With one race to go in the season, Gibsons-based cyclist Lucy Schick is leading the 2019 rankings for the Enduro World Series, which combines elements of downhill and cross-country cycling, one year after entering the sport competitively.
The eight-race season began in March with competitions in Australia and New Zealand. Schick has raced in four events so far, and hopes to make it to the last race in Switzerland in September. Competing in four races, however, has been enough to put her ahead of the pack.
The 18-year-old has amassed 610 points in the Under 21 category, 140 points ahead of Leah Maunsell of Ireland.
Schick’s latest competition was at Northstar Ski Resort on Mount Pluto, California, Aug. 24 and 25.
“It was definitely the most gnarly race this season,” Schick said. “[There were] so many rocks everywhere, just these crazy rock gardens. Nothing like I had ridden,” she said, adding that the dusty conditions also limited visibility on the track. “It’s so different than the Sunshine Coast.”
Schick has come a long way since making the switch from cross country racing to enduro racing, which combines elements of downhill with cross country. Racers must cycle to the top of a mountain and then are timed on their descents, with multiple stages taking place over a day. Last year she competed in one Enduro World Series event in Whistler and placed second.
Schick had competed in national events as a cross-country cyclist, but transitioned to enduro racing because of the challenge that comes from the fitness required to ride uphill and the technical requirements of the downhill sections. “This was the perfect discipline,” she said.
With this year’s series winding down, Schick will be focusing on her studies as a second year science student at the University of Victoria while training to hit the race circuit again next year.
She wants to fit in one more season in the Under 21 category before transitioning to professional status.
Currently Schick is a so-called “privateer,” a self-funded athlete, but she does have sponsors, including Roberts Creek cycling business Elphinstone Cycles.
Until Schick makes a factory team, which pays for registration, trips and equipment, she’s working at Sharkey’s Fish Locker and Elphi Cycles to cover her costs. “I work and train and I leave for races, come back and work some more. It’s expensive.”
