High Performance Update

Here is a run down as the race season takes a strong hold of the team...watch for some exciting races coming up, and more great results. Special mention to Jen Schulz who had a very strong showing finishing 4th woman overall at the BC Bike Race.

Geoff Waterman - Training well, excited about his fitness, and doing a great job managing his injuries. Working hard towards a good showing at the Nationals in Kelowna in August, with some other good prep races coming up soon.

Ian Crossthwaite - A great ride at the Test of Metal last month, but not much news from him with his late summer plans. I know he is planning some Silverstar training, and we are working with Management to try to secure some lift passes to help with the technical training in prep for late season races and 2011 season.

Jen Segger - On the mend after being diagnosed with a stress fracture a few weeks ago. She has been excellent about addressing the issue, and changing her goals for the summer, as well as being open to some "out of the box" thinking that could allow her to come back from this injury stronger, faster, and more capable to race up to her potential in August. Her injury is a great reminder to everyone of the problem with heel-striking while doing long runs, and a continued drive towards a goal without consideration of the body's need for recovery.

Ginny - Now registered for Osoyoos, with a goal of qualifying for IMC. She's back!!! Six months of focused work on barefoot running ideas, and working with the New Balance 100s has paid off with the ability to run pain free for extended periods of time. She has had a few minor setbacks, mostly due to a lack of strength, but she continues to run well, and actually looks much better on her feet than she has in years. Her new Cannondale Slice seems to be set up well, and it will be great to see her back racing in Osoyoos this week-end!

Joel Johnson - Recently returning from Road Nationals, where a mechanical put him out of the road race, after a strong showing in the Time Trial. We are waiting for a full report, and an update on his plans for the rest of the summer. He is now riding the Cannondale Super Six, and has hopes of picking up some points in Cat 3 races to move to join Jason in the Cat 2 ranks for next season.

Peter Watson - racing well after posting some very good numbers in recent testing with Chris. His focus is on some of the BC Cup MTB events, and should do well in the great single track trails in Revelstoke this week-end.

Rosemarie Gerspacher - No news from the Calgary duo lately. After some impressive showings early in the season, we are just waiting to see where she will turn up next.

Peter O'Brien - Raced his first big race at Road Nationals, after a hectic week of piecing together bikes, and packing for the trip to Edmonton. We have not heard any results yet, but are looking forward to hearing how he did, and what other events he is planning to attend.

Luke Way - 24 Hours is on the horizon...same week-end as Ironman Canada. We have not heard much from Luke, but hope he is doing well.

Simon Craig - Performing well on the bike, and developing a strong run, but having to really focus on improving his swim this month. He will be racing in Osoyoos, with a specific plan to work on skills in preparation for his Ironman debut in August. The key will be to see if he can relax in the water, so that he can take advantage of his excellent TT skills, and improving run fitness.

Nicola Gildersleeve - A HUGE Congratulations to Nicola for completing the Western States 100 Mile Trail Run, finishing as the 12th woman overall. The completion of this event is a true test of human perseverance, and Nicola was one of the youngest competitors in the field.

Manuel Fehlmann - Putting the final preparations into his training for MTB Nationals next week, after recovering form a serious throat infection that affected his performance in Banff. He opted to skip Road Nationals in order to recover, which certainly was a wise decision, and we will look forward to cheering him on to the success he deserves after some very strong early season form in the Alberta Cup Series earlier in the season.

Tom Stewart - Racing with his partner Pat Dodge at the Transalp Road Race. It looks from the results like they had some tough days, but not sure if there were crashes, mechanicals, or just difficult days in the saddle on this monstrous course, that has over 10,000 feet of climbing on some of the days.

Stephen Ushy - Top 3 finish at his first BC Cup Masters Race, showing great fitness with fellow Fresh Air athlete, and possible new BPR recruit Jonas Sandstrom. In a great show of mutual respect, and team spirit, they completed the race in identical times, holding hands across the line.

Chris Willett - Looking smooth and strong through a long week-end of training at this year's Ironman Camp, he should do very well in Osoyoos this year.

Spencer Jackson - Off the map in terms of racing this season, but rumours have him training hard with the Salmon Arm based Rapattack squad.

Martin Courtenay - Strong showing in another epic adventure race, finishing the Full Moon in June with his team in 5th spot. Sounds like his calf injury held up to the punishment, which bodes well for his push towards ITU Age Group World's in Budapest in September.

Jen Schulz - Schulzy managed a very impressive 4th place overall woman at the BC Bike Race last week! She had to deal with a rough crash on Day #2, and a return of some of the metabolic issues that have plagued her in the past, but held on to her spot with some fantastic results. We can't wait to read the full report!!!

Matt Ewonus - The Matterhorn had a couple of weeks off racing, but we are all looking forward to seeing him back at the Crits, and racing again in the trails.

Thomson D'Hont - Back in Whistler, and training with his new coach. Not sure if he will give his first triathlon a try this summer, but he is a better swimmer than expected, and could do well if the course suits his strengths as a cross-over athlete from XC skiing. I have tried to convince him to join us in Canmore for Xterra, but he may wait until Xterra comes to him in September for his debut race as a triathlete.

Jason Kilmartin - By far and away the most active BPR athlete on the local race scene. He picked up his first Prime two weeks ago, and followed that up with a second place finish last week on the wet roads, behind the lone TR racer in the group. Jason plans to head down to the Tour de White Rock, which is an epic stage race, on a very demanding course. Hopefully we can prepare some other BPR athletes to lend support to him in the future, but for now he flies the BPR colours solo, against some of the strongest riders in the West. The Tour de White Rock will see some very strong competition from some Pro teams in the US, and we will be cheering loudly for Jason to have a successful race at this cycling classic.

Greyson Van Diest - Had a disappointing experience at BMX Nationals, but we hope he will be doing some riding with Joel and Peter through the summer to help develop his skills and fitness for future events. He now has a road bike, and support for BMX equipment, so we hope to see him out to some training and racing events later this year.