Ontario champ Star cyclist no quitter By Paul Svoboda The Intelligencer Vanessa Thomas quit in her first mountain bike race seven years ago and she hasn't quit since. Today, Thomas is the 1995 Ontario champion in downhill competition and runner-up in cross-country in the women's pro junior class. In 17 mountain bike events this past season, Thomas fin- ished first seven times. She was runner-up in another seven races and placed third once. That's 15 top-three finishes in 17 outings. "It was hard on me but I kept going," says Thomas of her initi- ation to the sport seven years ago. "Now, it's the competition and the actual fun of the sport that I enjoy. It's challenging and you meet a lot of people too." While determination and grit got Thomas back on the saddle after that first race in 1988, she also admits she's had her share of good fortune. She's never suf- fered a serious injury. "I did a nice face-plant this year," she says with a sheepish grin. "But I've been very lucky -- no broken bones. Lots of cuts, scrapes and bruises." The 16-year-old Nicholson Catholic College student was introduced to the sport by her brothers Dylan and Trevor. She started with small local events and soon gravitated to larger and more difficult competitions. "I excel at downhill," she says. "I'm not really an up-hill- er." This year's downhill champi- onship was Thomas's second in a row. Last year, she also won the cross-country title and the overall Ontario Cup points standings. Next on the horizon is an- other hike up the competitive ladder. Two years from now I go TH into a very major category, pro elite," she says. "That will be a big change." Life at the top of the moun- tain bike circuit is gruelling and demanding. Thomas says she's exhausted after a day on the trails and usually succumbs to sleep as soon as she climbs back into the car. "My dad has to drive home," she says. The Roslin resident runs, swims and weight trains to aug- ment her biking. She also skis in the winter. Mountain bike racing isn't cheap, although Thomas has the sponsorship of Motion In- dustries in Trenton. Her compe- tition bike -- a Manitou hard tail -- runs between $5,000 and $7,000 retail. And, maintenance costs add up too. "After every race and every ride you have to go over the bike," she says. "Checking the gears and everything." And Thomas obviously isn't in it for the money. She esti- mates she earned around $200 in prize money this past season. Yet she sees female involve- ment in the sport increasing ev- ery year. "It's still a male-dominated sport," she says. "But there were a lot more women this year than last year. When I first got into it there were maybe three women in a race. This year, there were 100 women in the pro elite race at Mount St. Anne (Quebec)." While Thomas will concen- trate on her off-season training regimen for the next few months, she's got the first race of 1996 already marked on her calendar. "The Frostbite Race in Brad- ford," she says. 'It's one of my most fun races. There's ice on the turns and it's nice and slip- pery." Nothing to make Thomas even think of quitting. Cyclist Vanessa Thomas.