December 19, 2008 – Here is the latest edition of the Prairie Pedaler – Saskatchewan Cycling’s newsletter. It includes bios about the winners of Sask Cycling’s annual awards, the province’s Trails update by Saul Lipton, a feature on Paralympian Arnold Boldt, information on the 2009 edition of GASP, 2009 Indoor Cycling Dates, the 2009 Prairie Randonneurs calendar, a call to Support Sask Cycling High Performance Athletes, and information about a Warm Weather Training Camp in Okanagan Falls, BC in April.

Annual Awards
Olympian, others recognized for contributions to provincial bicycling achievements Canadian Olympic cyclist Alex Wrubleski is among 11 Saskatchewan cyclists who received achievement awards as the 2008 cycling season draws to a close. The cyclists were recognized at the Saskatchewan Cycling Association Annual General Meeting and Awards Luncheon in Saskatoon on Sunday, September 21. Wrubleski, won the Wotton Bowl Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in road or track competition during the preceding twelve months. She was described as completing an “amazing season marked by many notable performances that began with her win at the Redlands Classic in California; a 4th pace finish at a Women’s World Cup race in Belguim; a double-medal performance at the Canadian National Road championships in Quebec, where she won Gold in the road race and Bronze in the time trial; and finally her selection to the Canadian Olympic Team in Beijing, where she crashed hard, suffered whiplash, yet finished the road race on a borrowed bike, followed by a 24th place finish in the time trial the next day.”

Jay Van Ginneken of Regina received the President’s Award. Van Ginneken has been involved with the Offroad Syndicate for six years, including the past four as president of the mountain biking club. He also redesigned the look of the Saskatchewan Cycling Association website.

The Ken Wilson Achievement Award, presented for an outstanding personal result in a timed cycling event, went to Brad Kerr of Regina for strong performances in the British Columbia race series, riding for team Total Restoration.

Andrea Bunnin of Saskatoon won the Mountain Bike Top Rider of the Year Award for “completing a tough, extreme season of mountain biking that included good results every time out and ended with a fourth place finish in the U23 category at the Mountain Bike Nationals in Mont Sainte-Anne in Quebec in July.”

Andrew Thomas of Lumsden was named Cyclocross rider of the year for his invitation to the CDN U23 National Team racing the World Cyclocross Championships in Italy in January. This is the first time this award has been presented.

The Cameco Volunteer Award, presented for volunteer contribution in the Mountain Bike sector, went to Tom Hawboldt of Battleford for his work “a driving force behind the North West Mountain Bike Club and the 2008 Sask Games Mountain Bike course in Lloydminster.”

Ron Cooley of Saskatoon received the Outstanding Volunteer in the Road Sector Award for his event photography, which Cooley describes as “quirky”, but others describe as a “talent for making anyone look fast on a bike.”

Dale Cochrane or Melville received the Outstanding Volunteer in the Recreation and Transportation Sector. Although a member for only a couple of years, Cochrane inspired and planned the 2008 Great Annual Saskatchewan Pedal (GASP).

The 2008 tour was an off-pavement adventure which drew on Cochrane’s extensive and personal knowledge of the Qu’Appelle Valley.

Long Term Service awards went to Bob Cochran of Regina (10 years), Patty Thomas of Lumsden (five years) and Susan Bladyko of Regina (five years).

Trails
by Saul Lipton

Hello to everyone cycling in Saskatchewan. This is a quick note to let you know that I am now a director with the Saskatchewan Trails Association. This group is dedicated to preserving and developing trails across Saskatchewan. The Trans Canada Trail is part of its mandate as well. If anyone knows of trails or areas where trails can be developed, please feel free to contact me. They already have some cycling trails listed. I am new to this position but hope to make a difference for cycling in the province. Here is a link to the STA website www.sasktrails.ca. A Draft of the Strategic Plan is located there as well as other information.

I was also asked to remind people that the Olympic Torch is coming through Regina and volunteers are needed to carry it.

Our other Olympian
Have you been at a Saskatchewan cycling road race and seen the one legged cyclist and commented on how amazing it is that he is racing? Well that cyclist is Moose Jaw Pavers’, Arnold Boldt. What is more amazing is his sporting career. A career that has seen him win a Gold medal at the Paralympics, inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Canadian Paralympics Hall of Fame in 2001.

