The Bagelry repeats as overall champion

JOE SUNNEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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BELLINGHAM - For much of the last year, members of Bagelry have felt like their Ski to Sea victory in 2008 was marred by an asterisk.

Fast waters wiped out the canoe leg last year and high winds shortened the kayak portion. And don't get anyone started on the timing problems that led to all of the confusion at the finish line.

All of those things - along with the chance to finally be the first team to ring the bell at Marine Park in Fairhaven first - made Bagelry's second Ski to Sea title in as many years just as sweet as the first.

The Bagelry, which brought seven of the eight members of the 2008 team back this year, covered the 90-mile seven-leg course in an unofficial time of five hours, 45.51 minutes to win the Competitive Open division and take its second consecutive overall title on Sunday, May 24.

Barron Heating finished second overall for the third straight year, and Clippercanoes.com came in third in a repeat of the top three teams from a year ago.

"We didn't just want to win it the year that there was an asterisk by it because they didn't run the canoe leg," Bagelry mountain biker Adam Schwind said. "We were really motivated by that. This was kind of a statement race for us. I think we're still flying beneath the radar a little bit because Barron (Heating) and Clippercanoes.com are always stacked, but this is a fast team."

Barron Heating held a slim lead heading into the mountain bike portion of the race, but Schwind was able to catch and overtake the leader as the leg neared its end on Marine Drive.

"I just followed through the trails, because he was such a good technical rider," Schwind said. "Once we got on the road I was comfortable again, and I was able to get my heart rate back down and make a move."

Schwind was the first mountain biker to reach the kayak hand-off at Zuanich Point Park in Bellingham and gave Bagelry about a 30-second advantage. From there Bagelry team captain Jeff Hilburn was able to bring it home, holding off Barron Heating kayaker Robert Clegg over the final leg.

"Last year there was the shortened leg and then we heard that it didn't really count and all that stuff, so we really wanted to do it again this year," Hilburn said. "Barron (Heating) loaded up with some amazing athletes after losing it two years in row, but we just had a great, great, race."

Sunday's race marked just the fourth time in the past decade that a team from Barron Heating hasn't won the overall title. It's also the longest gap between titles for the team in nearly 20 years.

"Initially I was able to close the gap a little bit, but then I realized I wasn't going to be able to make it all the way by the finish," Clegg said. "It would have been fun if I could have closed that gap and made it really interesting. I've closed bigger gaps before, but today the conditions were really flat and I wasn't able to do any tricks with waves or the wind."

Calm conditions on Bellingham Bay didn't do Boundary Bay Brewery kayaker Tracy Landboe any favors either, but it didn't hurt the perennial Competitive Women division champions. The team has won the past six consecutive women's titles and nine of the last 10.

"We had a great team this year," Landboe said. "We had some incredible athletes from Canada and the U.S. and we got it done."

Local cyclist Daisy Phillips handled the mountain biking leg of the race for Boundary Bay Brewery, and was the first female mountain biker to reach Zuanich. Phillips said she used to work at Boundary Bay and racing for them now has been a dream come true. She helped the team to a title last year as well.

"It's been seriously awesome," Phillips said. "I worked in the kitchen for so long and saw all those plaques on the wall, and now to be able to point at one and say 'that one's mine, I helped get that one' is really rad."

While the desire for a fast time was certainly strong among the first groups to cross the finish line on Sunday, the spirit of friendly competition might have been even stronger.

Perhaps no team benefitted more from that sense of camaraderie than John Mooney of Samuel's Furniture.

The kayaker's paddle broke in half as he left Squalicum Harbor. After coaxing the boat back in a fellow kayaker tossed him a different paddle and he set out again. Despite the set back Mooney helped his team to a title in the Masters division.

"I had two starts," Mooney said. "One that didn't quite work, and then one that went a little better. That first time I kind of had to limp back to the dock and somebody ran me down another paddle. That was really nice of someone. It was great."

DIVISION WINNERS

COMPETITIVE OPEN

1. Bagelry 5:45:49

2. Barron Heating 4:47:15

3. Clippercanoes.com 5:49:45

COMPETITIVE FEMALE

1. Boundary Bay Brewery 6:32:35

2. Chicks Josh Knows 6:55:44

3. 4 Western Football Valkyries 7:04:42

COMPETITIVE MIXED

1. SSC You Call, We Haul 6:55:17

2. Floundering Salmon 8:06:34