Volunteers Needed for the BC Bike Race
The BC Bike Race is coming to Whistler on Saturday July 4th!
Volunteers are needed to help out between 9am and 2pm for this 7th and final stage of a weeklong epic. Please contact race director Grant Lamont by email at gjlamont@gmail.com if interested.
More information about the BC Bike Race is available online at www.bcbikerace.com.
Canada Day PhaSt Wednesday
New this year, a higher level race designed for the more experienced rider, using the park’s more challenging (double black) trails. Whole Lotta Led will be playing at the GLX after the race so be sure to stick around! Cover is $10.
Sign-in: 5:00pm at Garbanzo Bike and Bean
Race: 6pm
Course: Schleyer, peel off on Canadian Open under chair, into Detroit Rock (full) - one switch back (of Whistler dh, possibly routing on the grass instead) then traversing right, finishing at the lower section of Clown Shoes back out of the trees to finish just above heart of darkness.
Après: The GLC.
Cost: $2.
You must have a WORCA Membership to ride and you must have your own lift pass (discounted passes will be available to riders the day of).
WORCA memberships can be purchased online here.
Guaranteed Test of Metal Spots with Team Diabetes
At this year’s Test of Metal, 60 people rode for Team Diabetes and raised over $49,000 in support of the Canadian Diabetes Association. The race organizers have once again generously guaranteed spots for Team Diabetes for 2010 so beat the rush and secure your Test of Metal spot now! In return for raising $600, team members receive a Team Diabetes cycling jersey, guaranteed race entry, fundraising tools and support.
Registration deadline is November 6th or when the spots are filled, whichever comes first so don’t delay. Participants must be at least 18 years of age. For more information on how you can make a difference in the lives of the 270,000 British Columbians living with diabetes at the 2010 Test of Metal, contact Rebecca at 604-732-1331 ext. 246, rebecca.taylor@diabetes.ca or to register on-line, go to www.teamdiabetes.ca today!
June 24 Phat Wednesday Results
The first Kokanee Phat Wednesday report for the season!
From Whistler Blackcomb:
So all to say, we kick off the season under some pretty wet conditions last night with rains coming and coming and a course that got very muddy and slick. As per tradition (at least appears that way), the event was held on B Line and regardless of the weather over 160 competitors came out to test their skills on what turned out to be a challenging evening with the rain and the slippery conditions.
A change this year in our categories that seemed to work quite nicely, with nearly 35 competitors in this category, was the fact that we brought the age down to 30 years and above for the Masters Category (instead of 35).
All other categories remained the same as our Junior Male had a showing of 11 competitors, our female category had nearly 20 competitors which is always great to see and once more to quick off the season, we had 100 participants in the Open Male group.
Once more, all these events wouldn’t be possible without all our partners Kokanee,Worca and the GLC and all our sponsors such as:
Sram : Winning a Full drive train was Cory Thornton
Giro : Winning a Full Face helmet was Josh Lyons
Other draw prizes included :
- Set of Brakes thanks for Hayes
- Giro clothing
- Fox gear
- Garbanzo bike and bean clothing
The next event will be held next on July 1st, the first of 3 new PhaSt Wednesday event where the goal is to test the ability of the riders by having the events held on more technically challenging run in the park. Registration will be happening as per usual on the Garbanzo Bike and Bean Patio starting @ 5pm with the race starting near 6pm. The event will be followed by the awards held in the GLC.
Take care and see you at the next event. One last thing, trail on which the events will take place will be posted at the bottom of the bike park a few days ahead of the event.
Toonie Ride - June 25
Sponsors: Whistler Bike Guide
Sign In: 5:30, Wedge Parking Lot
Ride: 6:30, North Secret and Green Lake Loop
Après: Riverside Café - please bring your own mug!
If you’re unable to Ride2Ride and are bringing your car, please park on Mons Road or at Spruce Grove.
Childcare is Available
For ages 4-10 years ($20/child)
Please contact Layna from Orkidz Art Studio at 604 902 0423 or on line at www.orkidzartstudio.com for more information and to register.
1st Phat Wednesday June 24th!
Come out this Wednesday for the 1st Phat Wednesday DH Race! Everyone is welcome to take part, from youth riders to casual riders to hardcore park rats.
Sign-in: 5:00pm at Garbanzo Bike and Bean
Race: 6pm
Course: B-Line
Après: The GLC
Cost: $2.
