The Sea to Sky corridor has once again proved its reputation for producing top performing athletes.

On August 1st three Squamish mountain bikers won gold at the Canada Summer Games. The athletes came first in the relay event that saw each rider complete one lap of the 6km course at the Bison Butte Mountain Bike Park, specifically designed for the games.

The Team BC all-star lineup included Rhys Verner, Sean Fincham and Holden Jones. At one point Team Quebec had a 14 second lead over BC but Fincham managed to narrow the gap. Family and friends cheered on the Squamish local to add some extra motivation to see him finally pass Team Quebec on the last turn before the sprint to the finish.

Fincham got into the saddle 14 seconds behind Team Quebec and says he was a little worried; “it was a pretty big gap to close especially on a course like this where it is really close racing. But I thought I can do this and worked on sections and tried to pick up a few seconds on each section.” Fincham recognized his team mates’ effort following the win; “It feels good to win with the team because they have all put in an awesome effort and to be able to close it feels really good.”

CSG2

 

In the women’s relay race Team BC managed a bronze medal finish with local Sea to Sky and Sunshine Coast riders Julia Long of Whistler and Lucy Schick of Gibsons in the trio. Long, who participated in Nationals last year was excited to try a new event; “The relay event is new, and I haven’t done anything like this before so it’s pretty exciting.”

The 2017 Canada Summer Games that are taking place in Winnipeg this year will run until August 13th.

 

Filed under: Athletes, Biking, Canada Summer Games, Gibsons, Mountain bike, Sea to Sky, Squamish, Sunshine Coast, Whistler