Young cyclists are set to begin the first of a series of gruelling events in this year’s Hayman Classic starting Friday, May 25.
A record number of nearly 120 competitors, including Summerland’s Tamatea Westby, will be competing in what’s billed as one of the best youth cycling events of its kind in Western Canada.
Racers from B.C., Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Yukon and Ontario, as well as American riders from Washington, Oregon and Montana are scheduled to do battle in this challenging race series.
The initial event is a time trial starting in Okanagan Falls Friday, along Eastside Road and ending with a punishing climb up Smythe Drive to the finish line at Painted Rock Winery.
Penticton MLA Dan Ashton will be waiting there to hand out prizes to the winners.
After a lunch break, it’s back at it again on the asphalt of Area 27, Canada’s newest motor speedway just east of Oliver.
In the circuit race, cyclists will do continuous laps around the sinuous 4.8-kilometre course and the number of laps will range from 13 to 19 depending on age. Start time is 4 p.m.
“It’s shaping up to be our best yet,” said organizer and race namesake Ron Hayman, one of the first Canadian cyclists to turn pro in the 1970s and a member of the Canadian team at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. “We have topography and courses and stuff that aren’t really available in many other parts of the province. It’s getting increasingly difficult to organize an event of this calibre west of Chilliwack.”
Flooding in the Oliver area resulted in some course changes, which threw a bit of wrench into the works but in the end everything, including permits from the highways ministry, all came together in time according to Hayman.
“Riders from the Kelowna youth team have been down for the last few days riding the new course and they absolutely love it,” said Hayman. “It’s not quite as tough a course but the advantage is we can keep a large group of riders together longer which makes for a better race.
“The hill (on the previous course) was so selective, if you didn’t incline with the lead riders you were immediately blown away and left to your own devices for the rest of the race. So this way, the pack stays together and they draft each other and it’s becomes more tactical, more interesting really.”
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The race, as it has for three of the last four years, will double as the B.C. Youth Cycling Championship. The first B.C. finishers in the time trial, criterium and road race will don the B.C. Champions jerseys in those disciplines.
This year’s race has also caught the attention of Cycling Canada, the sports national body.
At the end of the races, that organization will kick off a two-day, talent ID camp to identify and provide advice to young riders who hope to move up the amateur ranking or go on to ride professionally.
There will be plenty of riding during that event including a race up Carmi hill.
The weekend will include a wide range of skill levels, from beginners in the U13 category to those who have competed on the world stage.
“I think the participation rate is going up and word of mouth is that this is a solid event and it’s one of the very few that’s focused entirely on riders under 19 years of age,” said Hayman, 63, who has lived here for 25 years and wanted a competition designed strictly for young people in his “own backyard.”
He spoke with the coach of an Ontario team who couldn’t wait to bring his 15 cyclists to the event, in spite of the fact there was another event the same weekend much closer to home.
“He said the reason for coming is that this is 100 per cent focused on youth, ‘that you have four unique races that are challenging and different than our riders will ever experience and I have more chance of retaining kids in this sport of getting them truly hooked on cycling in doing something epic like this rather than just going to another run of the mill race in our own backyard.'”
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Saturday morning Cycling B.C. is also hosting a free iRide Expo to help younger riders develop their skills. It will be at Riverside Park and registration is necessary at cyclingbc.net/event/iride-05-26-2018.
Hayman’s biggest thrill. “Just getting them on bikes in a safe environment,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed the game of bike racing. It takes a high level of fitness but it’s also very tactical. You can never be coached entirely, you have to experience it, you have to make mistakes, you have to go into a corner too fast and lay it down and all of those things you can only do if you have the adrenaline and the pressure of racing.”
The event wraps up Sunday with the road race in the Oliver area.
