The first ever Pedal by the Puddle is now history. It was a great day. The weather gods co-operated as fifty-four enthusiastic riders between the ages of 11 and 61 years of age enjoyed our 10 km “almost-all-singletrack” course a grand total of 203 times. The fastest riders put in 9 laps-that’s almost 90 km of singletrack in 6 hours! Participants included a past Canadian National Champion, a World 24 Hour Solo Championships qualifier, and even a 2 time veteran of the infamous Mount Seven Psychosis Downhill, but best of all there were over 20 riders out there who had never before participated in any type of organized cycling event-good job!

Many, many thanks to our volunteers, our sponsors, our organizers, the local riders and those who traveled from out of town to make our event a success. We’re hoping to do it again next year–see you then! Watch www.puddlebike.com for upcoming details of next year’s event.

PHOTO GALLERY: Click Here

WHAT THE RIDERS SAID: Click Here

GO AHEAD, INDULGE YOUR VANITY! Order a racing photo of yourself or someone you love from Craig Smith at About Face Photography:  www.aboutface-photography.com

FINAL RACE RESULTS:  www.zone4.ca

As a novice mountain bike racer, this was a great event for getting my wheels wet.  The mostly single-track course had a flow to it that made it a treat to ride.  There was a great variety of terrain, technical challenges (manageable for even my limited capabilities), and even some wildlife thrown into the mix.  The enduro format gave the event a festival atmosphere which could be enjoyed by riders of all abilities for the entire six hours.  Congratulations to the organizers on a great event.

Awesome single track course with technical sections of roots and rocks all set in a Douglas-fir forest typical of Williams Lake riding.

I thoroughly enjoyed the race and the superbly organized and smooth operation. I thought the course was excellent for all levels of riders, and everyone I have talked to agreed.

Looking forward to next year!

Sweet course, excellent organization and a fun group of riders made for a great race!  Just about all ingletrack with lots of stuff to keep the suspension working.  Recommend a full suspension if your closet has both types.  Can’t wait for next year!

The course was more fun and exciting than a triple loop roller coaster, combining the sweetest single track trails that BC has to offer, with technical climbs combined with some super fast and flowing downhill sections. The best course I’ve seen! Time keeping was spot on and professional. The trophies given out after the race were thoughtfully designed handmade original works of art! And the generosity shown by the event organizers in the way of prizes both for top finishers and random draws was really amazing; no other race that I’ve been to even comes close! I can’t wait for next year!!

$74.00 / night - for double occupancy

For the special rate, mention the “Pedal by the Puddle bike race” when booking

1 800 663 6898
250 392 3321
1118 Lakeview Cres. Williams Lake, B.C.

This Sunday June 15th, celebrate Father’s Day with some exercise in the great outdoors, and ride in the “Pedal by the Puddle” 6 hour Enduro Mountain Bike event, the first event of its kind to be held in Williams Lake!

Deadline for entries is Friday, June 13th at 7pm, and deadline if you want your T-shirt size guaranteed is Friday June 6th.

What is an “Enduro”?

Our event takes place over a 6 hour time frame on a 10 km loop course which starts and finishes at the same location. The object is not to finish first, but to complete the greatest number of laps before the end of the event. There is a solo category for the hard cores, but most people do it as a (2 person) team.
Only one member of the team is on the course at any one time, in other words you take turns riding. (More detailed rules below).

Why an Enduro?

There are several reasons why we feel it’s a better format than a conventional race.

1. Because the race is defined by time, not distance, nobody finishes “last”. All riders finish the race at about the same time. Slower riders can ride at their own pace without feeling like they are “holding up” anyone. Faster riders who want a good workout can put in more laps and have a longer ride.
2. In a conventional race, most of us never see the faster riders after the start line, and never see them in action at all. In an Enduro, most of us will get passed by faster riders at some point. These “fast guys” are inspiring to watch, and it’s a good chance to see how skillfully these talented athletes negotiate the course.
3. When your team-mate is out riding, you get to relax, hang out with friends at the start/finish area, and watch the progress of the other teams. It’s interesting that the Wikipedia entry for Enduro racing says “Enduro races are credited with the revival of mountain bike racing in recent years, mainly as a result of their participation and festival nature”.

So if you have never raced, it’s a good chance to give it a try, challenge yourself, meet some other riders, and celebrate our sport!

I never ride uphill…why would I want to in this event?