Following is a Biography from the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum www.sshfm.com, Canadian Sports Hall of Fame www.sportshall.ca and the Canadian Paralympics Hall of Fame www.paralympic.ca/halloffame.

To see a video of Arnold high jumping (he is the one with big hair) click here.

Arnie Boldt won numerous medals at local and international track and field championships and continually broke his own records in the high- and long-jump events. While these are impressive results by anyone’s standards, Boldt’s accomplishments were even more extraordinary because he had only one leg. Boldt lost his right leg in a grain auger accident at the age of three, but he did not let this injury stop him from competing in a variety of sports including swimming, skiing, volleyball, and track and field.

Boldt caught the world’s attention at the 1976 Paralympics when he won two gold medals in the high jump and the long jump. He cleared 1.86m in the high jump, a world record for a one-legged jumper. By comparison, Canada’s best Olympic female high jumper cleared 1.87m. Boldt’s performance of 2.96m in the long jump also established a new disabled world record.

Over the course of his career, Boldt continued to establish new records in the high jump. At the 1980 Paralympics in The Netherlands, he broke his own 1976 record with a new height of 1.96m. The following year, he had his best performance at an outdoor meet in Rome, clearing 2.04m, and his best performance at an indoor meet, clearing 2.08m at the Tribune Games in Winnipeg. In 1981, he also raised his long jump record to 3.01m.

Boldt reigned supreme at disabled meets from 1976 to 1993. He showed so much talent in his sport that he competed at the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union level with able-bodied opponents while studying at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Manitoba.

Career Highlights
– 1976 – Paralympics gold medal in high jump (world one-legged jumper record of 1.86m) and gold medal in the standing long jump (disabled world record of 2.96m).
– 1980 – At Paralympics in Arnheim, Holland, broke high jump record with a gold medal jump of 1.96m and took the gold medal in the long jump.
– 1981 – Raised world high jump record to 2.04m (best outdoor performance) in at the world championships in Rome, Italy, and increased the long jump record to 3.01m
– 1981 – Best indoor high jump performance of 2.08m at Tribune Games in Winnipeg.
– 1984 — Paralympics in New York, USA. Gold medal in high jump; silver medal in long jump.
– 1988 — Paralympics in Seoul, Korea. Gold medal in high jump.
– 1992 — Canadian team flagbearer, Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain. Gold medal in high jump

2009 Great Annual Saskatchewan Pedal (GASP)
Saturday, July 18 to Sunday, July 25 Next summer’s GASP tour takes in some amazing scenery, through the Eagle Hills and Bear Hills and overlooking the spectacular Battle River valley. Few people make the effort to discover the countryside between the Trans- Canada and Yellowhead highways, yet it’s one of the most beautiful parts of the province. The tour concentrates on the northern half of this area, where the geography and communities are really outstanding. The roads are less travelled, the towns exceptionally friendly, and the sightseeing and cultural opportunities endless.

The first three days skirt alongside the Eagle Hills, west of Saskatoon, through Perdue, Biggar, Wilkie and Battleford. There’s an historic railroad roundhouse that the citizens of Biggar are fighting to save from demolition and hoping to restore as a heritage attraction. Wilkie has a storybook-beautiful downtown. Last summer, I saw a pair of well tanned cyclists, loaded to the hilt, leaving Wilkie with broad smiles on their faces. The trip to Battleford has stunning panoramas, as the highway traverses a ridge overlooking the Battle River opposite the Eagle Hills. The tour includes an overnight stay in this historic town and Fort Battleford National Historic Site. From the Battlefords, we’ll head back to Unity. The trip south to Kerrobert passes unique geological formations. We’ve found a quiet back road through Dodsland, Druid and Plenty, through the Bear Hills to Rosetown. The town of Herschel is the centre of some fascinating petroglyphs, archeological finds and palaeontology tours in Coal Mine Ravine. There’s also a pleasant little tea house where we can rest and get treats.

From Rosetown, the tour returns to Saskatoon via Outlook, home of the longest, highest pedestrian bridge in the world. Of course, it didn’t start out as a pedestrian bridge. It’s the old railway trestle across the South Saskatchewan River. All in all, the route, the scenery, the heritage and cultural opportunities and “” above all, the company of other cyclists “” make GASP 2009 a tour not to miss!

