Thirty-five mountain bikers gathered at the Bluff to race the first of three Upchucks last Sunday.
The race took participants up the Uptrack and then down the Shining and Smoothie trails, before riding on the boardwalk back to the parking lot.
“When we were pitching the idea somebody said, ‘That’s going to be a puker,’ so we thought let’s call it the Upchuck,” said organizer Gabe Newman.
Racers faced different challenges on the route.
The first half demanded that they climb a rather steep uphill before proceeding on the downhill trails, where they had to choose between a risky but faster trail or a less efficient but safer route.
The 35 participants included 10 women — a new record, according to Newman.
Michael Jordan won in the men’s category with a time of 19:00.
“It was a really fun race and it was a good turn out,” said Jordan. “I guess I was lucky I didn’t have any crashes or anything like that.”
Jordan also had the advantage of starting first, which meant he did not have to manoeuvre around slower cyclists.
Jordan beat Ryan Goldsmith, who took second with a time of 22:13, followed by JF Richer with a time of 24:08.
“I bike a lot on the road and on the trails and I know these trails too, so I think that’s part of my secret,” said Jordan.
In the women’s category, Newman won with a time of 25:40. Laura Bakermans followed closely with a time of 25:55. Brandy Hughes took third with a time of 26:53.
In the Masters’ category, Oren MacDougall won with a time of 21:51.
In the kids’ category, Heiko Krause won with a time of 25:06.
