XTERRA Canada Championship
Press Release / 04.09.2012
Canadians Mike Vine and Melanie McQuaid defended their home turf at the sixth running of the XTERRA Canada Championship at the Canmore Nordic Center nestled in the Alberta Rockies this morning.
The day started colder than what was forecast, “Winter in August” as McQuaid put it, but as if on cue the sun broke out just a minute before the main event and a big blue sky dominated the rest of the day.
The swim in Quarry Lake is just about as majestic a swim start as you’ll ever discover with Ha Ling Peak and the Ehagay Dakota Range providing a dramatic backdrop for several hundred of the fastest XTERRA athletes on the world tour.
Boulder, Colorado pro Branden Rakita led the swim from start-to-finish and took to the bike a little more than two minutes ahead of his main competition in Mike Vine.
“Had a good swim, felt good, and really tried to push it the first lap but it was really wet from the overnight rain which made it hard to get the flow of the course down because I’m just not used to the wet roots and rocks. So, I made a few mistakes and ran into a tree,” said Rakita. “That said, it’s fun, super fun, a great XTERRA course for sure, just got to be on top of it all the time.”
Vine, on the other hand, felt the slippery conditions were perfectly suited for his skill set.
“Today was slick and greasy but that’s what I like, so it worked for me,” explained Vine. “I didn’t know what to expect today though. I thought I’d have a good ride but the swim, yikes, I took a big break from swimming so was just practicing damage control there. Once I got on the bike I could tell I had the legs right away. I’ve been doing local mountain bike races around here and have already done a few events at this venue so this is my home turf and where I live now, Alberta, so I wanted to have a good showing and really cherished the chance to race here.”
As proof, Vine posted the fastest bike split (1:13:16) of the day by far, more than four-and-a-half minutes quicker than that of Rakita, and went on to post the fastest run split as well.
“It’s a welcome surprise, this being my first XTERRA of the season,” said Vine (pictured), who also won the inaugural XTERRA Canada Championship back in 2000. “I didn’t set lofty goals, but knew I was riding OK. I’ve had a really good time racing around the province this summer and it’s great to have the opportunity to have an international level race here at home.”
Paul Tichelaar – who represented Canada at the 2008 Olympic Games – finished third in his XTERRA debut and seemed to have caught a little XTERRA fever in the process.
“It was amazing, might restart my triathlon career,” smiled Tichelaar after the race. “I love the mountain biking, the course was a challenge, and I liked that you could have a bad period because it’s easy to refocus. You’re not out there on a flat road just killing yourself. You’re really racing against the course. And it’s physically harder, with no break on the bike, not even on the downhill. Plus, the mix of technical, physical, technical, physical, made it really fun.”
Kelly Guest, who was seventh at the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships in Shelby County, Alabama in May, had a smile on his face all morning despite wishing there was oxygen rather than water at each of the aid stations. Guest finished fourth.
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