AN IMPRESSIVE COURSE FOR THE CANADA GAMES MOUNTAIN BIKE EVENT
The first official day of training started today for athletes taking part in the Mountain Bike competitions and many were surprised to find that the course had been considerably changed and improved since the test event. The hill, which is located on the outskirts of Winnipeg, was built from scratch several years ago, and tons of man-made features have been added since then.
According to the course designer, Alex Man, whose daughter will be racing this weekend “We started having discussions around building a Mountain Bike course several years ago, and then we found out that Winnipeg would be hosting the Canada Games. We designed the course with the help of Matt Hadley and purposefully built the trails so that they would be challenging for the athletes. There are many ride arounds, steep climbs and A and B lines to make sure that experienced and less experienced riders both enjoy the course.”
Soren Meeuwisse from Team Ontario says, “I am impressed with what they have created with such a little hill available. There are uphill and downhill features challenging enough for this level of competition. I’m excited to race it, but I think tactics will come into play a lot with a course this fast, that offers little climbing and lots of open sections.”
The 6 kilometer course will give spectators the chance to see the athletes climb up and down the hill several times per lap, with many different areas offering a full view of the course. So far, athletes seem to agree that the race will be a strategic one.
“The course will be challenging to race in a different way from most. The track is wide which will allow many passing opportunities and for the wind to play a decisive role as the race unfolds. There are also some technical features which could potentially take people off guard, especially when people are riding hard,” commented Gunnar Holmgren, who won the Junior Men’s Canada Cup title this season.
World Cup Elite athlete Anne-Julie Tremblay thought the course was “very technical, which is good for me. It’s very smooth and there aren’t too many challenging climbs, so I’m pleased.”
Mountain Bike competitions for both men and women start this Sunday at Bison Butte with the XCO event, where the first medals of the Canada Games will be awarded.