2009 Indoor Cycling Dates
Lanes 3-6:
– Regina, Fieldhouse — January 4 – March 15; 8:30 – 9:30 pm
– Saskatoon, Fieldhouse – January 4-March 15; 7:00-8:00 PM (2nd hour 8:00-9:00 pm for Cycledelia, Northern Bush Rastas, Horizon 100 club members) – Canceled on March 8.

You must have your 2009 membership before attending the 2009 indoor cycling sessions.

Prairie Randonneurs
by Grant Thies, President

Paris-Brest-Paris 2007 is now distant memories as we forget how cold and wet it really was and remember the beauty of the countryside and the attitude of the French people that kept our spirits up! 2008 has been a recovery year for the ten randonneurs who qualified for PBP 2007. It has also been a building year for others who have thoughts of PBP 2011 dancing in their heads. We had 13 new riders Aileen, Brock, Cale, Christian, Corey, Gisele, James, Larry, Markel, Michael, Patrick, Warren,and Wayne complete their first 200km brevet. We hope to see them all again in 2009 along with many others.

Schedule
– 200 km – 18 Apr – Regina – 13.5 hrs
– 200 km – 25 Apr – Saskatoon – 13.5 hrs
– 200 km – 2 May – Regina – 13.5 hrs
– 200 km – 2 May – Swift Current – 13.5 hrs
– 200 km – 3 May – Saskatoon – 13.5 hrs
– 300 km – 16 May – Regina – 20 hrs
– 300 km – 16 May – Swift Current – 20 hrs
– 300 km – 23 May – Saskatoon – 20 hrs
РFl̬che Р30 May РFl̬che Р24 hrs
– 300 km – 6 Jun – Saskatoon – 20 hrs
– 400 km – 13 Jun – Regina – 27 hrs
– 400 km – 13 Jun – Swift Current – 27 hrs
– 200 km – 27 Jun – Regina – 13.5 hrs
– 400 km – 27 Jun – Saskatoon – 27 hrs
– 600 km – 4 Jul – Regina – 40 hrs
– 400 km – 11 Jul – Saskatoon – 40 hrs
– 200 km – 18 Jul – Regina – 13.5 hrs
– 600 km – 18 Jul – Swift Current – 40 hrs
– 200 km – 19 Jul – S’tn (Horizon) – 13.5 hrs
– 600 km – 25 Jul – Saskatoon – 40 hrs
– 1000 km – 7 Aug – Saskatoon – 75 hrs
– 200 km – 22 Aug – Regina – 13.5 hrs
– 200 km – 30 Aug – Saskatoon – 13.5 hrs
– 200 km – 12 Sep – Regina – 13.5 hrs

Call Grant Thies (Regina) 584-2436, John Oneschuk (Saskatoon) 242-9364 or Grant McLeod (Swift Current) 695-3323 at least 2 days prior to the ride to confirm the exact starting time and location. Have a great winter and we will see you on the road in 2009.

Support Sask Cycling High Performance Athletes!
Whether commuting to work, club racing or riding Paris-Brest-Paris, you can help Sask HP athletes reach the podium. Available now! Call the SCA office 780-9299.
– T-shirts $29 Black or White
– Jerseys $99 White

Warm Weather Training Camp – Okanagan Falls, BC – April 10-19, 2009
Skaha Lake Paradise Resorts is located in Okanagan Falls, just 10 minute drive from Penticton. To view the accommodations, click here

Build a Solid Base – Ride in dry, mild weather conditions.

– Coaches: Mike Horn and Scott Cranston (a female chaperone will be added if required)
– Location: Okanagan Falls, B.C.
– Cost: $700 (2009 Canada Games Age eligible athletes – $600)
– Registration deadline is March 1st & Payment Deadline is March 10. For more info contact the SCA. Make cheques payable to the SCA, space is limited.
– Camp Fee includes: 7 night’s luxury 3 bedroom Condo Accommodation, 2 night’s accommodation on the drive to Penticton/Saskatchewan, Transportation in the SCA van to/from Regina, or Saskatoon.

If there is sufficient interest, the SCA will add a second week to the training camp; making the camp dates April 10-26. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED CONTACT THE OFFICE BY FEBRUARY 1ST. Cost $1000 ($900 for Canada Games Age eligible athletes).