The Williams Lake Cycling Club hosted the second annual Peel Out Mountain Bike Festival this past weekend in Williams Lake.
The event was a huge success growing by 45 per cent from 2010 with 140 participants.
In addition to racers, another 35 people from around the Interior were in Williams Lake riding and participating in the festival.
The weekend began with the Fox Mountain Downhill Race. A beautiful day and perfect course conditions blessed the 124 riders who took part.
The pro-men’s winner was local favourite Cory Brunelle, who posted a new course record of 4:57, beating out pro rider James Doerfling, who took second at a time of 5:05. Both riders are from Williams Lake.
The pro-women’s class was won by Nicole LeBlanc with a time of 6:01, followed by Alexis Moore with a time of 6:03.
Riders congregated at the Boitanio Bike Park after the race for the jump jam practice and the Peel Out Duel Slalom race. The rain held off while riders enjoyed a barbecue lunch and checked out the Norco Demonstration Centre.
Saturday night, the club hosted the Peel Out concert to a sold-out crowd of 130 riders.
The Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium released the new regional mountain bike website and premiered a new video from Solos Productions. The website, ridethecariboo.ca, will have all the Peel Out results and weekend summary posted later this week.
Riders were greeted with rain and extreme trail conditions on Sunday morning for the super-downhill race. But despite conditions 45 riders braved the rain for what was a super-fun, grassroots-style event.
Trading places from Saturday, the super-downhill was won by James Doerfling with a time of 12:46, followed one second later by Cory Brunelle with a time of 12:47.
The pro-women’s class was won by local City planner Liliana Dragowska with a time of 19:57, followed by Alexis Moore with a time of 22:01.
“Overall, we are extremely pleased with the event,” says club director Mark Savard. “I talked to nearly every rider and spectator and everyone was super stoked on the event and can’t wait until next year.”
Unfortunately the Boitanio Bike Park Jump Jam was cancelled due to rain. Event organizers said it was not an easy decision, but in the end was the right one.
The club and the City have invested more than $500,000 into the bike park, and a competition in such wet conditions would have severely damaged the park.
“I think the success of this event indicates the level of enthusiasm this community has for mountain biking,” says Justin Calof, chair of the Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium.
“Our ability to attract riders from all over the province for this event is a clear demonstration of the potential economic contribution that mountain biking can make to this city and region.”
For more information on the Peel Out and an event summary visit ridethecariboo.ca.