Three St. Albert rookies will hit the ice this weekend on motorbikes as part of the world's longest, coldest ice race.
Greg Zeniuk, Braden Shennan and Rob Daye of St. Albert's Riverside Yamaha are three of the roughly 100 competitors expected to take part in the Numb Bum 24 Hour Ice Race this weekend at Sandy Beach.
The annual ice race, now in its 26th year, challenges riders to complete the most laps on a twisty course atop the frozen Sandy Lake within 24 hours. Winners receive trophies, bragging rights and (sometimes) frostbite.
Race participants will typically barrel down the track at more than 100 kilometres an hour, completing laps in as little as 12 minutes. Race records show that last year's winner did 108 laps in 24 hours, travelling about 1,620 kilometres in the process – slightly less than a round trip between Edmonton and Regina.
This year's race features some special guests in the form of Ralph Schipholt and friends, says race spokesperson Jeremy Caissie. Schipholt and his pals are the founders of the Numb Bum, and they'll be riding some of the original bikes they used in that first race back in 1984.
This year's race will also feature a new event, Caissie continues: a UTV race.
Also known as side-by-sides, UTVs are small, four-wheeled vehicles that are roughly the size of a golf cart. They typically feature a roof, cargo shelf and two side-by-side seats, and are often used to haul equipment.
"Side-by-sides have really gained popularity in recent years," Caissie said, so the organizers decided to hold a trial race this year at the Numb Bum. This race replaces the less-popular youth race of the last two years.
UTV racers will ride for 12 hours from 1 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. the following morning, Caissie said. They'll have headlights, but won't have studded or spiked tires, which could make traction an interesting challenge.
"There's going to be a lot more sliding around."
The six-kilometre UTV track will be perpendicular to the main 18-kilometre motorcycle and quad course. Both tracks are designed by long-time Numb Bum track-master Dan Cheron.
"The ice has been really good this year," Caissie said, and there's plenty of snow with which to sculpt the course. That's a big contrast from last year, when they had to mark out the track with posts on the snow-free lake.
Highlights of this year's course include the snail (which loops in and out of itself) and the fork (where the track splits and comes back together).
Team St. Albert
Zeniuk, 31, and Shennan, 21, will be racing a 2014 Yamaha YZ450 motorbike supplied by Riverside Motosports in the Red Eye (daylight hours only) class.
Both have raced bikes since they were kids and often do so during the winter, Zeniuk said. Neither had participated in the Numb Bum before.
"We ride on the weekends in the ice, so I figured we'd give it a try."
The Numb Bum is listed in the Guinness World Book of Records as the world's longest, coldest ice race. Temperatures have been known to reach lows of -40 C in some years (-60 C with wind chill), causing eyes to freeze and bike parts to shatter.
But the biggest challenge this year might be the warmth – Environment Canada predicted a high of 5 C this Saturday as of Tuesday. That will create a rougher, more rutted track earlier in the race as the spiked tires chew into the warmer, softer ice, Caissie said.
Zeniuk said his team plans to run a mostly stock bike outfitted with $800 tires studded with 1.25-inch metal screws.
These tires actually give great traction on ice, Zeniuk said.
"It's more like riding a street bike on good pavement."
Zeniuk didn't foresee any major technical challenges in the race, as they'd only be racing for four to six hours a day.
"We'll put on that every weekend, so it's really no different than now."
He and his teammates plan to ride in shifts, using goggles, balaclavas, and layered clothes to stay warm. They're not concerned about winning the race so much as finishing it.
The race runs from noon Feb. 14 to noon on Feb. 15. Spectators pay $10 at the gate, half of which goes towards the Sun-Sand Recreation League at Sandy Beach.
Visit pdramx.com for updates.
