Four Cycling BC Provincial Team riders from Squamish answered the horn to gather in Vancouver with 44 other members for an historic multi-discipline photo shoot on Tuesday (April 22).Phil Cairns, Mo Lawrence, Kristen Drygas and Scott Halvorson answered head provincial coach and high performance director Richard Wooles's request for the "clans to gather" since growing to about 60 riders from last year's 15. "I felt this might be the last opportunity to take such a shot before everyone heads off to all corners of Canada and the globe to compete," said Wooles. "If they perform to the level that they've shown then we'll have a great year."The rest of Squamish's representatives, including cross-country cyclists Lauren Rosser, Eden Imbeau, and downhillers Miranda Miller, Clinton Gould, and Craig Campbell were unable to attend. The downhillers were still on their way home from the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California.Wooles said it helps when there are enthusiastic biking communities like Squamish to tap into. "There's some great things happening in Squamish with Team Squamish and coach [Paul] Kindree," said Wooles. "We're really lucky that there are already the resources there to draw upon."For a town of 15,000 it's no small feat to contribute one sixth of the provincial team. Kindree said a mix of factors contributes to the success of the local cycling scene, including easy access to trails, motivated young athletes and the presence of a support system. "I think one of the keys to our success here in Squamish is the tremendous participation we get at the high school and the high school races. That exposes a lot of kids who are hyped up about it and exposes kids early on to the concept of racing a bike."Team BC has come a long way in building staff to build from the bottom up. For example, the team has a youth coach who is responsible for getting more kids involved with the sport. Free coaching is supplied for junior riders with the goal of making it to the Worlds for Canada.Kindree said Cycling BC's hiring of Wooles has supplied an excellent calibre of coaching that will improve the team and sustain a long-term vision. "I've been involved with cycling for the last 30 years and this is the first glimmer of a top-notch group of staff to support the athletes. It's really encouraging to see."
