Burnaby's popular elite four-day cycling event at the velodrome on Barnet Highway is back again to welcome in the new year.
After a one-year hiatus, this year's 4Day racing event will offer exciting entertainment with some of the top two-wheeled talent in the world.
The Superior Glass 4 Day will take place at the Burnaby velodrome from Dec. 27 to 30.
High-lighting the races will be a battle of the sexes on the final night, pitting Olympic bronze medallist Gillian Carleton and the Canadian women's pursuit team, including velo-drome products Stephanie Roorda and Laura Brown, against Tour de France stage winner Tyler Farrar in a three-kilometre matchup.
"We wanted to showcase the Olympic medallist," said event organizer Jeremy Storie.
Also on the schedule is 20-year-old phenom, Scott Mulder, a seven-time Canadian sprint champion, who just returned from three months training at the International Cycling Union world cycling centre in Switzerland.
Mulder will be part of a unique sprint event that will take place on Friday night.
The North Vancouver sensation will battle five different challengers in match sprints throughout the night, with ever-increasing prize money for the winner.
Mulder has 10 top-10 results at the junior world championships, and most recently, an eighth-place finish at an elite World Cup event in Manchester, England.
Racing starts at 6: 30 p.m. and continues until 11 p.m. each night.
On Saturday, spectators will be entertained by Columbia, one of Vancouver's hottest stadium rock bands.
"We're just trying to put a huge show on for the crowd," Storie added.
Riding alongside the elite international field of cyclists will be some of the top up-and-coming male and female riders, who have honed their skills in the Burnaby velodrome.
Every night, the future champions of racing will take to the banked track in a variety of events.
Maggie Coles-Lyster is one to watch.
The 13-yearold from Maple Ridge is currently showcasing herself well in Category 3 racing and is one of the top 17 female youth who are making lots of noise on the road and tracks these days.
Among the teen boys are Jackson Pickell of Coquitlam, Brendan Cowley of Vancouver and Burnaby's Keifer Livingstone, who are on the leading edge of the developmental cycling programs in the province.
Junior Aiden Caves, another product of the velodrome developmental program, will be riding against Farrar in the elite events. Adam Reddy of Maple Ridge will also compete in the pro events.
For Farrar, who was the first American to win a stage in the Tour de France, putting in the time to help the sport is part of who he is, said Storie.
It is also good preparation for Farrar, who will compete in the Tour Down Under directly after the 4 Day event.
"It's part of the responsibility to the sport. Some of it is loyalty, some of it is our programs," Storie said.
"I know the value of (the velodrome). That right there, speaks volumes to me. That's the proof in the pudding. It just keeps building on itself."
