Most of you probably have never heard of her before, so I think now it is the right time to introduce her to you all.
Her name is Kiara Bisaro from Courtney, a former teammate and good friend of mine.
The story started around ten years ago, when both of us were freshmen at UBC. I was already pretty into cycling, and the first thing I did at UBC was joining the cycling club. Later on that year Kiara introduced herself to me. Cycling was relatively new to her at the time, and she thought it was something that she may enjoy.
Soon after, we established Team UBC, which consisted of around 20 dedicated students who wanted to excel in the BC cross country mountain bike racing scene. The years when I managed the team (1996 - 2000) were incredible. Teammates were extremely supportive of each other, even though there was tension at times (probably was not a good idea to share a hotel room with 10 teammates). We traveled around BC, parts of Washington and Alberta each summer, and managed to produce at least one podium placing in each category.
At the beginning, Kiara joined the team because it was "fun". She tried out a few races, and it didn't take long before we realized that she was an amazing athlete. Her consecutive first place finishes in 1995 moved her straight up to the expert category.
Just to give you an idea how determined she is...
A week before the season opener (BC Cup, Tsawwassen), we decided to do a pre-ride of the race course. For some reason, we lacked a car that weekend, so the only way to get to Tsawwassen was by riding down there. Yep, no problem, except Kiara picked up a flu a couple of days before that. She came along anyways.
Just to give you an idea how long that was, we met in Richmond, rode to Alex Fraser Bridge, crossed it, rode to Tsawwassen, spent two hours pre-riding the course, then rode back the same way.
The following weekend, during the race, her saddle broke off. Now, for those who have ridden a bike, you'll know riding without a saddle is extremely uncomfortable...
After one lap, Kiara came into the feed zone with a broken saddle pointing straight up where the sun does not shine. She ripped the saddle off, threw it at us (you know, broken saddle... valuable) and rode on.
For the next 1.5 hours, she rode the entire race standing up, and won it.
Being an UBC student, money was always an issue. She was always broke. Team UBC was only an amateur team, sponsors can only help out so much. The first two years Kiara rode a so-called commuting bike during her races. It wasn't until the third year, when she finally could afford to buy one.
On another occasion, she decided to visit her now ex-boyfriend in Kamloops. No car, again. So, she rode from Vancouver to Kamloops with a backpack... since, you know, Kamloops is just next door...
Although her teammates already know her potential, the rest of the racing community hadn't noticed because she could not compete in major races due to financial difficulties. It wasn't until 1999, when she won the Squamish Test of Metal and $1,400, people started to pay attention.
In year 2000, Trek Bicycle became her main sponsor. This cut down the cost of having a racable bike and its maintenance, but it still didn't cover the cost of her travelling. She had to work in two jobs, train and travel to races in the last minute.
In 2001, a major sponsor, Gear Racing, picked her up and that was when things started to take off. That same year, she finished 1st overall at the Canada Cup series, took the silver medal at the nationals and went on to finish 10th at the world championship.
Second place, NORBA (US National series) #1, Big Bear 2003
Her result was consistently improving, and her biggest break happened this year. At 2004 World Cup #3 in UK, she outsprinted former world champion and fellow Canadian teammate Alison Sydor for a third place finish. This was her first ever world cup medal!
There are only three spots on the Canadian women's mountain bike racing team for Athens. kiara's consistent result this year has earned one of these spots.
This was a dream of hers that she has worked extremely hard for. Her determination is a quality that is hard to find in most of us. I remember the mornings before the training ride from her apartment, she would slap her hand on a photo of Julie Furtado (another great racer, retired) and say one day she would beat her.
Although she was determined, the element of fun is still in her. Her big smile on the race course always stands out among the racers.
On August 27th, she will be taking on the best racers around the world. If all goes well (no mechanicals, falls, etc) and she finds her usual form, the chance of a podium placing is very big! I hope you guys and gals will cheer her on.
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Topic: A local favorite in Athens. (Read 15212 times)