ECMTB's Woolastook 5

By O9man

Sunday June 3rd couldn't have been a better day for five plus hours of riding in Woolastook Park, NB. Well, I guess that isn't quite true, cheeky beavers managed to chew through water and power lines to the clubhouse so we were left without electricity and running water. But that was a small price to pay for such a perfect day weather-wise. Thirty-six racers turned up from varying backgrounds to take part in East Coast Mountain Biking's Woolastook 5. The mix of riders included pros, elite racers, amateur racers and even a few first time racers.

If the course had to be described in one word that word would be 'fast'. The singletrack was smooth and full of flow, with a few tricky downhill spots for excitement and a couple of hard climbs. The atmosphere of the race was great. Some riders were interested in placing well in the standings, while others were interested in enjoying the day. Both groups got along well and respected each other's intentions.

Matt Hadley, pro rider for Rocky Mountain Bikes, was in town and decided to race as a team with friend Daniel Sessford who races for Everti Titanium Bicycles and Schwalbe Tires. Sessford was a long way from his hometown in Whitehorse.

"Dan and I raced as a team as neither of us felt like riding 10 laps on our own. So we figured that we could each do 2.5 hours and that would be similar to a regular mountain bike race for us, hence better training," explained Hadley. Together they managed 11 laps with a few seconds to spare for a 12th had they been so inclined. On the style of the race Hadley commented: "I quite like these endurance races, but I much prefer the marathon-style race as in the Elgin 80, where you never have to repeat yourself. I really like to ride a long distance and go somewhere while I do it."

Hadley had two weeks off from racing, thus his visit home. He was coming off three Canada Cup races in Quebec where he placed 8th, 7th, and 5th. What's next for Hadley? "My next race is at Hardwood Hills near Toronto, and then 2 world cups in Quebec. One at Mount Ste-Anne, and the other at St. Felecien near Chicoutmi. After that I will be home for a week and then out to Canmore for a Canada cup and then on to nationals at Mount Washington on Vancouver Island." After talking about his extensive travel, Hadley did admit that it's nice to sleep in his own bed when he has the chance.

Although Hadley and Sessford led the way, there were plenty of riders who kept them working. Martin Pelletier of Edmunston and Martin Austin of Dartmouth both managed 10 laps with Pelletier edging out Austin by six minutes for the win in the solo category.

The final results are as follows:

Senior Solo Men
1. Martin Pelletier (Jessome's La Source du Sport), Edmunston, NB ... 10 Laps ... 5:25:30
2. Martin Austin, Dartmouth, NS ... 10 Laps ... 5:31:20
3. Jeff "Groundskeeper Willy" Currie, Berry Mills, NB ... 9 Laps ... 5:06:42
4. Bruce Roberts, Truro, NS ... 9 Laps ... 5:17:35
5. Mathieu Maltais, Edmunston, NB ... 9 Laps ... 5:29:18
6. Andrew Arsenault, Island View, NB ... 8 Laps ... 4:48:35
7. John Adams, Saint John, NB ... 7 Laps ... 4:44:10
8. Chris Kozanczyn, Eastern Passage, NS ... 7 Laps ... 4:49:10
9. Christian Charette, Fredericton, NB ... 7 Laps ... 4:51:45
10. Andrew "Old McNair" McNair, Fredericton, NB ... 7 Laps ... 5:10:00
11. Donald Mallet, Nicolas Denys, NB ... 7 Laps ... 5:23:00
12. Eric Hadley, Mt. Hope, NB ... 6 Laps ... 3:58:15
13. David Petrie, Tracadie-Sheila, NB ... 5 Laps ... 2:44:00
14. Sean "Crazy Rizzo" Ritchie, Moncton, NB ... 5 Laps ... 3:17:00
15. Pierre McIntyre, Fredericton, NB ... 5 Laps ... 4:26:30
16. Cameron Maynard, Ardoise, NB ... 5 Laps ... ---

Junior Solo (17 & Under) Men
1. Charlie Evans, Fredericton, NB ... 6 Laps ... 3:36:00
2. Ian Forbes, Fredericton, NB ... 6 Laps ... 3:36:20

Senior Teams
1. 135 Pounders ... 11 Laps ... 4:59:45
Daniel Sessford, Whitehorse, YK & Mathew Hadley, Mt. Hope, NB
2. Pictou County Cycle ... 9 Laps ... 5:06:15
Adam Horne & Sandy Johnson Goffs, NS
3.27:1 ... 8 Laps ... 5:10:50
Don Ricker & Chris Selkirk, Dieppe, NB
4. The Sunday Drivers ... 8 Laps ... 5:20:45
Daniel Gillet, Sean Bartlett & Jason Hallman, Fredericton, NB
5. T.M.A.R. ... 7 Laps ... 5:05:00
Andrew Rose & Troy MacBeth, Moncton, NB
6. The Martin Force ... 7 Laps ... 5:24:00
Christine, Steve & Mike Martin, Saint John, NB
7. MRG ... 6 Laps ... 5:07:23
Michael Phillips & Peter Rowan, Moncton, NB
8. Team Sketchy ... 5 Laps ... 4:11:40
Chris Bonnar & Nick Gallant, Fredericton, NB

It was great to see Charlie Evans and Ian Forbes do the entire race together. The day before both young men had a track meet where they both did quite well. When they finally decided that enough was enough, they crossed the finish line in the order that they happened to be in at the time. Neither one seemed to care who was first! It really spoke volumes of their character in that they were there for the challenge. At the risk of being cliché, they are both winners!

One notable team was the family entry, The Martin Force. When the discussions on the sidelines started on being away from the family for racing, Christine Martin happily stated "This is family time!" She raced with Husband Steve and son Mike.

This was East Coast Mountain Biking's first event in New Brunswick, and we definitely look forward to hosting more!

Posted by bikergrl at June 13, 2007 04:41 PM

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