In a couple of days Cory Wallace is heading to Costa Rica to race in two mountain bike races. This time, it will be on his own dime, but it will be one of the last.

The Jasper mountain biker, who has had an exceptional year, winning the Trans-Rockies and competing in races all over the continent, has just received a full sponsorship from the mountain bike company Kona.

“It was a bit of a surprise,” said Wallace, who has never had a full sponsorship before, and just had a message to call Kona, “so it was a welcome surprise.”

The sponsorship means he will get bikes, equipment and travel expenses paid, and he said will also hopefully be biking in Europe for a couple of months.

“I’m not sure quite when yet, but yeah, Kona has a team on that side of the ocean, and they are looking for guys who specialize in long distance, and the Kona guys said ‘we might be able to hook you up with that too.’”

Last year Wallace received a bike from Freewheel Cycle as a part sponsor, but Wendy Hall, of Freewheel Cycle, said this is a huge opportunity for him. No one  in Jasper has ever received that kind of sponsorship before, Hall said.

“It’s all connected between the bike shop and the Kona reps and Kona. They (Freewheel Cycle) definitely had a big thing to do with it,” Wallace said.

Wallace’s sponsorship won’t kick in until 2010, when he said he’s not sure what his schedule will look like now that he’s been picked up by such a big sponsor, but he did say he wants to keep racing in some local area races such as the Trans-Rockies race. 

“I think it will be a mix, but I’m not too sure yet,” he said.

Wallace was in Vancouver Island on Monday, getting ready head to Costa Rica where he will compete in a four-day race next week and then a race from Dec. 16-28.