Fort Garry (Bubba) Cup #1 Results

The first ever race of the Fort Garry Bike Club was held this past Saturday. After some rules clarification and agreement on the exact route of the race course, 5 riders took to the start line: Juan Eppstein and Dave Unger, Jonny G, Anita, and Chris. Right off the start, Jonny set a blistering pace of 35 km plus, which quickly fractured the pack. Chris managed to bridge up by Omands Creek with Juan only a few seconds back. An untimely puncture by Jonny left Chris alone in front, with Juan still only seconds behind and charging fast. After the mandatory off-road section (Devil's Ditch to the footbridge) Chris and Juan were back together, but still riding way-too-hard. Despite some turn-taking at the front the lead group of two stayed together all the way back to Omand's Creek. Chris attacked on the climb up to the footbridge and again on the hill up to Wolseley Ave, both times gaining a few seconds on Juan. Jonny was still fixing his tire at this point. Though flirting with a heartrate of 187 bpm, Chris managed to hold off Juan for a narrow 14 second win. Dave took a provisional third place and Anita, after an incident with a parked van back in the park, brought up the rear. But things were not over just yet. Jonny protested for a second opportunity, and was granted a chance to ride solo against the clock to see what he could do. Unable to be pushed by other riders in the group, he came in a couple minutes back, but good enough for third place.

Final Results:

Chris - 26.59
Juan - 27.13
Jonny G - 29.22
Dave U. - 32.15
Anita - 38.17

Series standings after race #1:

Chris - 10 pts
Juan - 9
Jonny G - 8
Dave U - 7
Anita - 6
Everyone else - 0

A couple more things:

1) One significant rule issue came up: tires. The question was raised whether "slicks" were a legitimate tire for this race. It was decided that they were not. But that was before Juan showed up with slicks on his bike. We allowed him to race with a "this time only" clause. This will need to be taken up at the next meeting, before definitive action can be taken. Does Juan need an asterisk posted beside his time, like the one beside Roger Maris's home run total in 1961?

2) Bubba? Whither art thou? Sadly, a trip to the vendor by the Fox and Hound yielded no Bubba. Our official sponsor was quick to step in and supply us with a 12 of FGD for the post-race festivities. Do Bubbas no longer exist? What implications does this have for the name of our race series?

3) A few pictures were taken and will be sent to the secretary as soon as possible.

4) Next race date and place to be discussed on Tuesday after hockey. Possible venues include Garbage Hill, Birds Hill Park, Whittier Park.

Chris.