Courtesy of Barry....

Sunday was good for the mountainbiking community. First, I would like to thank Brian and his wife Wendy, for all the hard work and careful prepartion that went into our event Sunday. With what we learned last year, and with some new ideas this year, we were able, and extremely well prepared, to handle almost any challenge.

Second,the Schwalbe CC of Victoria must be praised for the outstanding support it's volunteering members provided. Volunteers are gold to organizers. Therefore we treated them like gold.Thank-you club and non-club volunteers very very much!

Third, SIMBS. No SIMBS,no race...no riding..SIMBS good. The crew from SIMBS groomed the race loop to perfection. Everyone I talked to regarding the course were simply blown away. Although the loop had tough climbing,it was fun and beautifully maintained.If the race course isn't fun the event sucks.It was terrific that Lorien was able to address the racers and spectators after the race and bring eveyone up to speed about SIMBS and HARTLAND.I also appreciated seeing James and Russ at the event too. I also received generous support from many SIMBS volunteers too. Thanks again.

Fourth,our generous and supportive sponsors. Many off duty LBS employees and sales reps not only contributed swag but their time too. I really am indebted to them as well. We were able to gather support from the biggest names in the bike business.Also,we were supported by many local businesses too. This type of support is absolutely critical in the success of any kind of event. Next year I envision expanded support for 3D.

Fifth, I appreciated the CRD representative,Elaine, for dropping off the "recycling" promo materials and recycling bins.Elaine examined the recycle bins and announced that" mountainbikers were extremely well disciplined recyclers "Look for a theme next year at 3D that ties into the HARTLAND LANDFILL and RECYCLING.

Sixth, I would like to thank you guys and gals..young and not so young! It brings me much pleasure to see so many people enjoy a day of good exercise in the woods.This Island Series embodies what I used to love so much about racing many years ago:affordable,lots of racing value,fun and deep respect for those who come to race.

We at Schwalbe CC look forward to presenting an even better event next year. Good luck all in the upcoming Island Series races. Please leave a comment and I would appreciate constructive feedback on how we might improve 3D.

Final Results - Top 3 Riders (by category):

Beginner Men:
Felix Gauger - 39:08
Josh Post - 41:58
Simon Garstin - 43:27

Intermediate Men:
Drew Mitchell - 1:04:22
Jeffrey Clarkson - 1:07:06
James Tarrant - 1:12:19

Expert Men:
Max Plaxton - 1:20:56
Carter Hovey - 1:21:40
Roddi Legga - 1:22:09

Beginner Women:
Carmel Ecker - 54:44
Vicky Tolson - 56:02
Michelle Renaud - 58:24

Intermediate Women:
Brant Lyon - 1:16:15
Lisa Ludwig - 1:26:51
Heather Bailey - 1:29:59

Expert Women:
Catherine Dendrel - 1:43:37
Chrissy Redden - 1:46:50
Amanda Sin - 1:47:47

Pictures from the race, courtesy of Mike Byrne (Copyright 2004), can be found here.