Riders Cup begins in Bathurst after weather delays

Riders started their descent down College HillFriday afternoonat Bathurst's Collge communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB)in the preliminary races at the Riders Cup extreme downhill skating race, hosted by the city.

Races were supposed to begin Thursday afternoon, but high temperatures pushed the heats to Friday. Maintenance crews had covered the entire icy track in snow to prevent meltingand to insulate the course.

The banked turns and steep descents were moulded by hand by CCNB trades students, volunteering their time.

"It's absolutely amazing. It's crazy to show up and see whatthey'vedone here, the amount of snow they've brought in and the amount of work they've put in," said John Fisher, aToronto-based athlete.

Fisher has competed in 15 races over the past fiveyears and sidthe Bathurst track measures up to the best.

He hopes to finish in the top 10 this weekend, in a field that boasts names likeCameron Naasz,the current world leader in the sport, andScott Croxall, Riders Cup 2015world champion.

If he makes the finals, Fisher will be competing with three other athletes at the same time, battling his way to the bottom of the hill.

"Instead of one at a time, four at a time. There'd be a little bit of pushing and shoving and bumping of elbows along the way and morecrashes. It's pretty crazy when there's four guys on the track," he said.

Oliver Isaac of Edmontonhas competed in threeevents this year and says has his eye on a "wild card" slot, to make it to the championship race in SaintPaul, Minnesota.

"The main difference is that there's no boards," he said of Bathurst's track.

"When you docrash,you'renot contained to the track and it's a little harder to get back into the race."