Organizers of Canmore Bikefest, a new 10-day cycling festival beginning on July 3, believe the community has the tools to become the next big cycling destination in North America and signal the return of Canada Cup races to the region.
“I’d like to see something like Crankworks in Whistler, where people plan their year around it. The sky is the limit. Crankworks gets up to 10,000 people for some of its events. I’d like to have Canmore as a bike destination. There are so many aspects to this community,” said Ron Sadesky, one of the organizers of this year’s event.
Combining road, mountain bike and jump bike disciplines, BikeFest will host 14 activities, ranging from high-end races to family-friendly clinics. Canmore has excellent road biking, mountain biking and jump park trails, as well as a large group of passionate cyclists in the community, and nearby city; all ingredients for a big two-wheel event.
“The whole goal is to get more people on bikes. You have racers, mountain bikers, road riders, people who commute to work, a whole gamut of people. Everyone is on the same page to get these events going and celebrate the bike,” Sadesky said.
Many of the events will be familiar to Bow Valley cyclists, as the Rundle Mountain Cycling Club Stage Race and the Kananaskiker Mountain Bike Festival have now been merged into the festival. They are the backbone for the event, which will also include a progressive bike tour, shred sisters mountain bike youth clinic, bike movie premier and the newly created Cemetery Bike Park Jump Jam Session and barbecue.
“As I expressed interest in this, everyone had ideas of someone to contact. I’ve had a number of discussions. Everyone is on the same page to get the events going and celebrate the bike,” Sadesky said.
Eventually, he envisions Canada Cup Mountain Bike races returning to the Canmore Nordic Centre, but said that could still be two years away.
“We’re in discussions with Cycling Canada. One of the things we’re looking at is to find another venue in Alberta to pair with Canmore. If there are two races back-to-back, they are more likely to come. Right now we’re looking at 2017. I don’t think 2016 is realistic,” Sadesky said.
This year, mountain bike races will begin with the Friday Night Eliminator on July 3, a 500m to 1000m handicapped obstacle race for all abilities on Spring Creek Drive. The format of the race allows young riders to face off against grizzled veterans on course that suit their abilities. A Little Goat Push Bike circuit will also be added to this year’s event.
“Last year, the Friday Night Eliminator was a ton of fun. I hope we have more people this year who can ride and partake in the beer garden,” Sadesky said.
That race is followed up with the Super-D downhill race at the Canmore Nordic Centre on July 4, pitting the best downhill riders head to head on a technical course, and an Alberta Cup mountain bike race on July 5, also at the Nordic Centre. The Alberta Cup course uses more cross-country terrain. That race will be held in conjunction with a youth trailblazers cross-country bike race.
On July 7, Olympic medallist Sara Renner will host a progressive bike dinner. Renner will lead a bike tour to many of the best restaurants in Canmore, for an eclectic dining experience.
June 7 will also see the Shred Sisters Girls Mountain Bike Youth Clinic. The clinic is aimed at beginner to intermediate riders between the ages of 12 and 17. Trailsport is offering discounted bike rentals for the event from 6 p.m. to 8:30 at the Nordic Centre.
On July 8, the Bikefest will host a poker ride around town. Cyclists can pick up their tickets between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Canmore Civic Centre. The ride concludes with the premiere of the film “Builder” at the Canmore Miner’s Union Hall at 7:30 p.m.
On July 10, The Cemetery Park Jam will begin at 5 p.m. complete with four ability classes, including push bikes for kids. Prizes will be awarded to the top three riders in each class.
The road cyclists take over on July 11, beginning with the first Sivertip Hill Climb, where riders will hammer the 1.94-km climb in two-minute intervals. The road cycling races will all be part of the provincial championships.
July 11 will also see the RMCC crit races near Main Street, in the most spectator friendly of races.
Bikefest then concludes on July 12 with the Provincial Championship Road Race, which will be held between the Nordic Centre and Three Sisters Parkway.
Visit www.bikecanmore.ca for more details.
