Hardwood Hills prepares for games
___________________________________Run For The Toad To Host ACU Canadian 50km Trail Championships At Pinehurst Lake
Preview of Event , Athletes This Weekend
Published 07/23/2013 | By Kw Now! Local Sports News
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The countdown is on and staff at Hardwood Ski and Bike is well aware nothing short of perfection will be acceptable.
On July 10-26, 2015, elite mountain-bike riders from around the world will descend on the Oro-Medonte facility, looking to win gold at the Pan Am Games.
“I think it's really exciting for our area and it will give us a chance to showcase some of the great facilities," said Hardwood facility general manager Jack Sasseville.
A total of 14 municipalities will host events, with many building new facilities as part of Toronto’s $2.4 billion bid.
The fact Hardwood was chosen to host mountain biking events was not a big surprise to Sasseville.
"We feel we have some of the best facilities in Ontario, if not Canada, and being chosen to host this event in mountain biking reinforces what we have believed all along.
“There are few other facilities who have the kinds of challenging trails that we do," he said.
Since receiving the news, Hardwood has been holding regular on-site meetings with Pan Am Games staff.
Earlier this month, staff at Hardwood faced a major pre-Pan Am Games test, when it hosted the Canadian championships. Various members of Canada’s Olympic team, including Emily Batty, Catharine Pendrel, Geoff Kabush and Max Plaxton, were on hand to compete at Hardwood and get a feel for the new trails.
Hardwood will also host the 2014 nationals next July.
John Sustersic, Hardwood spokesperson, said the national finals offered a preview of what to expect in 2015. About 2,000 spectators and racers flooded the course at nationals.
Hardwood also hosted a recent spartan race, an obstacle course event that attracted close to 10,000 individuals.
“By comparison, if we look at the number of participants at the Pan Am Games, it will probably be under 100,” he said.
But the Canadian finals created the foundation for the on-going work, in preparation for the Pan Am Games.
“This year, Hardwood has invested heavily in trail building and, through an Ontario Trillium grant the Ontario Cycling Association received, they were able to hire a crew to work on the course at Hardwood for the national finals,” said Sustersic.
“We’ve added a couple of rock jumps. We’ve added an MBX course. On that course, we have redone one of the turns. We’ve added a walled berm,” he said.
Sustersic noted a lot of the features built into the course were added as a result of feedback from riders.
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