2026 BCBR: Stage 7 Maple Mountain – Presented by Shimano

Nino Schurter made light work of Maple Syrup’s ragged tech and rocky slabs

Holcomb hauls all the way to the finish line in Cowichan

On the women’s side, Ruth Holcomb proved she’s a serious threat on two wheels of any kind. Taking a little side trip from her training with the U.S. team pursuit squad on the track and normal gravel racing with Santa Cruz, Holcomb was thriving back on mountain bikes.

“I haven’t got to do a proper mountain bike race in long time, so it was really nice to be back.”

Holcomb won several stages, but was pushed to two sprint finishes. And conceded stage wins to Sandra Walter and Katerina Nash, while fending off challenges from Hannah Simms. The Californian loved the challenge of the BCBR experience.

“It was awesome. I didn’t really know what to expect. Every day was just amazing trails, amazing riding. I feel like the race played out differently every day, which was sick. I won, which is also awesome, but it’s just such a fun week. I had such a good time.”

What stage stood out?

“I loved Stage three, that was my favourite day in the rain. I surprised myself on the climb and just had the best time on the trails. “

Peter Disera pushes the G.O.A.T. on home turf

While Schurter won, he didn’t walk away with the title. A trio of Canadians (and some Californians) pushed the Scott-SRAM rider to five sprint finishes in seven days, one of the closest and most exciting BC Bike Race’s yet.

Peter Disera led that effort, even stealing a trio of wins from Schurter. The multi-time Canadian national champion and Olympian was looking forward to one more chance to try upset the G.O.A.T., only to be taken out by an unexpected crash on the climb up Maple Mountain.

“I was stoked to have another battle day. I felt like I was getting my legs back underneath me. When we hit Maple, we were on this little out and back I’d never done before and something stabbed me in the wrist and threw me to the inside of a corner. I hit a root ball and came to a complete stop.”

With the sudden impact to his thigh, Disera was left struggling to pedal, let alone put power down.

“That’s the part that actually hurts. I was excited to have a good go at it. Bringing back 45 seconds on Schurter’s just not going to happen, but I was excited to try.”

Still, second behind Schurter is not a bad result. Even Disera has to admit that.

“I have no business doing what I did for the first four days. It was pretty cool to have half of the week be competitive.”

Nieuwesteeg nails down final podium spot

While Peter Disera finished closest to Schurter, the battle for podium positions pitted two B.C. locals against a pair of California racers for the remaining podium positions. Carter Nieuwesteeg from Fernie, B.C. has raced multiple BCBR’s in the past and came away with third overall. Friday saw Carter chasing Schurter solo after Disera’s crash.

“The first couple BCBR’s here, I just got shattered on Maple. I’ve ridden it so much, just to figure out pacing. Today, though, I just rode as hard as I could to hold onto Nino.”

Nieuwesteeg held close to the Swiss rider on the climb and finished second on the stage, and in the overall, his best BCBR finish to date.

“It was the best one yet. I’m definitely sad that it’s the last 7-day,” said Nieuwesteeg. Carter’s not just a racer. He also organises his own series of events back at home in Fernie. “Even just seeing the organisers today, they’re definitely teary eyed. The production, the organisation, the volunteers, it’s a crazy production. They’re all so into it. Huge respect.”

The King of Fox DH

Another Vancouver Island local thriving on home trails was Max McCulloch. The Victoria native, and formerly Cumberland resident rolled into the final day fighting for podiums and a win. McCulloch couldn’t quite catch Nieuwesteeg to move into third, but he did fend off Tobin Ortenblad and moved back past Justin Peck after a rough day in Nanaimo.

“Yesterday was really rough. I didn’t feel good last night, but the legs came around and I was able to hang on on the bigger climbs. Then I was kind of in no man’s land. I went full-gas over the top, and seemed like everything was raked or brushed on the descent. Honestly, the day went about as perfect as it could have gone.

As you might have picked up from that, McCulloch made liberal use of his descending skills to reign in the other top pros. That earned the Victoria rider the crown in the Fox Timed DH standings as well as a very impressive fourth overall in the pro men’s race.

“I wasn’t really sure going into it where I’d stack up. I think it ended quite a bit better than I thought.”

The Queen of BCBR lands another podium (and another crown)

If there’s one woman that has defined the last decade of BC Bike Race, it’s Katerina Nash. After a rough day in Nanaimo, Nash was right back on form and in the flow on Maple Syrup.

“Today was fun, so I knew what was coming up. I gathered that last bit of energy and tried to control the pace up the hill. I thought maybe I could move up the GC, but Hannah rode really, really well.”
While Nash has numerous stage and overall wins over her decade of racing BCBR, she was quick to credit Holcomb

“Most of us in the group threw everything we had at Ruth and every single day she came through. She is the deserving winner. Hannah stepped it up from two years ago, which is also really fun to see.”
While Nash has spent the last couple of years hinting that the competition is less than half her age, often, at this point, she wasn’t going to miss the 20th year, and final year in its original format. And she’s not done yet. Will she be back next year?

“I have no idea, ha ha. I love it and I’d love to be part of it in some capacity. But I’ve been thinking, racing as a team would be fun, or volunteering. So I’ll be back, but I just don’t know what that looks like yet.”

Team’s find the flow on Maple Syrup

BC Bike Race isn’t just a solo affair. In the team of two categories, riders tested legs and friendships out on course for seven days.

Dave Vunic and Cody Canning teamed up after several years of racing BCBR solo. That formula doesn’t always work, but the Rocky Mountain team thrived.

