MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Spring 2018

SPRING 2018 ML BLUE 39 ATHLETE PROFILE TUESDAY NIGHT BIKES words & photos :: Jason Petznick A single athlete versus the clock and the course ahead—fastest to the finish line wins. It doesn't get much simpler than that. Like downhill ski racing, singletrack downhill mountain bike racing exists in a world where milliseconds count and a single mistake can send you plummeting down the final standings. The many governing bodies, sanctioning organizations and technical delegates that come hand-in-hand with this style of racing serve only to amplify the pressure and stress. Into this world, Blue Mountain Bike Park’s Tuesday Night Race Series brings a breath of fresh air like a cool summer breeze off Georgian Bay. Blue Mountain Events Manager Erika Langman recounts how Bob Miller originally founded the Tuesday Night Cross-Country Series through the Ontario Cycling Association. “We would get 20 or so guys and gals out each Tuesday night, start at the top of the hill and time loops that ran over into the North, down Embryo and back up the Grind,” says Langman. When Miller decided to pursue other endeavours in 2012, he handed the reigns to Langman and the rest of the team at Blue. Over the next few years, the Tuesday Night Cross-Country series transitioned to a downhill- only ride. At the time, Blue Mountain had organized a few Ontario Cup downhill events, but it was apparent to Erika and colleagues that the grassroots component was missing. “For the most part the events were really only pretty serious riders on provincial-level courses, so we thought, ‘Why not try something our local passholders can get into in a fun, mellow environment?’” she says. THE GRASSROOTS EVOLUTION OF ONTARIO DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING “Everyone loved the ‘jam format’ concept where all riders were given a window to get in as many timed runs as they could.” Jacob Drmay, Raisin Run, 2017.