PARIS TO ANCASTER:
A wet and muddy route is expected to make this year’s mountain bike race a tight competition
This isn’t the official slogan but it might as well be: Paris to Ancaster, bigger and better and wetter than ever.
The annual bike race goes Sunday and will set another record for participation, with more than 3,000 riders set to take on three distances ranging from 20 kilometres to 70 kilometres. As usual, the course will feature mixed terrain ranging from paved road to rail trail to farmer’s field.
What kind of shape the route will be in, however, remains to be seen.
Forecasters are calling for rain starting late Saturday night and into Sunday morning — not to mention unseasonably cool temperatures — which could turn sections of the course into muddy soup.
“We’re hoping to get lucky with weather,” said co-organizer Tim Farrar, dryly.
The race has faced off against Mother Nature a number of times over the past two decades, but organizers faced an unusual challenge during last year’s event when saboteurs blocked a section of the route by cutting down trees the night before the race.
The obstacles on the rail trail near Harrisburg created a backup of riders as they were forced to dismount and push their bikes up, over and through the logs and branches.
“It’s actually turned into a positive,” Farrar said.
“The locals were mightily embarrassed by one of their neighbours and we received multiple offers to check the trails the morning of the race and clear it with chainsaws if they need to.”
Another iconic section of the course has undergone some renovations as well. The Powerline Mudslide, a 700-metre downward tilting wasteland of knee-high mud and suffering, was clear-cut by hydro workers last fall.
“They basically bulldozed it into a road so they get their equipment up and down. It’s still muddy but it’s not quite the technical challenge it was in the past.”
After adding new distances over the past few years, Paris to Ancaster has launched a whole new race for 2017. On Saturday afternoon, there will be a criterium held at Kings Ward Park in Paris with professional riders lining up against amateurs and weekend warriors for a shot at $5,000 in prize money.
The course will be a spectatorfriendly 750 metres and feature pavement, grass and gravel. There will be multiple heats starting at 1 p.m. with a final featuring the fastest 25 riders going at 4 p.m.
“It’s criterium racing but it’s got Paris to Ancaster DNA,” Farrar said.
This year’s P2A sold out in record time — both the 70-kilometre and 40-kilometre versions have been full for weeks — but Farrar said it’s unlikely they’ll continue to expand the field much beyond its current capacity.
“There are limiting factors, like how many people can we accommodate at the finish line in Ancaster,” he said.