Hayman Classic becoming top cycling race for youths
Nearly 120 riders set to participate this weekend
They’re back! Scores of young athletes return to the South Okanagan this weekend for a cycling competition that has grown in size and reputation to become one of the best in Canada and certainly the top race of its kind west of Quebec.
Indeed, a record number of young riders — nearly 120 — are expected for this year’s edition of the Hayman Classic youth bicycle race — a tribute to the event’s reputation as a first-rate competition in a setting of incomparable beauty.
Most riders will come from B.C., but others will travel from Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Yukon. The United States, too, will be represented by cyclists from Washington, Oregon and Montana.
“It’s coming together,” says Ron Hayman, the Penticton resident and former Canadian Olympic cyclist for whom the competition is named and who is passionate about providing a top-notch challenge for aspiring young cyclists. Here’s how it will unfold: Friday: The first event is a time trial that starts in Okanagan Falls and ends at Painted Rock Winery in South Penticton after a punishing climb up Smythe Drive. Local MLA Dan Ashton will be on hand to award prizes to top finishers. Start time is 9:15 a.m.
After lunch and a rest, competition resumes on the flawless asphalt of Area 27, Canada’s newest motor speedway east of Oliver. In this event, a circuit race, riders will do laps around the sinuous 4.8-kilometre track. The numbers of laps is determined by age categories — 11-13, 13-15, 15-17 and 17-19. Start time is 4 p.m.
Saturday: The sole event on this day is a criterium on Riverside Drive in Penticton — a race that features tight corners and open straightaways, and demands strong braking, acceleration and bike-handling skills. Start time is 8 a.m.
Sunday: This is the Classic’s last event, a road race that this year has an element of mystery about where it will take place. Normally the race begins and ends in Oliver, with a demanding climb up Fairview Road and a dizzying descent down Secrest Road.
But melting snow and high water this spring have made the course impassable at two points, forcing Hayman and race technical director Jeff Plant to seek an alternate course for use if needed.
What they found was an eager partner in Don and Michael Bartier, who offered their Bartier Bros. winery as a start and finish point for a multi-lap circuit that will run south toward Osoyoos and then north toward Oliver.
Not surprisingly, Michael Bartier is a cycling enthusiast.
At this point it’s not clear which of the two courses will be used; problems on the OliverFairview-Secret course may be remedied by race time. Either way, the start time is 8 a.m.