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Hemlock played host to dusty downhill championships

Sibling rivalries, dusty runs for Labour Day competitions
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A rider takes a jump at the BC Downhill Championships at Hemlock on Labour Day weekend.

Some call it fun, some a challenge and some just think the riders are crazy.

The weather was perfect for the BC Downhill Championship Race on Labour Day weekend.

Saturday was orientation and practice day for the competitors and practice is what they needed. The course was steep, winding and loose; even just to walk it was a challenge. One problem, dust. It was deep and loose in a number of the corners making navigating around them very technical.

Spectators could watch just about the whole course from the day lodge, and you could see where the competitors were by following the dust trail they produced on their way down the course.

Throughout the day there were multiple crashes but the riders would pick themselves up and carry on. A few unfortunate bikes did not fare as well as the riders, and had to be walked or carried off the hill. The vertical drop from the top of the course to the bottom was almost 305 meters (1000’) with the actual course substantially longer. Some of the cyclists were traveling the distance in around three minutes.

During the competition on Sunday the times started off around three and a half minutes and reduced throughout the competition to around the two-minute, twenty-one second range. Competitors came from B.C., Alberta and Washington State so along with Provincial and International competitions there were several sibling rivalries as well with brother competing against brother.

Submitted by Marty McKinney

Hemlock Fire Chief