Getting the Engines Running...

The first day of serious racing for 2012 is under way and the CVTC athletes are now well aware of where they stand and where they need to go.

As coach Chris Manhard noted, "We've had a slow start to the seaon with snow arriving in Whistler only last week.  This is obviously not ideal preparation but we do value the hard work that Whistler Olympic Park staff have put into making sure we can get what quality they can provide."

The Callaghan Valley juniors pushed hard and had a number of top-30 finishes.  The luck of the draw was, however, against the team on this December day and all four qualified athletes were in the same semi-final heat.  The final results saw Colin Ferrie in 5th and Sebastien Dandurand in 8th.  Stefan Sander-Green and Fred Weaver finished in 15th and 24th place, respectively.  Paul Dupuis had a rough day, crashing off the course in the qualifier.

The CVTC seniors had a relatively lack-luster day with all four placing outside of the top-30 and not qualifying on to the exciting heats.  The senior event was headlined by the Swiss sprint team, which is in town early to prepare for the Canmore World Cup events on December 13-16.

The most important events of the 2012-13 season will be the World Junior and U23 selection races in early January.  Manhard puts the season in perspective, by saying, "We're just working out the kinks and getting ready for the important selection races, but we are disappointed with the slow start to the season.  To put a silver lining on the cloud, these results will give the athletes some motivation to perform better tomorrow and as the month progresses."

The athletes take to the trails again tomorrow with a 15 km classic event.