The Squamish allure among cyclists continues to grow. More than 120 riders, including an Iron Man champion, swarmed the Squamish Valley for the 5th annual Provincial Time Trial Championships Saturday (Aug. 6) hosted by Vancouver cycling club Team Escape Velocity. The numbers are 25 per cent higher than last year's, and organizers expect the event to only get bigger.
"We all love coming to Squamish," said race director Gavin Forsyth. "Cyclists tend to love the outdoors and following the event, some of our club members went mountain biking, and others went for a charge up the Chief."
Most riders were from Vancouver, a handful were from the Sea to Sky corridor, and some travelled from as far as Prince George and Vancouver Island to attend the event. Organizers were especially thrilled to welcome world champion and former Iron Man Canada and Hawaii champion Peter Reid of Victoria. Reid's presence highlights Team Velocity's goal of broadening the scope of the event to include triathletes and others.
"We also offered a hand cycle division, which had three competitors this year, and this cohort will likely grow in the future too," said Forsythe.
Riders enjoyed staying in the serene Sunwolf grounds that Team Velocity rented out for the the weekend.
"It was nice to enjoy the peace and quiet this area of Squamish has to offer," said Forsythe. "Plus, the night stars are visible unlike in the city!"
Junior and senior riders raced against the clock for 38.5 km along the Squamish River.
The highlight of this year's event was the impressive performance by Christian Meier in the espoir category (age 18 to 22).
"He was 1:51 ahead of the next rider, which means he was riding almost two kilometres per hour faster than the next fastest," said Forsythe. "This is a huge margin on a course of 38.5 km."
Squamish's Charlotte Klein and Philip Cairns placed 100 and [email protected]
