Lucas Punkari
Local cyclists will have a chance to see how well they match with one another this Sunday afternoon when a 25-km individual time trial is held here.
The event is being organized by local rider Jeff Tilbury, who has been biking for more than 20 years and would like to give fellow area riders something they can take part in.
“I just want to try and promote some friendly competition among the riders here in Fort Frances, and to also give the riders something that they can challenge themselves with,” Tilbury explained.
“Why I chose the time trial type event was the fact that sometimes riders aren’t really comfortable doing group racing, so it also makes sure that those cyclists that aren’t maybe that accomplished to have the chance to take part in something that they aren’t intimidated about being in,” he added.
The event is open for riders who have mountain bikes, road bikes, and triathlon bikes, with each class being placed in different categories so the riders will be matching their times against equal equipment.
The 25-km course will start at the boat landing on McIrvine Road, then turn left onto Colonization Road West (Highway 602) to Highway 611.
The riders then will head north on Highway 611 to Stewart Road before making a right-hand turn to head back to Highway 602 and the boat landing.
“The roads will be open to traffic so people need to adhere to the rules of the road as they are out there,” stressed Tilbury, who will be holding a safety meeting with the riders before they head off.
“And of course, all of the riders will need to wear a helmet because we won’t let anyone go out there if they don’t have one.”
Going into Sunday’s event, Tilbury’s goal is to make sure it gives riders a chance to take part in something they don’t get a chance to participate in that often here in Fort Frances.
“I just want to promote and get people out doing some cycling,” he reasoned.
“I know there a lot of riders that are out there doing things on their own, but hopefully this can bring those people together a little bit and we can develop this into having some more events and things like this on an ongoing basis.”
The entry fee is $5, with registration taking place from 12:45-1:15 p.m. at the boat landing on McIrvine Road.
The riders then will start to take off around 1:30 p.m.
For more information, contact Tilbury at 274-6848 or via e-mail at jwtilson@shaw.ca