Less whining, more two-wheeling

PHOTO COURTESY KYLETHOMAS.CA Enlarge Image

Ian Hall, co-organizer of Actif Epica, gets in some practice before the big event.

In a winter when snow has been scarce and daytime highs have been hovering just below zero, it's easy to forget the malaise many Manitobans usually feel by the time February rolls around.

Normally, this is the time of year when Winnipeggers start getting antsy about being indoors too much. With that in mind, the city's outdoor-recreation community has planned two races designed to make February a lot more fun for people who love to be outside.

Severe winter weather may not be here, but the races are going ahead. Here's what's in store this month:

Ice Donkey Winter Adventure

Date: Sunday, Feb. 12, starting at 8:30 a.m.

Race: A 30-kilometre multi-sport race in Winnipeg, for solo racers or teams of two, involving skating, biking, running and snowshoeing. No skiing is planned for this year, due to poor snow cover. The snowshoeing component is tentative, given the weather. This is a sister race to the longer Swamp Donkey Adventure Race, held in September at Falcon Lake.

Route: A loop from The Forks through St. Boniface and Riverview, utilizing the Red and Seine rivers.

Duration: Up to 3.5 hours. The race ends at noon.

Philosophy: "The reason we started it was to give people something to look forward to instead of whining about the cold," said organizer Rick Shone, who owns outdoor-gear retailing chain The Wilderness Supply. "There's nothing really out there in the winter when it comes to multi-sport races."

Skill prerequisites: "We try to structure our races so even a person with basic skills can do it," said Shone. While the fittest participants may complete the race in about an hour, some will take three times as long, he said. "If you consider yourself to have an average level of fitness, you can do it."

Participants: About 65 expected.

Entry fee: $74 plus GST for solo racers, $148 plus GST for teams of two.

Registration and more info: www.swampdonkeyar.com.

Registration cutoff: Friday, Feb. 10 at midnight.

Actif Epica

Date: Saturday, Feb. 18, starting at 8 a.m.

Race: A 130-kilometre winter endurance race, utilizing gravel roads and trails on the east side of the Red River Valley. Most participants will cycle, but at least one registrant plans to run. Organizers have tied the race into other outdoor events taking place over the Louis Riel Day long weekend.

Route: St. Malo to Winnipeg, utilizing roads and trails along the Crow Wing Trail, a section of the Trans Canada Trail.

Duration: Up to 28 hours. The cutoff to complete the race is Sunday, Feb. 19, at noon.

Philosophy: "Some Manitobans spend a lot of time indoors during the winter. The race is part of a larger event that's designed to get people outside and active," said co-organizer Ian Hall, a cycling enthusiast who spends his days as the City of Winnipeg's environmental co-ordinator.

Other events tied into the Actif Epica race include the week-long Festival du Voyageur at Whittier Park, an ice-it-to-work day on Feb. 17, a Seine River walk on Feb. 18 and Festiglace, a three-day ice-climbing festival over the Louis Riel long weekend.

Skill prerequisites: As an endurance race, Actif Epica is not aimed at novice winter cyclists. "It's not for everyone. We appreciate it's for a small audience of hardy individuals," Hall said.

Depending on the weather conditions on the Louis Riel Day long weekend, Actif Epica racers could be riding on a mere crust of ice -- or struggling to push bikes through heavy snow.

"It's pretty amazing, when you think about it, that you can ride your bike that far at any time of year. To do this in the winter is really a testament to the tenacity of the cycling community."

Participants: Up to 40 expected.

Entry fee: $75, including insurance, race support, food and checkpoints and Friday-night meal at mandatory pre-race meeting.

Registration and more info: www.actifepi.ca

Registration cutoff: Monday, Feb. 13.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 4, 2012 C12