It’s been a couple of days since the race and there’s great coverage popping up on other bike sites. As you’ll see, almost all of the photos in these writeups show people with mud-eating grins on their faces — that’s pretty much the way the weekend went.
Pinkbike.com did a phenomenal job of stepping in and getting the race off the ground in a really short amount of time. There’s no question that the first Arduum Challenge wouldn’t have been as successful without Tyler’s work behind the scenes. Pinkbike really stepped up its race coverage this year, and that’s important in getting the word out to the casual rider / fan, so kudos for that.
Dan Barham put together a good mood piece for NSMB.com that has some great pictures of riders covered in mud. Thanks to Cam McRae for giving the Challenge some front page exposure!
All incoming links help make this race more popular! If your site linked to the website (before or after the race), let me know and I’ll add you to the list! You can also add links in the comment box below.
On behalf of myself and the team, I would like to thank all the volunteers and racers. You guys made this event a success for us. The weather was terrible, the course was muddy…but a freakin’ blast to ride…and you were still there. You guys deserve so many props. We had so much fun listening to your “adventure” tales, seeing your smiles and watching you “ride” what many were calling the hardest course they had ever ridden. You guys made it all worthwhile for us. In fact we had so much fun and enjoyed ourselves so much we are discussing doing it again next year. We haven’t discussed dates yet…only not the 3rd week of Oct. Before the race, we had discussed some alterations to the course, making it even better. Pop back here whenever you can and check for updates.
Before everyone starts sending me nasty notes looking for race times, here they are. I didn’t put them in a results format, just the starting order.
Thanks again to EVERYONE that braved the elements this weekend. I will also be posting up links to pictures when I get them. Send me an email at greg@freeridedawgs.com if you find some pictures of the race that I don’t have listed.
You’ll need the Adobe Acrobat reader to view this file. If you don’t have it installed on your computer, download the reader for free at the Adobe website.
Both men and women get the same category breakdown and, at this point, there is not a pro/elite category but we are working on a couple last minute deals to try to make it happen. The category breakdown will be as follows:
There will also be a $100.00 purse for the fastest man and the fastest woman.
Registration times:
Registration will be open on Saturday from 10:00am-3:00pm and on Sunday from 8:00am-9:30am. Please help us keep the schedule on time by registering as early as possible.
Shuttles
Shuttles will run from 10:30am-3:30pm on Saturday and 8:00am-10:00am on Sunday. There will be closed shuttles for volunteers after these times, but you must be a volunteer. No exceptions.
Concession
The concession will be open both days from 10:00am-5:00pm.
Apologies to the young rippers
We do apologize to the younger rippers. We know you really want to race this course but due to the short timeline and insurance costs we couldn’t make it happen for you. Next year we will do what we can to make it happen. In the meantime, come out, watch, volunteer, and cheer. You can still take part in the event.
Between the Tape
RACING AT 11:00am SUNDAY!!!!!
To get here:
The closest address is the Mission Rod and Gun Club 10969 Dewdney Trunk Rd. Mission BC. You can get directions right from your home address. There will be signs to show you where to park.
From Vancouver
Head east along HWY 1
Take Mary Hill Bypass exit to Maple Ridge (before the Port Mann Bridge)
Take Mary Hill Bypass to end, turn right and cross Pitt River Bridge
Head east until you reach Dewdney Trunk Road in Maple Ridge (there’s a Staples on your right). Don’t turn before you see the Staples store.
Head east on Dewdney Trunk Road, pass through Maple Ridge, cross the dam, and continue until you see the Mill Pond (the bottom of the Bear Mountain run
From Mission // Abbotsford
From Mission, take the Cedar Connector (north) from the bypass
Turn left at Keystone
Turn right onto Dewdney Trunk Road
Head west you see the Mill Pond (the bottom of the Bear Mountain run
The teaser trailer on the front page of this site gives you an idea of what the smoothest parts of the course are made from. Of course, if that were the entire course, everybody would be blasting down the hill in record times. Here’s a longer video of Arduum that shows how steep and tech the course really is:
Last night, the race was given official approval from the District of Mission. We’ll have a full race schedule up in the next few hours so everyone can start planning their weekend.
One more thing: it’s supposed to be wet so bring your tech skills along with your bikes!
To register for the 2007 Arduum Challenge, being held on 20-21 October 2007, you need to complete the appropriate documentation and have it ready for processing when you arrive. You can download the forms from this site, print them out, fill them out, and bring them with you the day of the race. Keep in mind that if you have the information part of the forms filled out beforehand we can get you up and on course a whole lot faster.
You can also pick up forms at the Experience Cycling store in Maple Ridge.
Important! If you were given young looks and the bouncers at the bars remind you of that then you will need ID here too. If you are 17 then we will need a parent to come and sign the waiver as well. If you do not have a parent with you or photo ID and a medical card then we can’t let you race. If you are under 17, you’ll have to wait until next year.
Money: CASH ONLY! $35.00 for the race $25.00 for FVMBA members(there will be membership available onsite).
Serious stuff out of the way. Let’s get up the mountain and rip this thing.
