GREAT TEST FOR EVERYONE:
During a haze-filled day, Michael Salcedo of Swift Current takes the inside corner during a test event for the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games in Swift Current. For more photos and a story, please see
Swift Current will host the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games August 9 - 18.
This exciting occasion will bring together 1,700 athletes, coaches and administrators for 10 days of head-tohead competition in and around the city.
The Western Summer Games were established in 1975 as a multi-sport event.
The purpose of the games is to ‘broaden the exposure of talented athletes and provide a training ground for national and international level competitions.
The Summer Games are held every four years.
“We are doing three test events this summer in preparation of the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games. We have riders from the Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The test events we chose are sports that maybe aren’t that familiar. We are able to test our courses and do some volunteer training,” said Denise Barbier. Games Manager.
“The weather will probably be a factor to some extent of course, these cyclists compete in all kinds of weather and all kinds of conditions and they are very used to that.”
There are many preparations that must take place in order to host an event of such magnitude and the cycling test event was held last Saturday despite some wet, smoky environmental conditions.
“We are hosting our test event. So we have three events. We had a time trial this morning on the Wymark Highway and the criterium event here. Tomorrow we are doing a road race and we will go from Hazlet to Cantuar. It’s about an 80-km road race,” said Sheldon Harrison, Sport Co-Chair for the 2019 Western Summer Games.
“We have 17 racers and all of them are from out of town except for one local. This is the first cycle race we’ve been able to host in Swift Current in a number of years. It’s good for the sport.”
A criterium or crit, consists of laps around a closed circuit.
Crits transpire on a loop about a mile long with some snug corners for 30-60 minutes. Dallas Philippon, Sport CoChair for the Western Summer Games explains what a Criterium race means.
“This is a criterium event. Basically, it’s a race around a closed circuit. They are racing in groups and they are counting down the number of laps,” said Philippon.
Racers have come from across the West with only one local representative from Swift Current.
“It’s my first time and I’ve been riding my bike for maybe the last two years. I’ve been wanting to join a group or a club. My two brothers in the Philippines, they also ride bikes,” said first time competitor Michael Salcedo of Swift Current.
Brayden Windsor of Regina placed in first with a total of 70 points and a time of 1:28:09.
Francis Talbado of Edmonton placed first in the junior category with 60 points and a time of 2:18:43.