“I actually really enjoyed the team experience. I’m a team guy and I like working with a team. Cody’s a good teammate. We helped each other through when we weren’t feeling so strong, so it was good support.”

That said, Vunic arrived at the top of Maple Mountain well ahead of Canning. Apparently, there was a bit of miscommunication on Day 7 and Vunic was seen on Nino Schurter’s wheel leaving the start area.

“We both had yellow jerseys, we’re both really fast, so it’s an easy mistake to make,” Canning said with a laugh after.

“Cody’s so good on the road, he just pops into a group so easily, so I thought I’d better stick with the front guys,” Vunic explained.

“He missed the section where I said, ‘I’m sitting up on the grass, Dave!’” Cody added with a laugh.

Communication is key, folks. Still, the Rocky duo survived to win their team of two category.

“Dave’s a team guy, he’s a perfect teammate,” Cody added. “He’s always looking out for us as a group, not just what’s best for him.”

Swiss twins drop in on first BC Bike Race, and first XC experience

While racing with friends can test the strength of a partnership, racing with family is a whole different experience. BCBR’s seen several different versions of family duo’s over the years, but enduro twins might be a new one. Anita and Caroline Gehrig are former enduro pros that thrived in their first cross country experience, winning their team of two category.

“It was so fun to push beyond our limits, go with the flow and pedal hard. There’s really enjoyable trails over here, so all the ascending was so worth it. We always got treated to really nice single track, nice people around,” Anita Gehrig said of the week on the pedals.

Has BCBR fully converted them to cross country was

“Ha ha ha, let me recover first, and we’ll figure it out later.

Carolin is less convinced.

“I’m so excited to ride some chairlifts this summer!”

Surprisingly, considering the twin’s past, both picked Campbell River as their favourite stage of the week.

“That was super special to us, super green forest and endless singletrack. Wherever you looked there was another trail and there were no people around. Just magical forest full of sick trails,” Anita said.

From East to West for the Ultimate Singletrack Experience

In the 40+ women’s category, Jenna Salters travelled all the way from Atlanta, Georgia to take on the BC BIke Race. Her crew included her husband, two young children and her parents.

“They’ve been doing some really cool adventures while I’ve been riding!” Salter’s said.

After a mechanical on Day 2, Salter had to dig out of a 20 minute deficit to claim the yellow jersey on the penultimate day. On Maple, Salter cruised over roots and rocks, to hold on to the win.

“It’s very different. We have the Appalachian mountains, with lots of rocks and lots of roots for sure,” Salter said. “But I loved this. I’ve just always wanted to ride here, it’s been really cool to finally get to do it.”

Her favourite day so far?

“Good question. I really liked Mount Tzouhalem, that left me with a big smile on my face.”

Friendships forged on singletrack

While only a few people win BC Bike Race, everyone out there is competing in one way or another. Whether you’re at the back or very close to the front, that rivalry has a way of forging friendships over seven days of racing. Rhys Nolan of Sydney, Australia and Bradley Wright from just down the road in Langford, Vancouver Island, spent the week battling for the top 10. By the end of the week, they’d spent so much time riding together they were being mistaken for teammates.

“After the first couple days you end up in a group that’s going back and forth depending on what suits who, it ends up being a fun battle and you get to know people. At the end of the day, you all had a sick day,” Wright said.

“Yeah, they’re like your buddies now, even if you’re racing against each other and want to break their legs, you’re also like helping each other, trying to catch the guys in front. That’s what mountain biking’s all about, it’s so much fun,” Rhys added.

It’s a long journey from Australia. What brought Nolan all the way to B.C.?

“I’ve always wanted to do this race. It’s been on my radar for years and I thought, now’s the year. I’m so glad I did it. The trails were breathtakingly beautiful and challenging at the same time. We just don’t get stuff like that at home. It’s an awesome event. I would do it again next week!”

The last year, before BCBR starts again

As we’ve mentioned, 2026 was the final year of the original 7 day BC Bike Race. But it’s not the end. After two decades, BCBR is going in a new direction in 2027, and tomorrow. While BC Bike Race wrapped up on Friday, BC Bike Fest was gearing up. Cross country, enduro, Mega Volt’s eMTB festival and even a downhill race are all happening this weekend at the Cowichan Exhibition grounds.

In 2027, BC Bike Race returns in a new 5-day format.

“Seven days is getting pretty hard,” multi-time BCBR champ Geoff Kabush said. “I’m kind of excited to hear we’re going back to Squamish. A little more technical trails there. And five days sounds a little more manageable for this old guy.”

Kabush is being modest. Even if he admits he “doesn’t have as many bullets to fight with the kids anymore,” the veteran racer finished 7th overall this week.

Change is always hard, we know. But if even BCBR veteran Geoff Kabush is excited, we can all get on board, right?

“There’s always something new at BC Bike Race. Even in Cumberland where I grew up, there’s always fresh trails. B.C. is kinda endless, so much to explore. This year, it was really cool to go back to Hammerfest and see the work Arrowsmith did to clean it up for us. I remember racing Andrew Shandro there back in the late 90s when he was cross training for DH. I don’t think those trails are still around, but it was fun to go back. And in Cumberland? None of those trails existed when I was a kid. It was all on the other side of the lake. It’s incredible to see how these communities have evolved and built up around those trail networks.

Here at BC Bike Race, we’re honoured to be a small part of that legacy. Honoured that these towns have welcomed our race family with open arms. And so very stoked to keep the party going in 2027. And yeah, registration is already open for the first five-day BC Bike Race.