Racers had a sweet and refreshing finish for Stage 5, presented by Mosaic Forest Management, after a 39.6 kilometre day with 929 metres of elevation.
As they crossed the finish line at Nanaimo’s Westwood Lake, racers were treated to the city’s signature dessert, a Nanaimo Bar, generously provided by the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) from the nearby Mountain View Elementary School.
“We thought it would be really awesome to show up and support the race,” said PAC member Miranda Smith, whose husband also designed the Nanaimo stage. “We donated Nanaimo bars because who doesn’t want a Nanaimo Bar at the end of the race in Nanaimo?”
They also had a concession nearby with cheese pizza, fruit, popcorn, freezies, Gatorade, Bubly, coffee, tea and other snacks racers could purchase in support of their fundraising efforts for a new school playground.
Many racers, finding out that it was a fundraiser, donated a few extra dollars to the cause, reminding us that we really do have the best racers in the world.
Yummy! Nanaimo Bars in Nanaimo.
Crossing the Finish Line with Family
A sweet treat of another variety was waiting a the finish line for Seattle-based racers David Crist and his son Robert. David’s parents, Angie and Don, along with his wife, Donna and daughter Claire were also cheering the pair on as they emerged from the forest.
Not many racers have that kind of entourage travelling with them during race week.
“This is super nice, said David. “I thought that my mom and dad were gonna be on a ferry back home, so it’s a great surprise.”
David said he signed up for the race as motivation to get moving after becoming a “Covid couch potato”.
When asked what it’s been like living with an athlete training for a big event, Dawn said, “It’s been tremendous watching Dave get back into a passion that he has and be so focused on it and so committed with his training regimen and just his fitness and recognizing the importance of nutrition.”
Three generations of support: Robert and David Crist (centre) are sharing the race week experience with family.
Bring on the gnar
On the trails, Nanaimo was living up to its nickname, Gnarnaimo, testing racers technical skills from start to finish. But that didn’t stop some of them from declaring today their favourite so far.
“It was brutally fun,” said Val Terada and Patty Mckeeman, who met at BC Bike Race in 2021 and quickly became friends who have since returned to the race together.
“The first day was awful,” said Mckeeman with a laugh. “And then it got better each day. Today was probably my favourite day.”
To get a full report from the trails, read Terry McKall’s race report.
Multiple generations cheering the racers on in Nanaimo.
Supporting Local Charities
Before racers headed out on course today, BCBR President and Co-founder Dean Payne had a special presentation to make.
Along with representatives from our sponsor of the day, Mosaic Forest Management, he presented a cheque for $3,000 each to 2 local charities:
• Tillicum Lelum Friendship Centre
• Cumberland Community Schools Society
These donations are in lieu of land use fees.
“Being able to support local organizations that are doing great work in the communities we visit is important,” said Payne. “We’re here to have fun, and we can also have a positive impact at the same time.”
In partnership with Mosaic, BC Bike Race donated $3,000 each to two local charities.
With Day 4 wrapped up, and basecamp re-established in Cumberland, riders are resting up for a big Day 5 with 38.2 kilometres and 1,216 metres of climbing, the biggest elevation gain of any stage this year.
Words by Carmel Ecker
Photos by Deniz Merdano, Dave Silver and Petri Miniotas
