Mace has signed on as a sponsor for the final BC Cup race of the season. Held at Kicking Horse resort, just outside of Golden BC if you can make it this is one race you don’t want to miss. But enough from me we got a press release from them yesterday and I figure we should share the info, so here you go.

April 28th, 2010, Golden, B.C…. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is pleased to help present the ‘Western Open’ downhill race on August 28th & 29th.  The race is the BC Cup Finals and the first ever dual sanctioned Alberta and BC Cup race.  Online pre-race registration is now open at cyclingbc.net and to help get racers motivated to sign up early SE Racing, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and Cycle Path Calgary have teamed up to build a sweet pre-registration perks program.

“It’s all about getting racers pumped up for one of the biggest race events of the year” states Stephen Exley, Race Director for the Western Open.  “The racer perks program is developed to help spread the prize benefits to everyone who attends the event.  With a prize draw, free cow bell and Spank Puff frame there is no reason to wait till the last second to sign up.  Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has also stepped up with a special pre-race training ticket for all pre-registered racers before the race.”

The pre-registration prizes are provided by Cycle Path Calgary.  A new prize will be drawn every month leading up to the Western Open along with a grand prize Spank Puff Frame will be given away at the pre-race patio shakedown on Saturday August 28th.  This month Bill MacEwen from Vancouver BC has won a Maxis Minion DH front tire.

The Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Bike Park is extending a 50% discount on day lift tickets to all racers who have pre-registered for the Western Open.  Proof of registration is required for all racers who are planning to take advantage of this discount.  The bike park opens for summer operations on June 11th (Fri, Sat & Sun), with seven day a week operations starting June 25th.  Along with a great racer training ticket price, the park will be hosting an extended play every Friday with the last load up at 7:45pm.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and SE Racing have scheduled the Western Open for August 28th & 29th, 2010. Last summer KHMR was the host of the Western Cup and set a staggering precedent for future circuit downhill races. The re-worked Pioneer Race Course proved challenges to experienced racers and thrilled spectators. Moving with the momentum of last year’s unique event, the 2010 race will embody similar course elements with the addition of celebration events in the plaza.

Proceeds for the race will go to the Love for Lola Foundation, which will assist with the Exley’s daughters rehabilitation.  A healthy, active two year old who was stricken with a rare virus, which attacked her brain, leaving her with lifelong disabilities.  One year ago, Lola was unable to hold her head up, and now she’s running and playing. Her story is posted at www.loveforlola.com and www.ourloveforlola.blogspot.com.

Knocked off a short 4 1/2 hours of driving today, the first warm up drive of my cross Canada tour. I’m in Penticton, BC right now, I have two school shows tomorrow, plus a yoga class in Kelowna in the evening—busy first day! (Yoga is at OranjDance starting at 6:45pm and is a fundraiser that benefits Pediatric Cancer Research-check out my fundraising page-more to come on that)

So I pulled up to what looked like a clean cozy hotel, it was pretty late so I didn’t want to be too picky. First odd sign was that the attendant at the front desk didn’t know how to swipe my credit card. Hmmm. Anyway, got my key, grabbed my things from the truck, walked in the smelly room and looked at the caved in bed, hmmm, pulled the sheets up and spotted a bed bug, eeeee. Caryn and I had done our research from previous encounters, there was no doubt. Not good. I booked it out of there and put myself up somewhere decent. Might do some camping this tour!

I’m just downloading a couple new songs right now to add to my yoga playlist for tomorrow nights class. It’ll be a 75 minute long session, I think it might be a hard class, I have to go over my routine after writing this blog. I always like to mix my yoga classes up a bit, different each time, some spontaneity.

Well, I’ll sign off for now. More soon….and hey, don’t let the bed bugs bite…

Ryan

Once in a while people ask me how I got into the cycling industry and what they can do to help open doors for themselves. My answer is simple: follow your passions.  From the beginning, I had no idea where I would end up but I knew it would have something to do with cycling, so I just kept riding.

When I finished high school riding was a daily event, responsibility was a distant, abstract notion and trails ran like veins through the forest straight from my front door. In the winters there was skiing every day and parties at night,  in the summers there was riding every day and, you get the picture.  Yes for seven seasons I spent my time deeply entrenched in the Whistler bubble. Sometimes I would escape for a semester of learning or a winter in New Zealand. But  seven years slipped by in what seemed like months and then one day I decided I needed a change, a drastic change  -working in a shop was good but it was time for something more.

When I came out of high school I had no idea what I wanted to do, well, other than ski and ride bikes so that is what I did. When I came out of Whistler I knew exactly what I wanted to do; get an education and one of those real job thingys, you know, the ones that everyone is always talking about. So I did two big years of school and was flushed into the workforce with the masses, but I quickly found I missed the cycling and skiing lifestyle because I didn’t fit into a normal work environment- apparently not everyone wants to spend their time talking about bicycles. I know, I am as surprised as you are.

Somehow, with a little luck and some skill I found my way back into the cycling industry, this time with a real job. Yes I would have my cake and eat it too. And, what a tasty cake it turned out to be. I never expected to end up where I am now. These days I ride and I work and it is the perfect combination.   There are still trails close to my front door, though I don’t ride them everyday, but they are there. It took some time but I found my way into what I wanted to do.

What was the seceret? Well, this story all comes down to one thing:  following your passions. People are more than willing to offer advice about where you should take your life, but being riders makes us different – we are used to following different paths. As long as you keep to the path your passions take you there is a better than good chance that you’ll find what you are looking for, even if you don’t know what it is you are looking for at the time. Keep on riding.

If you have penchant for excellent mountain bike flics then you need to go and see the Premiere tour kick off of Follow Me this Friday at the Vogue theater in Vancouver BC. The show will be going off from 8pm-11pm and promises to be a great time.

Okay, I admit that I haven’t personally seen this movie, but the report from the crew that just got back from Sea Otter, and caught the special screening, is that Follow Me is nothing short of epic. For more information check out their facebook page. In the meantime here is their official trailer – you know, to tickle your video taste buds.