Low numbers didn’t stop local cyclists from enjoying the annual Tour de Smithers road cycling race, held last Sunday. Organizer Peter Krause said despite having a few mechanical issues, all the racers had a good ride, and spent the first two 22 km laps riding en masse.
“Here you don’t get much opportunity to ride in a bigger group,” he said.
Some regular racers weren’t able to attend this year’s event, including some Terrace cyclists out due to illness, and some Burns Lake-based firefighters that are currently occupied fighting fires. Despite that, the conditions couldn’t have been better, said Krause.
“We totally lucked out with the weather. On Friday the forecast was calling for a thirty per cent chance of showers, but conditions were perfect,” he said.
Calvin Mark was the sole cyclist in the 44 km race. In the 66 km race, Ron Low came in first with a time of 2:12:10, followed by Neil Hodgson at 2:13:30, Brian Kean in third with 2:13:50, and George Burns in fourth with 2:28:11.
In the 88 km race, Krause edged out Larry McCulloch for first place, with a time of 2:45:48; McCulloch finished in 2:45:55. In third place was Jim Woodworth at 2:54:25, and Eliot King finished fourth in 3:05:12.