by Moniera Khan | Dec 15, 2021 | BC Bike Life, BC Bike Race
We’re always amazed to see the great content created by our racers from their race week experience. Sergio created a race week recap so grab a drink, put your feet up an enjoy. Reid did daily segments and it’s great to see a racer perspective of the weeklong journey. This one’s the grand finale but you can find them all on his YouTube channel Even Emily Batty shared some race week content in a two-part series. Here’s the first part. If we missed your race week coverage, let us know and we’ll add it to the list! ...
by BC Bike Race | Nov 23, 2021 | BC Bike Life
I made mistakes at BC Bike Race so you don’t have to BCBR Mountain Bike was going to be tough this year with a deep field. 3 past champions, Geoff Kabush, Felix Burke and myself, Karsten Madsen, young gun, Carter Nieuwesteeg, and World Cupper, Andrew L’Esperance. Andrew races short pinner races all year and was likely the favourite as these stages would fit right in his wheel house. A couple fast Americans, Payson Partridge and Matt Fox were also on the start line for what was going to be an intense 6 days of racing with the stages hovering between 13 and 30 km long. Read the full article at...
by BC Bike Race | Nov 19, 2021 | BC Bike Life
I made mistakes at BC Bike Race so you don’t have to A couple of weeks ago I finally, after years of dreaming, got to race the BC Bike Race. The classic Canadian mountain bike stage race was back after two years, and in a new location in the Okanagan. It was actually my first-ever stage race. While I’ve done plenty of racing over the years, racing multiple days in a row – and on mostly unfamiliar trails – was completely new. I learned a huge amount in six days, mostly through my own mistakes but sometimes through others. Here’s nine lessons from my first stage race. Mistakes I made so that, hopefully, you don’t have to. Prelude: Shaking the rust off BCBR wasn’t just my first stage race. It was the first time I’d turned a pedal in anger since approximately November 2019. There was a friend’d birthday alleycat and a BC Cup downhill – during which I barely pedalled at all for fear of accelerating downhill faster than the mountain was already making me. All that to say that my usual pre-race routine, which was already dangerously lax, was all but forgotten. Thankfully the BCBR team made it really easy to get through the six day of racing. As long as I could make it to the start line each morning, which wasn’t always a given, I knew that all I had to do was keep pedalling to make it to the finish. Read the full article in...
by BC Bike Race | Nov 17, 2021 | BC Bike Life
First-ever Mega Volt lands on Vancouver Island Is it a race? Is it a ride? Is it a good time? Yes. As electric mountain bikes grow more and more commonplace on trails across Canada, eMTB riders are looking for ways to gather together. While most events focus on traditional race formats, BC Bike Race decided to try shock the ebike community into collecting around an entirely new format. The result, the first ever Mega Volt, took place in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley from Oct. 22-24. 2022 Mega Volt: New idea, classic trails BCBR are veteran race organizers with over a decade of experience putting together races and rides across B.C. Watching the new bikes emerge, and riding them themselves, the organizers had an idea that the electrically charged wheels opened the door to something new, a race with a uniquely electric feel. Read the full article at cyclingmagazine.ca Check out the Mega...
by BC Bike Race | Nov 15, 2021 | BC Bike Life
Time for Something Different It’s hard to pinpoint why I haven’t partaken in BC Bike Race before this year. Not because it’s difficult to figure out the reason. It’s hard because the reason is either one thing I’m not keen to think about myself - or another. Since the race began in 2007, I always imagined circling the calendar one year, counting back an appropriate number of weeks, figuring out some kind of training (aka survival) program, and going for it. Every year in January, I think about it. And every year I either procrastinate on the decision or admit it would be easier to chalk up non-participation to inconvenient timing. That is a terrible reason because I’m one of a very small number of very lucky people who can figure out how to turn a full week of riding into ‘work’ but also realizes that a week like that is an aspirational, once-in-a-lifetime bucket list event for most riders. For all of those that would love to do BCBR, the majority probably have legitimate obstacles, whether it’s fitness, time constraints, financial priorities…and here I was waffling about it every year, thinking to myself I’d get around to it eventually. In a way I was probably being disrespectful to those that would kill for the chance by not taking advantage of the opportunity sooner. In the less desirable column of ‘things it says about me for not doing BCBR sooner’ though, if I really dig into it, a little self-realization made it even more essential that I finally went there, did that, and got the belt buckle. And that...
by BC Bike Race | Sep 3, 2021 | BC Bike Life
Cory Wallace - past winner of the BC Bike Race - is joining us for a fall double header racing both gravel and race! He is currently in the Okanagan exploring the terrain and you can follow his stories on Instagram at @wallacesworld. We asked him about his bike setup: For BC Bike Race I’ll be running the Kona Hei Hei with a 12 speed XTR Drivetrain, with a 36 T on the front, 10-51 in the rear. The wheels will be Astral Cycling Carbon Serpentines with Maxxis EXO tires on the mountain bike. Likely an Ardent race 2.25 on the front and an Aspen 2.25 on the rear. No dropper at the moment but I will be testing one out next week while pre riding. My bike will have a WTB Silverado Saddle. I use Squirt tire sealant with bead locks and Squirt Long Lasting Dry chain lube. If you’re curious about his gravel bike setup you can find it on our blog at...
