Kelowna pro cyclist wins tough bike race
On Sunday, I participated in the L’alp De Grand Blanc, the 58K bike race from East Kelowna to the ski lifts at Big White.
This was the hardest ride I’ve ever done, almost continuously uphill, with several very hard climbs on Highway 33 before you turn off on the Big White road where you face another 24 kilometres of steep uphill climbing.
This is the third year for this race and, in spite of, or because of, its difficulty, it is attracting many of the top cyclists in our area.
Jordan Cheyne, the Kelowna cyclist who rides for the professional Jelly Belly cycling team, returned home to compete in the race.
He won handily. His record time of 1:48 put him 10 minutes ahead of second place Manny Fehlmann and third place Brandon Jones.
Marg Fedyna was the first woman to cross the finish line for the second year in a row.
Marg is an amazing athlete who, at age 52, still leaves most of her younger competitors far behind. She is an Edmontonian, but Kelowna is her second home.
Her time of 2:12 put her four minutes ahead of second place Alesha Miller and third place woman Annie Bergen.
It was good to see several top athletes from other sports doing the ride. I had a nice chat with Trevor Haaheim, an old friend who has won the late Peak To Peak race several times.
Trevor has always been a top cyclist and showed it with a 10th place finish (2:03) just a few minutes ahead of Vernon’s Olav Stana.
Olav is in his 60s and is still a force in both cycling and cross country skiing.
He is a previous Wold Masters Champion cross country skier and was the Canadian cycling time trial champion a few years ago.
Malindi Elmore, our newest pro triathlete and Olympic 1,500 metre runner, rode with her partner, Graham Hood, finishing in 2:21.
Brad Bickley, the top male runner in the Okanagan, showed he is no slouch on a bike, coming in at 2:40.
Derek Barile, who leads our Saturday Fresh Air rides, finished in 2:28.
Karis Shearer, an avid cyclist and triathlete who will be competing as a member of the age group Canadian Team at the Worlds Long Course Multi-sport championships, came in with a time of three hours even.
While wolfing down my hamburger after the ride I met a nice lady, Erika Biser, who had done the ride. She is a transplanted Easterner who has found paradise in Kelowna.
The runner and cyclist makes every marathon an adventure by doing them in far away places, such as Iceland.
Coming in at the very respectable time of 3:52 was 82 year old Cliff Serwa, one of the founders of Big White, who rode with his granddaughter, Kelsey, the Olympic ski cross silver medallist.
Eric Rayson, John Davina and Phil Klotz rode together.
All three are very good and experienced cyclists, but cycling can be a dangerous sport and Phil came into a corner, only a couple of kilometres from the finish, a bit too fast, hit some gravel and went flying off the road and down a tree covered slope.
Phil sustained some severe injuries,s which will keep him off the bike the rest of this summer. All the best for your recovery, Phil. DIRTY FEET KALAMALKA
TRAIL RACE This tough hilly run was held on July 16 and the serious runners have a choice of 10 or 21 kilometres.
The 10K event had several age class winners from the Okanagan — Mica Depner F30-39, Vernon; Angie MacDougal F40-49, Coldstream; the racing machine Janice Bradshaw F50-59, W.Kelowna; Wendy Schroeder F60-69, Coldstream; Todd Pinske M40-49, Kelowna and Mike McGrath M60-69, Vernon.
The 21K race saw Kelowna’s Dustin Quigley (M30-39) finishing first overall.
Kelowna runners Samantha Wex (F20-29) and Jane Jones (F40-49) won their age classes as did Joshua Wyett (M20-29, Kelowna), Bob Clemens (M40-49, Lake Country), Dirk Tiger Handke (M50-59, Kelowna), and Bob Jackson (M60-69, Vernon).
Dirk, a fixture on the Kelowna running scene for many years, is not slowing down at 50 plus, finishing third overall.
Kelowna’s Christy Lovig competed in the VFAC Summerfast 10K on July 15. This race was the brainchild of Phil Ellis, who was once Kelowna’s fastest runner and the 10K Canadian champion. Phil now operates the Peninsula Runners running store in Langley.
Christy (F40-44)ran a very fast 35:04 to set a new masters record and finished 3rd overall among the 200+ women in the event.
I don’t usually report on paddling as I get very little information about it.
However these results from the Canadian Surf Ski Championships caught my eye.
Kelowna paddlers Tamlyn Bohn, Leanne Stanley and Sally Wallick placed one-twothree at the championships.
The 21K race started at Porteau Cove and followed Howe Sound all the way to Squamish. The Kelowna Paddle Centre had 11 per cent of the total entries.
Kelowna’s two greatest triathletes, Heather and Trevor Wurtele, had success at the Challenge Iceland Half Ironman distance.
Both lost the lead in the late stages of the run to take two well deserved second places in a very strong field. Heather lost by only 20 seconds. Also in triathlon, Penticton’s Tom Evans was second overall at Penticton’s Peach Classic Triathlon, Kelowna’s Carmelle GuidiSwan was second female overall.
In the shorter sprint triathlon 16-year-old Brock Hoel from Kelowna was first overall and set a new course record. Vernon’s Alesha Miller won the woman’s race.