As the Pan Am Games draw to a close, I thought I would throw out a comment or two.
In the months preceding the Games, the public relations efforts concentrated on the crowd, traffic and the restricted HOV lanes on the major highways. For these reasons we had no desire to fight the crowds and attend the Games.
Our son Jeff is a cyclist. He asked us if we wanted to join he and Laura at the Mountain Bike event held near Barrie. We met them at the Oro Fairgrounds, and were bused to the mountain bike course at the Hardwood Bike Park. I was pleasantly surprised at the efficiency of the parking and shuttle bus service. We were at the park in a matter of minutes. The security screening was close to that of an airport, but we got through pretty quickly.
The course was a 5.2 kilometre loop over dirt and rocks, either uphill or downhill, with a flat start and finish line. The ladies event is 5 laps and is expected to finish in approximately 90 minutes. The mens event is 6 laps and is also expected to finish in approximately 90 minutes.
The ladies race was run first, and began at 10:00 am. By the time we passed through security, the ladies race had already begun. The Canadian women were heavily favoured in this event. Here are the leaders on their second lap.
As the race drew to a close, I found a perfect spot along the fence, with great site lines to the finish line.
As the riders drew close to the last turn before the finish line, the press were allowed onto the track...
So from having a great view of the finish line, to not such a great view of the finish line!
But it was very exciting to see the Canadians finish first and second. Emily Batty was first at 1:27:13 and Catherine Pendrel was second at 1:27:20. Here is Emily with her Gold Medal.
The mens race started at 2:00 in the afternoon. We managed to get a great spot along the start line. Guess who struck their iPhone in front of the shot?
We walked around the course during the mens race, and I was surprised at the varied terrain.
But the most exciting part of the course was a segment called "The Boneshaker". Seeing the men attack this section of the course was inspiring.
It was a pleasure to see the Canadians triumph again.
Raphael Gagne after winning the Gold Medal with a time of 1:31:14.
All in all, we had a great day on the mountain bike course. And I must say that the Pan Am Games were a pleasure to attend.
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Thanks for reading...
Mark
