VOLUME 16 ISSUE 10
OCTOBER 5 — NOVEMBER 1, 2018
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Neron finishes BC Cup Series on the podium NIKKI FREDRIKSON
HEADING INTO THIS YEAR’S BC CUP SERIES SUN PEAKS’ GABRIEL NERON HAD ONE GOAL IN MIND: TAKE THE OVERALL TITLE IN THE JR. SPORT (17 AND 18-YEAROLD CATEGORY). WITH TOP TWO FINISHES IN EACH COMPETITION ON THE CIRCUIT, HE WAS WELL ON HIS WAY TO ACHIEVING IT NEAR THE END OF THE SEASON. Racing four weeks straight at the beginning of the season, Neron was a top contender in the Jr. Sport Men category with two second place finishes and three firsts. He set a goal of increasing his lead over his competitors by five seconds each race in hopes of getting closer to times of competitors in the Jr. Expert and Elite men categories. Heading into the final race of the season at Mt. Washington, Neron was challenged by professional mountain biker and friend Brett Tippie to move up into the Jr. Expert category.
The switch took Neron out of contention for the overall title he was aiming for but qualified him for the Elite Men’s category next season. “I realized that if I didn’t move to Junior Ex. I would have to qualify for Elite Men next year. I didn’t want to do that,” said Neron. This year was the first season he has competed in almost the entire series. A crash on Sept. 2 during training at Big White prevented him from competing in the race. “I went out, I had two great runs and then I went for a third one and after the last quarter of the race course I went around a corner, got hung up went over the bars (and) snapped the bicycle in a few pieces. Bruised my hip and scratched my elbow pretty bad. That’s why I didn’t end up racing,” he said. With only two weeks until the Big White competition and the final competition of the series in Mt. Washington, he had to rebuild his bike before the next race. “It was quite a bit of work to get everything in time for the race but I got help from my friend
NERON, RIGHT, CLAIMS HIS SPOT ON THE PODIUM AT THE LAST RACE OF THE SEASON IN MT. WASHINGTON. Photo supplied
Matt at the shop (Elevation Bike at Sun Peaks) and we got it together.” Throughout the weekend in Mt. Washington over 150 millimetres of rain fell causing muddy and cold conditions on the course, forcing Neron to put mud tires on his bike for the first time ever. “The Saturday I had to do seeding runs because I swapped categories. I did my seeding runs (and) I got fourth which is, I think, reasonable,” he said. The next morning Neron
woke up to rain, but not letting the conditions get him down, he went for one lap before the races and then went for it. “I got to the top, it was snowing but I was ready. It was the last race and I was there to have fun. So I had a lot of fun in my race run and I got to the bottom and I sat on the first step of the podium for about two minutes then the last three guys came down and they got me which is fair enough but I still got a third position so I’m stoked with that,” said Neron.
Neron finished the race with a time of 4:09.33 following second place competitor Kendall McLean and Lucas Cruz, who both have World Cup experience. Sponsored by Sun Peaks Resort, Rocky Mountain, Down the Road Wellness, Meranti, Black Beaver Athletic, and EVI, Neron said he is thankful for all the support he received this season and is looking forward to competing in the Elite Men’s division next season.
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The Bear takes Care! VOL 16 ISSUE 10 OCTOBER 5 — NOVEMBER 1
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