You must have a WORCA Membership to ride and you must have your own lift pass (discounted passes will be available to riders the day of).
WORCA memberships can be purchased online here.
Sweep needed for Comfortably Numb trail race
The 25km Comfortably Numb trail race takes place this Saturday, June 27th. Proceeds from the event are generously donated to WORCA and the Whistler Search and Rescue. We’re looking for a WORCA volunteer to sweep the race.
The sweep is asked to be at the Wedge parking lot at 8am. It’s an estimated four hour hike/run to the finish. With 200 runners on the trail, it’s recommended to leave the bike at home and do this trail on foot. This volunteer day will count towards WORCA’s 2009 VIP list.
Please contact Greg McDonnell at gregmcdonnel@hotmail.com or Kevin Titus at ktitus@sd48.bc.ca if interested.
For more information about the event, visit the Comfortably Numb website: www.comfortablynumb.ca
Toonie Race Madness
A perspective from local rider, Richie Schley:
“One of Whistler’s biggest secrets in the mountain bike scene is the underground local Toonie($2 coin in Canada) Ride series.
It started years ago as a “Loonie Race Series”. Everyone would bring a dollar and put it in the pot and the winner would take all of the money. It was a bunch of the valley’s best riders getting together to have a fun night out while the fastest one on the night take the cash and buy the beers. As with anything cool, it grew and a lot more people would show up. At one point Chad Miles, local legend XC and all around ripper, was making a enough money to pay his rent from winning the race every thursday night…” Read the full article at RichieSchley.com.
Trail Day - June 27th
Big thank you to the volunteers that came out to Saturdays trail day: Terry Phillips, Ashley Robinson, Christian Back, Eunice Cho, Jack Rimmington,
Peter Oloughlin, Jamie Tillbury, and an extra thanks to Jeff Heinzmann and Matt Parkisnson for coming out every week!
Next Trail Day: Saturday, June 27th
Time: 3 pm to 6pm
Location: The pullout across from Trudy’s Landing (last time at this location - after this Saturday we’ll be moving on to a new project)
Please bring a long sleeve shirt and gardening gloves. Cold bevvies will be supplied.
If the organized days don’t fit your schedule but you’d still like to help out, join WORCA’s trail builder, Dave Fortier, during the week (groups of max 2-4). Please contact Jerome on our online contact form for details.
Youth Dirt Camp Registrations - Places Available!
We have cleared the waitlists for our 6-9 year old camps and there are a handful of places opening up. If you have a youngster who isn’t yet registered for a camp, put their name down on a waitlist - there’s a good chance we can secure them a spot! We are also extending to age of our older camps to include 9 year olds; so the older camps are now for ages 9-12. There’s only two weeks to go before we open up registration to everybody. Please visit the youth section of our website for more information.
Toonie Ride - June 18
Sponsors: École la Passerelle & Whistler Golf Club
Sign In: 5:30, Emerald Forest gravel pit
Ride: 6:30, Westside
Après: Whistler Golf Club
*Update: Parking is available at the Whistler Golf Club. If you have your bike on top of your car, please remember you will drive under an overpass (which has taken out bikes in the past).
Childcare is available!
4-10 years, $20/child
Please contact Layna from Orkidz Art Studio at 604 902 0423 or on line at www.orkidzartstudio.com for more information and to register.
June Trail Days - Update
Last Saturday’s trail day was another success! With 12 hard-working volunteers, we made incredible progress on our project. A huge thank you goes out to all our volunteers (many of whom are putting in multiple days) and to the Ticket 2 Ride crew who put in 2 days last week and plan to do another 2 this coming week.
Next Trail Day: Saturday, June 20th
Time: 3 pm to 6pm
Location: The pullout across from Trudy’s Landing
Please bring a long sleeve shirt and gardening gloves. Cold bevvies will be supplied.
We are aware that many people aren’t able to make it out to the Saturday Trail Days and we’d love to give more members the opportunity to participate. If the organized days don’t fit your schedule, we’d like to invite you to join WORCA’s trail builder, Dave Fortier, during the week (groups of max 2-4). Please contact Jerome on our online contact form for details. If half our our members put in just a couple of hours, imagine how many projects could get completed!
