How I Hustled my Way into BC Bike Race
Voice of Josh Licthti, Story by Evan Wishloff
Photos: Sara Kempner, Jens Klett, Deniz Merdano
In 2016, I packed up and moved to Cumberland. Of course, living in Cumberland, it was only a matter of time before I’d be riding singletrack… It’s a way of life out here!
A year later, I was doing just that – mountain biking on the epic trails of Cumberland on the regular. Rooty, rocky, technical, flowy, fast, fun… pure adrenaline ride. Naturally, I found myself pushing the pace on every ride, seeing how fast I could get.
That’s when I found myself wondering how fast it was actually possible to ride them.
I wonder what the average speed of a racer would be on these trails…
I started googling things, and eventually, stumbled upon the results from a stage of BC Bike Race in 2016.
It turned out the answer to my question was fast…
Just because I was new to mountain biking didn’t mean I was a pushover when it came to bikes. Growing up, I’d spent my spare time on my BMX, seeing how much air I could get off the stumps around my house, or seeing how long I could hold a wheelie.
As a teenager, I started traveling around to skate parks to get my BMX fix. We’d drive to skateparks in Oakville, London, Buffalo, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Upstate New York… if it was drivable from home, I was hitting them with my friends!
I taught myself how to grind rails and ledges, do wall rides, and eventually, 360s, bar-spins, fufanus, abubacas… That was my background.
I had a shortlived career riding pro contests, but eventually, the all-mighty dollar started to impact my life decisions. I started tree-planting, which is how I found myself on the island.
I was still tree-planting in 2017 when I first heard of BC Bike Race, so although it looked like a lot of fun, my summers were already committed to working.
A few years later, looking for a change, I stopped tree planting and started working for Dodge City Cycles in town. I raced a few Island Cups and the 12 Hours of Cumberland – those early days when I discovered BC Bike Race on Strava were just a distant memory…
I’m also a banjo player, and in 2023, a friend of mine invited me out to play at the event.
Just like that, it was back on my radar. I posted up at the top of the last big climb of Day 7 and played banjo for hours and hours.
Maybe I could do this…
When I’d talk to other locals about doing the race, a common theme was why spend the money to race on trails you can ride for free?
I’ve got an answer, but maybe a more impactful way to explain it would be to tell you how I saved up enough money to enter… I collected cans.
That’s right, empties.
Bags and bags and bags full.
That’s how invested I was in doing BCBR.
That’s how excited I was to race it, because riding those trails on your own is so different than riding them during BCBR.
You see, every day of BCBR is like vacation mode. Usually, when I go out for a ride, I might ride before work, and then rush to do the rest of the usual life things that needed to be taken care of.
But during BCBR – during that week – everything else turns off.
Instead of a rushed ride before work, the routine is simple:
Wake-up. Prep to race. Race. Get back. Relax. Clean up. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
For 7 days!
That’s the BCBR experience.
I was pretty nervous going into BCBR. I’d raced some one-day events, but never 7 in a row…
Plus I’d put so much time and effort into getting to the start line. Thousands – literally thousands – of cans and bottles that I hustled for in my spare time were the reason I was there. I had no doubt that the event would live up to the hype, but what if I couldn’t?
Thankfully, the prologue was uneventful and calmed me down. I was racing, and I was racing well!
By Day 4, I managed to make it into the first start wave. The very back of that start wave, but the first wave nonetheless.
I quickly learned I didn’t really know what I was doing. I mean, yes, I could ride singletrack fast, but I had no idea what a peloton was… I thought that was just the name of the company that sells those stationary spin bikes! I didn’t realize it also meant a massive group of fast-flying riders that would leave me in the dust.
But as soon as the trails narrowed down, I was back in my element: riding super sweet singletrack on the island, and riding it fast!
I finished. Relaxed. Cleaned up. Ate dinner. Prepared gear for the next day. Slept.
Then it was Stage 5 – my true home turf – with a route that took in most of my usual trails.
Not that I wasn’t having fun beforehand, but this is when it got really fun!
Partly because I could go even faster knowing exactly what the course has in store, but also because I got to play defacto tour guide. We rode through a cut block that I had planted in 2017, and I made sure to let everyone riding near me know!
“Folks, if you look to your left, these trees that you see were planted in 2017… by me!”
Then, a long pause.
“That concludes your tour today.”
If I had to pick a favourite stage, it would be the finale, but not because it was the end. It just so happened to take in some of my favourite trails on the entire Island! Mambo Jumbo, Lost Wood Blockhead, Bear Buns, Teapot… I rode that stuff every day!
I blasted through the day, and when I crossed the finish line, I genuinely couldn’t have asked for anything better.
When the dust settled and I had some time to reflect, all I could really think was that I was bummed it was over. I didn’t want it to end.
I guess I have to go back to normal life again…
Until next year that is… because I’ll be back at the start line in 2025!
That’s right, this ‘local’ thought it was good enough I want to come back for more! See you there!
