About 2,000 spectators are expected for the Robert W. Cameron Law Corporation Cycling Series races this weekend, and no doubt plenty of them will be jammed around Crash Corner.
Watching cyclists navigate the notorious intersection at Yates and Wharf streets in the 21st annual Russ Hay鈥檚/Accent Inns Bastion Square Grand Prix on Sunday is just one of the highlights of the series, which includes the Rumble Time Trial on Friday and the Westhills Cycling Classic in Metchosin on Saturday. Competitors in the various categories range from the elite pros to three-year-olds in the Timbits Challenge.
Describing the blur of cyclists bearing down on Crash Corner, race director Jon Watkins said it鈥檚 like riding into a little funnel.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going from a 50-foot width to maybe 15 feet width, so all the riders are kind of compressed to make it through that tiny hole.鈥�
The fun all begins with Friday鈥檚 Rumble, starting at 6 p.m. at Clover Point, a five-kilometre blast along the Dallas road waterfront, featuring speeds of 60 kilometres an hour. On Saturday, over the roller-coaster hills of Metchosin, Watkins expects only 30 per cent of riders to finish.
Their legs start cramping up, they can鈥檛 keep pedalling,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or a championship race you have to make it difficult. If you look at the profile, it鈥檚 like shark鈥檚 teeth, it鈥檚 up and down, up and down.鈥�
The Classic 鈥� junior riders set off at 7:30 a.m. and the elite group at 10 a.m. 鈥� has been selected as the sa国际传媒 road cycling championship for elite riders. The top guns will do 12 laps (120 kilometres) on the men鈥檚 side, and eight laps for the women.
On Sunday, the Grand Prix is a 900-metre loop through Victoria鈥檚 Olde Town, starting and finishing at Fort and Langley streets. The first riders to negotiate Crash Corner set off at 8 a.m., with the elite riders going at noon (women) and 1 p.m. (men).
In the past, many future superstars in the cycling world have cut their teeth on the series, among them, Ryder Hesjedal, the local hero who won last season鈥檚 prestigious Giro d鈥橧talia. Watkins recalled competing against the then 17-year-old Hesjedal.
鈥淗e was road riding just for fitness, he wasn鈥檛 really serious about about it,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淚 actually beat him.鈥�
Last year, the overall winner was Rob Britton, a pro now based in England and France. Britton is a perfect example of perseverance in sport.
鈥淚 was terrible in high school,鈥� Britton said. 鈥淚 worked my way up from the bottom of the bottom.鈥�
On the women鈥檚 side, one to watch is national cyclocross champ Mical Dyck. A rider on the Stan鈥檚 NoTubes cyclocross team out of Denver, Colo., Dyck figured the Series will be good training.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 done a road race for a long time,鈥� Dyck said. 鈥淭he hills are going to do me in, I think.鈥�
The hills defeat plenty of riders, but don鈥檛 daunt the up-and-comers such as Luke Koolman, 21, or Hilary Wille, 20. Koolman didn鈥檛 finish the Classic last year, but has moved up to the elite group armed with more knowledge of the tactics.
鈥淚t takes a lot of fitness, but a lot of it is strategy,鈥� Koolman said. 鈥淵ou have to save your energy, and use it sparingly.鈥�
For Wille, a former competitive swimmer and triathlete, this weekend marks her rookie appearance in the series. She knows cornering and the technical side of the race will be a learning curve, but although the idea of wiping out on Crash Corner is scary, it鈥檚 not about to stop her.
鈥淵ou have to get over it,鈥� Wille said.