The time has come, even if for just one day, to break off the chains of dependence on fossil fuels, shrink your carbon footprint, DEFY GRAVITY, and become self-propelled! Besides, gas is a buck thirty-five and rising. And look at all those people around you getting fatter-you don’t want to go there, do you? So give pedaling a try!

Directions to the Race Course:

Click HERE for directions to the course.

Map and course elevation profile:

Click HERE for directions to the course.

More detailed Race Rules:

Click HERE for more info.

Recommended Accommodation

Click HERE for more info.

How Do I Sign Up?

Entries are by pre-registration only. THERE ARE NO ENTRIES ON RACE DAY.
You can enter ONLINE at www.zone4.ca (Credit card payment)

Deadline for entries is Friday, June 13th at 7pm, and deadline if you want your T-shirt size guaranteed is Friday June 6th

You can enter IN PERSON (cash payment only) at Barking Spider Mountain Bike or Red Shreds Bike & Board Shed (both in Williams Lake).
Remember, you need to sign up ahead of time; in order to organize the timing for this event, we cannot accept any entries after the deadline of June 13th.
Cost for the race is $40 per person except for the youngest age category, which is $20 per person. Pedal by the Puddle T-shirts are $17, and if you want to be sure of getting your size, you need to enter by June 6th!

Questions?

Email: barkingspidermtb@hotmail.com or talk to Scotty at Barking Spider Mountain Bike or Mark at Red Shreds Bike & Board Shed, both in Williams Lake.

Deadline for entries is Friday, June 13th at 7pm, and deadline if you want your T-shirt size guaranteed is Friday June 6th.

Race start time is 10:00 am. You can pick up race packages at the race site between 8:30 am and 9:30 am on race day, or at Barking Spider Mountain Bike in Williams Lake on Saturday June 14th between 10am and 5pm. You will also be required to sign a waiver (or parents on behalf of their children under 19) when you pick up your race package. Remember, this needs to be done before 9:30 on race day or we can’t allow you to race!

This is a “six hour” event, starting at 10 am. In actual fact it lasts 6 1/2 hours. Riders/teams complete as many laps as possible before the 6 1/2 hour mark (4:30pm). New laps can be started up until the 6 hour mark (4pm) but must be completed before 6 1/2 hours. If you finish your last lap at 4:29, your lap counts, if you finish at 4:31 you get no credit for the last lap. In the event of a tie in the number of laps between teams (this often happens), the fastest completion time for those laps wins. For teams, the only requirement is that both riders must complete at least one lap, otherwise any combination is acceptable. Most teams have riders alternating one lap at a time but some teams do 2 at a time, some have the stronger rider do more laps and so on. It’s up to you! There are several race categories based on age and gender. Age categories are determined by the total age of the 2 riders on the team (0-45, 46-90, or over 90). Teams can be both women, both men, or mixed.

As is traditional in Mountain Bike racing, you are expected to be self-sufficient. There is no support on the course for bike repairs, however there will be course marshals strategically placed out on the course. They can communicate to the start area if you have any problems. If you cannot finish a lap due to, for example, a bike breakdown, you can have the marshal notify the start officials to cancel your lap and tell your teammate to start out.

A word on Trail Etiquette:

The majority of the course is on single track because that is what we all love to ride. The down side is that this sometimes makes passing difficult. If you’re faster than someone ahead, let them know (politely!) you want to get by, but be patient and wait for a wide spot. If you’re holding someone up, pull over as soon as you can. Remember it’s not the World Cup-Enduros are meant to be fun for everyone!

Other stuff:

This event takes most of the day and there is a fair bit of hanging out involved, which is one of the charms of this type of event. There is a lot of room to spread out at the start/finish area so bring some lawn chairs, a cooler, food and drink, and maybe some protection from the elements (hopefully the sun!). There will be a concession on site, and room for the kiddies to ride their own bikes around. Unfortunately we have no kids’ event this year, but will plan for one in future if the demand is there!

How Do I Sign Up?

Entries are by pre-registration only. THERE ARE NO ENTRIES ON RACE DAY.
You can enter ONLINE at www.zone4.ca (Credit card payment)

Deadline for entries is Friday, June 13th at 7pm, and deadline if you want your T-shirt size guaranteed is Friday June 6th.

