It seems as though the Walden Mountain Bike Club established a precedent at the recent Ontario Summer Games. After welcoming competitors from across the Province for the bi-annual multi-sport competition during the middle of last week, out-of-towners were front and centre again Sunday morning on the Naughton Trails.

The venue was the site of the Sudbury Fitness Challenge Mountain Bike Tour, with Parry Island native Greg Edgar crossing the line first in the feature 20 km race. The 26 year-old multi-sport athlete spent four years in both Kingston and Ottawa pursuing his studies and is now a family medicine resident at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

Athletically inclined through his youth, Edgar enjoyed some early exposure to this very demanding sport. "We had a mountain bike team in Grade 9 at high-school (in Parry Sound), which was pretty unique," he explained. "We had a lot of very good riders who did the Ontario Cup circuit as well."

Although he hasn't raced in a mountain bike competition in three years, Edgar has kept quite active, tackling the Rocks Half-Marathon in Sudbury back in early May. And there is a similarity in course terrains that certainly proved advantageous.

"This is a very typical Northern Ontario Canadian Shield course. It's very similar to the Buckweller course, a local course I used to ride in Parry Sound," Edgar said.

While running and cross-country skiing also occupy his free time, Edgar acknowledges a clear preference towards being out on the mountain bike trails, although a new variance might soon take him away.

"I might buy a cyclocross bike and do some racing - I've been wanting to do that for about four years now." One of roughly a dozen or so competitors who made the trip down from New Liskeard, Anthony Story finished second in a time of 1:05.31, about four minutes behind the winner.

He noted that he had raced in Sudbury as a teenager, both in road cycling and cross country skiing, and that it was the connection of the New Liskeard nordic ski community that would bring the group to Walden.

A ski coach in the winter, Story sees a healthy correlation in cross training through mountain bike racing, sports that are not only connected through their use of the same trails.

"In biking, you get the balance, agility, leg strength, endurance and cardio. If you're serious about training for skiing, the only thing you need to do in the summer, other than mountain bike training, is to do some upper body conitioning - roller skiing, paddling or spending some time in the weight room," said Story.

No surprise then that provincial caliber nordic skiers Victor Hopper and Alannah MacLean would also take home first place ribbons in their respective categories, while OFSAA track & field competitor Emily Marcolini does the same in the 16 kilometre event.

The Mountain Bike Tour marks the fifth event in the Sudbury Fitness Challenge, with the demanding Beaton Classic set to tests the physical threshold of local athletes next Sunday morning (August 22nd) at Moonlight Beach.

Following is a complete listing of full race results for all competitors: