Another huge community effort led to a super successful Salty Dog 6 Hour Enduro Mountain Bike Race on Sunday, its 10th annual.
Registration for the six-hour race was capped at 400 racers just 24 hours after it opened. As well, 86 young riders competed in the U15, three-hour, four-kilometre loop Junior Salty Dog, while 80 riders age three and up competed in the one-kilometre loop Salty Pup.
The weather co-operated, with more than 1,500 people from throughout Western Canada and as far away as Ottawa and the state of Georgia coming to watch, race and enjoy the day.
Organizers Tom Peasgood and Greg Scharf say the community made it possible, from the residents of South Canoe who provided parking, to the children selling lemonade, to the City of Salmon Arm, the Ministry of Transportation and the more than 90 volunteers.
Diversity was the word of the day, with old and new bikes, young and old riders, males and females taking part.
A highlight for Peasgood was seeing the U15 teams.
“Watching 30 to 40 kids, all waiting in the tag zone area for their race partner, was amazing. Eyes wide open, hanging on to their handle bars and brakes, watching for their teammate to come in. They couldn’t wait to have a turn at challenging the course, completely stoked to go ride their bicycle. Most teams raced all three hours plus the bonus 15 minutes. This is the essence of the Salty experience, whole families participating in our event.”
Full race results are available online at zone4.ca.