November 20, 2004 – The 2005 race season promises to be another bumper year for BC riders. With hot new additions to the event calendar plus the return of some old favourites, riders get set for an action packed season of cycling!

Here’s the scoop …

Burn off the festive season’s extra padding at ’04 Club of the Year Burnaby Velodrome’s Race Series Jan 7-9. Back it up with Escape Velocity’s race series, Race the Ridge, Tuesday and Thursday nighters and the Warp Speed Time Trial to get things rolling early in the year.

The 2005 SISU BC Cup Road Championship Series will be a 7-race affair, starting with the Harris Roubaix Classic in Pitt Meadows on April 10. The Series then travels to the Island for Race 2, the Sooke Classic & Bastion Square Grand Prix in Victoria in late May, before hitting Langley on June 12 for the Atomic Road Race. The next weekend will see the introduction of a new race on the SISU BC Cup circuit -Vancouver’s Wedgewood Westside Classic, followed by the Norm Lowe Memorial in the scenic Hatzic Valley June 26. But wait, there’s more! The Tour de Delta and season finale Tour de White Rock will be back bigger and better than ever to wind up the 2005 BC Cup Road Championship Series.

BC will host the Road Nationals in Kamloops for the 2nd consecutive year, be prepared for more steamy conditions and another grueling course under the expert direction of Henry Pejril, Cycling BC’s 2004 Organizer of the Year.

Look out also for the second annual Yaletown Grand Prix, the new PoCo Classic and Kelowna Regatta Criterium, as well as an old favourite for riders and spectators alike, the Tour de Gastown which attracts a top international field year after year. BC Time Trial and Crit Championships will follow in August, with Escape Velocity and Team Coastal the respective hosts. Riders up for some punishment can take on Mt. Seymour for the Team Coastal Hill Climb Championships to round out the road season.

Fall will once again mark the start of the Cyclocross season – we are very pleased to see the groundswell of participation in this dynamic and emerging sport. The interest and support from Cycling BC Clubs and riders has resulted in an expanded ‘Cross calendar for ’05. Woohoo!

For those who like their tires fat, there is plenty of off-road action afoot. Early season events to get you warmed up include the North Shore’s Dirty Duo and SORCE’s Junk Yard Dog in Surrey. Newbies to racing can get started at “My Next Mountain Bike Race”, also hosted by SORCE in order to welcome more riders into the competitive scene.

Don’t forget your SISU Hydrade! The 2005 Marathon title holders will be decided in a new 5-event SISU BC Cup Series Championship incorporating the On the Edge Rat Race, North Shore Credit Union World MTB Festival, Test of Metal, Squamish Gear Jammer and Cheakamus Challenge.

Cross-country and downhill junkies will get their respective kicks in a 6 event SISU BC Cup Series Championship touring the Hemlock MTB Festival, Panorama’s Mad Trapper, Mission’s Bear Mountain Challenge, Apex’s Real Mountain Challenge, Sun Peaks and the Finals at Mt Washington’s Triple Throw Down.

Throw in Merritt’s Cow Trail Classic, Golden’s Mt 7 Psychosis, Whistler’s Crankworx festival and the 24 Hours of Adrenalin and you’ll have plenty to look forward to in 2005!

Link to the ’05 Road, Track & Cyclo-cross Calendar and MTB here: www.cycling.bc.ca