Ken Quon Car Wash and BBQ - June 27th
Bring your dirty cars out for the “Big Rinse” at this year’s Ken Quon fundraising car wash! The car wash and bbq will be held on Saturday, June 27th at the IGA parking lot with assistance from the Whistler Fire Department Ladder Truck and WORCA volunteers.
Location: IGA parking lot
Start Time: 9:00
End Time: 15:00
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Volunteers are requested to help with one of 2 three hour shifts – either from 9am to Noon or Noon to 3pm. Please contact Tom Thomson at 932-2887 if interested.
Volunteer participation will be recognized towards the 2009 WORCA Volunteer VIP List.
Tyaughton Fire Update
With a Chilcotins bike trip being an annual excursion for many local riders, there is no doubt a lot of concern about how the Tyaughton Fire is affecting the trails in the Spruce Lake area. The Whistler Bike posted an update as of June 15th at www.bikeco.ca:
“The trails have not been affected by the fire, and the situation on the west flank of the fire has now stablized enough that the evacuation order has been lifted for the Gun Creek Road, Tyaughton Lake and Mud Creek areas. This means we can once again access the trail heads at Taylor Creek and Jewel Creek, which is good news. It is important to note that an evacuation alert remains for these areas, which means there is a risk the fire could blow back to life with the right winds and the evacuation order could be reinstated at any time…” Read the full article here.
Why we ride…
With 7 Toonie Rides under our belts, and with the season well underway, it’s a good time to think about why we all come out every Thursday throughout the summer. WORCA’s mandate is to foster the use of bicycles in the community and, with a membership base of almost 1000 people to date, we’re doing an amazing job encouraging people to get out riding! Thursdays are now synonymous with having fun, exploring the trails, getting some excercise, and socializing with members of the coolest club in town. It’s truely an amazing community we’re a part of and we have to raise our hats to all the local businesses and organizations, without whom, these events wouldn’t be possible.
Hosting a Toonie Ride isn’t an easy (or cheap) undertaking so please keep in mind that the après is not a given, or a full course meal. It’s always a good idea to toss a couple of extra toonies in your camelbak in case you feel like sticking around for a few drinks. And remember to have fun and thank the sponsors for hosting such an amazing evening!
Please take a moment to read through our Toonie Ride Etiquette Guidelines:
STARTING
- The race starts at 6:30pm. If you want to push yourself and ride hard, make sure you are there before 6:30pm so that you can position yourself near the front of the pack. If you start late, you will end up trying to pass a lot of people who are slower than you.
- If you want to go at your own pace you may want to start a bit further back in the pack. This way you won’t have faster riders trying to pass you all the time. Some Loonie Rides will have staggered starts to break the group up a bit more.
ON THE TRAIL
- Helmets are Mandatory: Mountain biking can be hard on the body so please ensure you’re looking after your most important asset and wear a helmet!
- Stay on the Trail: As WORCA members we do our best to take care of the trails we have so they will last a long time. That means that we always stay on the trail. Cutting corners and riding off trail are not acceptable.
- Crowding: Sometimes the course becomes congested with riders and everyone is off their bike. This is part of the Loonie Ride experience. Be patient, wait your turn and eventually you will get going again.
- Passing: If you are riding along with people behind you, ask them if they want pass. Check regularly to see if there is anyone on your tail. If you notice someone behind you all of a sudden, they have already beaten you. Let them pass you when it is safe to do so. Likewise, if you would like to pass the person in front of you, ask them politely if you can pass them. Make sure it is a safe place to pass, stay on the trail and thank them for letting you by.
- Walking your bike: Sometimes the trail gets steep or very technical and people have to get off their bikes. This is perfectly fine and expected. If you are walking your bike and another person is riding their bike, step out of the way so they can continue riding. Someone on their bike always has the right of way. If you are the person riding on the trail and you come across people walking, call out ‘rider up!’ so they have time to move out of the way. Remember that sometimes you will get ‘bumped off’ your bike by riders in front of you. It’s going to happen and you can’t take this too seriously. Smile and have fun.
APRÈS & SPONSORS
- Food & Beer: The Loonie Rides would not exist without the support of our sponsors. The sponsors set the course, marshal and sweep it. They are not obligated to provide beer and food for everyone but most choose to do so. Show your appreciation to the sponsors by only having one serving and thanking them. The après is not a full course meal, but it is beer and a bite for $2. The sponsors appreciate your gratitude!
Thank you for becoming a member of WORCA.
Have fun, don’t take it too seriously and smile lots.