You can enter IN PERSON (cash payment only) at Barking Spider Mountain Bike or Red Shreds Bike & Board Shed (both in Williams Lake).
Remember, you need to sign up ahead of time; in order to organize the timing for this event, we cannot accept any entries after the deadline of June 13th.
Cost for the race is $40 per person except for the youngest age category, which is $20 per person. Pedal by the Puddle T-shirts are $17, and if you want to be sure of getting your size, you need to enter by June 6th!

Questions?

Email: barkingspidermtb@hotmail.com or talk to Scotty at Barking Spider Mountain Bike or Mark at Red Shreds Bike & Board Shed, both in Williams Lake.

View Larger Map

Start at the main traffic light on Hwy 97, known locally as “The Y”. Turn onto Hwy 20 to Bella Coola, go down the hill, across McKenzie Ave. and South Lakeside Dr. (both have traffic lights), stay on Hwy 20 which then climbs uphill. At 2.5 kms from the “Y” you turn left onto Dog Creek Rd. (follow signs to Chimney Lake). Follow the Dog Creek Rd. (winds uphill) for 3.6 km, past a store then a school (both on the left). Turn left onto Gun-A-Noot Trail. From there follow the signs to the parking and race site.

View Larger Map

Scout Island Nature Centre provides a relatively secluded, natural place for wildlife and plant viewing. It is a special place in the heart of our community where you can hear the “unfurling of leaves in the spring, feel the rustle insect wings, and absorb the cry of the loon.” This is best done by walking the trails of the Nature Centre.

For wildlife to continue to feel “secure” at the nature centre, there are no bikes allowed on Scout Island Trails. The trails were not built to handle bikes. Bikes may disturb the sensitive plants and wildlife that inhabit Scout Island such as foxes, muskrats, wood ducks and our many anthills.

Scout Island Nature Center encourages the public to ride their bikes to the Nature Center or beach, then lock them at the provided bike racks and walk the trails and visit the NatureCenter.

Williams Lake is renowned for its many bike trails for all levels such as the River Valley and Fox Mountain Trails. Please contact the Info Center or Red Shred’s Bike and Board Shed at 398-7873 for more information or maps to these trails.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Scout Island Nature Center and the City of Williams Lake

WILLIAMS LAKE - The Williams Lake Cycling Club will be hosting a bike rodeo inBoitanio Mall April 14, and kids of all ages are invited to come out and ride the ramps. Along with the bike course, club members Sal Demare and Dwayne Chamberlain are planning to shave their heads (or upper-bodies in Sal’s case) to raise funds for the club and their Sprockids youth program.

The bike rodeo course will encompass about half of the lower level of Boitanio Mall and organizers plan to make good use of the floor space in order to give riders plenty of entertaining options.

“This is a great way to bring riders together early in the spring,” said club president Mark Savard. “We’re going to be selling club memberships, premiering new videos and just having a blast.”

The club has other events planned throughout the spring and summer including:

• Weekly rides for youth, ladies and advanced riders
• Bike repair and riding workshop through leisure services
• Trail maintenance
• Fall Fair Demo - Team Norco Demo
• An enduro race

The Williams Lake Cycling Club has been in operation for two years and currently has many local members. The club is actively involved in organizing events for youth and representing cycling in local land-use planning. More information on the club and all the exciting events they have planned can be found on their web site at www.puddlebike.com. The site also has tons of photos of talented local riders exploring all the amazing riding opportunities Williams Lake has to offer.

The bikes have been donated by members of the public in Williams Lake to go through the Sanctuary Foundation, assisted by the Canadian International Development Agency, to a Third World Country.

The bike club over the years has been collecting old bikes and parts, which were repaired and put together and then given to kids without bikes, or kids whose bikes had been stolen, Mark Savard, of Red Shred’s said.

“Late in the summer we had more than 100, 10 and 12 speed road bikes, and one of my sales reps from Vancouver said he wanted to send bikes to a Third World country, where kids were dream candidates for these unused steeds,” Savard said.

“They came up with a U-Haul for a load and now they’re trying to do another northern sweep with a bigger truck. Then they’ll do an exchange program. Where kids can come here to work on the bikes so we’re not shipping junk. So the bikes will go to people that can use them in Cuba.” he said.

The Sanctuary Foundation has been working with CIDA for the last two years to implement a technology exchange with the Cuban Ministry of Education. The project is designed to create infrastructure for a bicycle industry. Bicycles are the main form of transportation in Cuba, Where there are 12 million people and about four million bikes on the road.

Williams Lake has more than 50 bikes ready for the next load, Savard said.