BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
For Amanda Sin, there's nothing better than
enjoying a little peace and quiet in nature, unless she's
ripping through it full blast on her mountain bike.
 |
| name="valign"
top >
Amanda Sin placed seventh at the
Canadian nationals and finished third at the 2005
Canada Cup. |
Sin, 28, has had an astounding mountain bike
season, with solid finishes in national and World Cup events,
which has translated into the biggest thrill of her life.
Sin was recently named to the Canadian
National Mountain Bike Team, and she will compete at the World
Mountain Bike Championships in Livigno, Italy on Sept. 4,
2005.
"I am really excited to go and see what I can
do," said Sin. "Making the team was one of my goals at the
start of the season. This has given me the confidence and hope
that I can keep pursuing the idea of being a full-time
professional mountain bike rider. It will be great to race
against the best in the world. It's a highlight for me and
shows me my years of hard work has paid off."
Sin, who represents Bay Cycle/ 3 Rox Racing,
and trains regularly at the Sudbury Cycling Club (SCC), hasn't
set lofty goals for herself at the world championships.
"It's hard to set a specific goal because
this will be my first world championship," said Sin. "I want a
good race and to ride strong. I will use the race to see were I
am compared to international riders. Whatever the outcome, I
will be happy. It will be my starting point for my future
racing goals. I
would actually be happy with a top-30
finish."
Sin will compete in the Pro-Elite women's
class. She will race a course that's about 12.5-kilometres
long, with multiple laps.
"It's a very tough race," said Sin.
"Typically, it's a two-hour race for the winner. There's
climbing, descending and single- and double-track
terrain."
Sin is ready and has put up great efforts
over the season. She placed seventh at the Canadian nationals
and was 17th out of 45 riders at a World Cup event. Both races
were back in June in Quebec. Sin also finished third at the
2005 Canada Cup.
Sin has enjoyed the experience of being a
member of the SCC and learning training techniques from
renowned coach Battista Muredda. "The SCC
has been a great help with physical
training," said Sin. "It's a good group of people to ride
with."
Muredda, who has coached multiple Olympians,
sees Sin as a passionate athlete pushing the limits of human
endurance for success.
"Amanda is an exceptional mountain biker,"
said Muredda. "For the short time she's been racing, which has
only been three years, to make the national team is an amazing
accomplishment. She's very dedicated, works extremely hard, has
a lot of desire and the ambition to do well. We are
pleased we could help her with training. I
wish her the best of luck at the worlds. I am sure she will do
us all proud."
Sin originally hails from Annapolis, Nova
Scotia. She has lived in Sudbury for about 18 months. Sin moved
to the Nickel City with her husband, Kaesy Gladwin, after he
got a job as a geologist here. Sin rides full-time, but plans
to attend McMaster University in Hamilton this fall to take
physiotherapy.