- The WORCA Board
June Trail Days
Our first trail days was a great success with 25 people coming out on May 16th and 20 people on May 23rd and 5 areas worked through: Tunnel Vision, Beaver Pass, the upper part of Lower Sproat, Cat Scratch Fever, and Emerald. Thanks to everyone for your hard work!
Our next trail days are scheduled for:
Dates: Saturday June 13th and June 20th
Time: 3pm until 6pm
Location: Meet at the entrance to White Knuckles (small pull out past the Rainbow Development).
Please bring gardening shears, clippers or smaller portable saws, and gardening gloves or old biking gloves.
Toonie Ride - June 11
Sponsors: Whistler Chiro, Whistler Physio, Whistler Medical Clinic & the Dubh Linn Gate
Sign In: 5:30, Cemetary on Westside Road
Ride: 6:30, Westside Trails
Après: The Dubh Linn Gate Pub
Childcare is available!
4-10 years, $20/child
Please contact Layna from Orkidz Art Studio at 604 902 0423 or on line at www.orkidzartstudio.com for more information and to register.
Cougar Warning - Squamish Farside
Everyone heading out for some pre-Test riding this weekend please take care:
Last night at 9:30 pm two riders coming out of the Farside trail (on the powerhouse entrance) had a 30 min standoff with a very large and healthy cougar. The cougar sat in the crouched position (on the gravel pad between the car park and trail head) staring at (with head low, hind raised, and tail flicking aggressively) them while they stood on the concrete blocks yelling at it. It remained there in that stance until a friend drove up in her car. These two riders were wearing big climbing packs and are not small people. It’s a bit un-nerving that a 180 lb guy (also a local mountain guide) and his wife cannot scare a cat away, and that this trail is used by many people daily riding and running solo.
A conservation officer is going into the area to check it out. Please do not head into the area alone.
If You Meet a Cougar
- Remember, cougars are very different than bears. Cougars do not bluff charge and playing dead is never recommended in a cougar attack.
- Don’t run. Cougars are a powerful predator. Running may trigger an attack.
- Face the cougar and retreat slowly. Keep direct eye contact with the cougar while you slowly retreat towards safety.
- Look larger than life. Raise your arms above your head to make yourself look larger than normal. This may help to intimidate the cougar.
- Pick up your small children. Cougars will often select smaller prey, such as children or pets. Pick your children up to discourage the attack.
- Report the sighting.
Call for Youth Mtn Bike Coaches!
WORCA operates eight one-week Youth Dirt Camps as well as 6 evening youth-oriented rides/clinics throughout the summer. The focus of our youth programs is safety, fun and mountain bike skill development (in that order!). We are currently looking for energetic leaders to work with an excited group of young mountain bikers this July and August. Our youth programs are for ages 6-12; flexibility and the ability to coach a range of ages/skill levels is required.
Interested? Please forward a resume and cover letter to info@worca.com.
Successful applicants will be asked to sign a contract and provide:
- A copy of your coaching certificate (NCCP recommended)
- A copy of your first aid certificate (minimum Standard First Aid Level 1 with CPR C)
- A criminal record check
At the moment, we are unsure of how many positions will be available. We thank all who apply, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted. Please note, positions may come available throughout the summer; we will hold on to applications for any future openings.
Four Jacks is Now Sold Out!
Thanks to everyone for your interest in this event - we’re excited to seeing you all out in July!
If you need to edit your bike information, you can access your online account here.
If you missed out on registering, we are accepting names on a waitlist.
For WORCA members only. Don’t have a membership yet? Purchase one online now.
You will be asked to sign in using the login and password you created when purchasing your membership. If you purchased a membership at an event, your login will be your email address; you can reset your password at the login page. Test if your account is working properly here (we may have had a hard time reading your handwriting).
If you didn’t provide an email address when you signed up for a membership, or are having any other problems with registration, please email info@worca.com.
Race Details posted here!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Not racing but still want to be part of the action? Please email thefourjacks2009@gmail.com for details!
Toonie Ride - June 4th
Sponsors: Summit, the Lift Coffee Co. & the GLC
Sign In: 5:30, Summit
Ride: 6:30, WB Trails
Après: Summit/the GLC
Childcare is available!
4-10 years, $20/child
Please contact Layna from Orkidz Art Studio at 604 902 0423 or on line at www.orkidzartstudio.com for more information and to register.
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