A local rider managed to make first place in his category at the Canadian Cross Country Championships, making him the top cross country cyclist nationwide in his division.
Sean Fincham managed to place first in the under-23 elite category.
鈥淚 felt good 鈥� pretty happy with how the weekend went,鈥� said the 18-year-old.
It was a victory that wasn鈥檛 without its ups and downs.
鈥淭here was a couple of tense moments in the race,鈥� he said.
During the race, Fincham nearly became sidelined by a braking problem, which forced him to change wheels in the middle of the event.
Fortunately, it wasn鈥檛 enough to stop him from clinching first place with a time of one hour, 23 minutes and two seconds, beating out Quebec rider Raphael Auclair by about 40 seconds.
鈥淛ust the release of finishing and finally knowing that I won and that it was over 鈥� that was probably the best moment,鈥� he said.
To get ready for the event, Fincham has been putting in between 20 to 25 hours a week while also racing in Europe.
Fincham, however, wasn鈥檛 the only rider to stand on the podium this weekend.
Holden Jones managed to take third place in the under-19 junior expert division with a time of one hour, 11 minutes and 40 seconds, roughly three minutes shy of the rider who placed first.
Also making the top three in a race was Hunter Verner, who received a silver medal in the enduro under-21 division.
This race was not for a national title, but Verner said it was a good chance to push himself.
鈥淚 thought it was cool to do good in a race all the way in Alberta,鈥� he said.
Verner managed to snag a time of 11 minutes and 47 seconds, just 43 seconds behind the racer who placed first.
He said that was actually one of the more memorable parts of the race, because the competitor who received gold is actually a friend of his from White Rock.
鈥淲e were riding together,鈥� said Verner. 鈥淎t the end to see we were one and two was pretty cool.鈥�
All three local riders are either current or former members of Team Squamish, a biking club that has produced successful athletes who have placed well in the local Test of Metal race, as well as in Canadian national competitions.
Some examples include Rhys Verner, Lauren Rosser and Neal Kindree, among others.
Team 麻豆社国产was originally founded by community members and bike shop owners as part of the 麻豆社国产Off-Road Cycling Association. It has since become a non-profit athletic organization funded by sponsor donations and athlete fees.
