www.torontocyclocross.com
Supporting Sponsors: Cameron’s Brewing Co, Sidi, Ridley, Toronto Digital Imaging, mcor, Swiss Stop, Projectcore Inc, Defeet, Canaccord Capital, La Bicicletta and Norco.
Job Opportunity – High Performance Provincial MTB Coordinator
Job Description:
Reporting to the Manager, High Performance Programs of the Ontario Cycling Association, the Provincial MTB Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the MTB XC men’s and women’s programs at the Elite, Espoir and Junior levels. This will include providing leadership and support for athletes competing at National Events, projects, camps, and National Championships, with a focus on the 2009 and 2013 Canada Summer Games.
The successful candidate must have proven leadership, vision and expertise in the planning and implementation of a high-performance program. International equivalency will be accepted. The successful candidate must also have a proven ability in the technical application of training and competition plans and excellent management and communication skills.
Evaluation of the Provincial MTB Coordinator will be based on the position’s key responsibilities, which are:
– With athletes personal coaches, and or Club/Teams to ensure that they have adequate coaching support and if necessary help them source this support.
– Communicate with personal coaches prior to and during projects With the Manager, High Performance Programs ensure:
* That all Provincial Team athletes adhere to the Athlete Agreement
* Execution and reporting on Provincial Team projects
* MTB projects are run within designated budgets.
* MTB provincial team projects have competent support staff (assistant coaches, mechanics etc.), and ensuring direction and evaluation of this staff.
– Be a non-voting member on the OCA High Performance Committee.
– Attend key provincial and national events, including but not limited to Provincial Team projects, training camps, selection camps, Canada Games, National Championships.
– Mentor an Assistant Coach for each project if applicable
– Coordinate/Conduct a minimum of 2 NCCP clinics for designated discipline
Time Requirements and Commitments
2009 MTB Program
– 2 Canada Cups (Approximately 7-8 Days)
– National Mountain Bike Championships (Approximately 5 Days)
– Mountain Bike Camp (Cadet/Junior) (Approximately 3 Days including planning)
– Mountain Bike Camp (Minime/PeeWee) (Approximately 2 Day including planning)
– Attend all MTB O-Cup Events and pertinent selection races (Approximately 8-12 Days)
– 2 NCCP Courses (Approximately 4 Days)
– Canada Summer Games (5 Days) If a CSG year
– Minimum Level II NCCP Certification is required. Candidates will need to complete Level 3 by end of 2009 season.
– Domestic travel will be required.
This position is a one year renewable contract with compensation of $8,000 – $12,000 with per diem and mileage allowance dependant on 2009 MTB program.
Interested and qualified candidates should submit a resume, by November 7, 2008 the contact below by email or surface mail. (Faxes will not be accepted). The Ontario Cycling Association wishes to thank all applicants for their interest. Only those applicants selected for further consideration will be contacted.
The Ontario Cycling Association
C/O Manager, High Performance Programs
1185 Eglinton Ave. East
North York, ON, M3C 3C6
Email: racing@ontariocycling.org
Winn Sees Tremendous Success Down South
Senior Elite MTB Rider Zach Winn, who races the Ontario Cup MTB Series during the summer, is seeing Collegiate Success down south in Kentucky this year.
Competing for the Union College Cycling Team, a Midwest Conference Division II school, Zach helped his team this year recapture the Midwest Cycling Conference Championship. Zach’s impressive peformance at the Championships (held at Purdue University) included capturing gold in both the XC and Short Track events, giving him an amazing 10 wins this season!!!!
Zach’s accomplishments were recognized shortly after the Championships as he was named Midwest Cycling Conference Rider of the Year for the second time.
For most, all these accomplishments would be enough but Zach had his eye on one more historic accomplishment.
At the National Cycling Association Men’s Division II Omnium National Championship, Zach was able to capture 1st place, becoming the first male rider in Union College history to capture this honour.
The OCA would like to congratulate Zach on his accomplishments this season down south and know he will show that same determination and skill during next year’s Ontario Cup MTB-XC Series.