When the day ended, four Powell River mountain bikers competing in the BC Bike Race finished seconds apart and “above average,” according to Wayne Brewer, Powell River stage course director.
Average time for the 600 racers who competed in stage two of the race, held in Powell River on Friday, July 8, was three hours and 44 minutes.
Local rider Patricia Winchell, part of the Three Kids at Home team, named for her three children, finished in 3:26:59, beating her husband Brad by one second, at 3:27.
Team Red Listed, consisting of Powell River’s Russell Brewer and Colin Koszman, were close behind, crossing the finish line in a dead heat at 3:27:50.
Three racers finished in a tie for first: Spencer Paxson and Stephen Ettinger from Bellingham, Washington, and Cory Wallace from Jasper, Alberta. The trio crossed the finish line together at 2:18:48.
According to Wayne, it was a fantastic day.
“BC Bike Race co-founder Andreas Hestler rode the whole thing and, just as he said last year, he wants me to leave the course exactly the same for next year,” said Wayne. “I spoke to a lot of the racers who commented on the excellent condition of the trails. They loved the enthusiastic welcome at the wharf and along the course at various cheer zones.”
There were no serious injuries and none of the riders went off course, said Wayne.
“I am thrilled with how it all went,” he added. “I guess we’ll have to do it all over again next year.”
In the tenth year since its inception, the seven-stage race began in Cumberland before riders travelled to Powell River for stage two. Other stages included Earls Cove to Sechelt and Sechelt to Langdale, as well as courses winding through North Vancouver and Squamish.
The final stage was scheduled for Whistler on Wednesday, July 13.
Final, cumulative results for the seven-stage BC Bike Race had both Powell River teams turning in respectable times. Brewer and Koszman finished in the middle of the pack of 542 race participants. Koszman finished 245th with a time of 25:52:31 and Brewer was 247th with 25:53:14. The Winchells were 310th and 311th, respectively. Brad had a time of 27:23:26 and Patricia’s was 27:23:27.
The winning time was 15:48:09, put in by Jasper's Wallace.
For more information, go to bcbikerace.com.
