Racers from 23 countries will head to seventh edition of popular stage race
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The start of a stage of the BC Bike Race(Image credit: BC Bike)
A rider enters an enduro section(Image credit: BC Bike)
BC Bike Race is known for its singletrack(Image credit: BC Bike)
There is 75% singletrack in the BC Bike Race(Image credit: BC Bike)
BC Bike Race added an enduro classification in 2012(Image credit: BC Bike)
Stage racers have to relax whenever they can while off the bike.(Image credit: BC Bike)
BC Bike Race singletrack(Image credit: BC Bike)
BC Bike Race singletrack(Image credit: BC Bike)
A racer in the BC Bike Race(Image credit: BC Bike)
The BC Bike Race sold out entries for its 2013 edition in record time: five months earlier than in 2012. Organizers are now accepting names for the wait list. The seventh edition of the popular mountain bike stage race will include 550 racers who will start on June 30 in Cumberland, British Columbia, Canada. The race will wrap up seven days later in Whistler on July 6.
The BC Bike Race course features 75 percent singletrack. Each course is carefully designed to allow passing and spots for refueling of the body. "We could literally go 100% trail and have done so on a few occasions in the past, but that much trail is simply mind boggling," said organizers. "Our courses are handcrafted to cater to the pure enjoyment of the trail rider; not the longest or the hardest but simply the 'most fun'."
For the first time in 2012, the BC Bike Race included an enduro, featuring 13 chip-timed sections, placed within the existing event categories of Epic and Challenge. Course manager Jeff Stromgren said, "The riders are in control of their own destiny. He or she can truly choose how to race throughout the whole week, day by day, XC or enduro or mix and match."
Last year, day 7's new course in Whistler eclipsed the usual riders' favourite of day 6 Squamish, but the vote was close. Each day's course director vies for the prestigious prize and honor of being the favourite. In pursuit of this award, directors put plenty of elbow grease into each and every course; whether a new trail or a spruce up, a tweak or a simple rake and buff each course is undergoing some form of change for the better.
2013 is set to roll out with a host of participants hailing from 23 countries in the Challenge and Epic categories.
The 2012 edition was won by Neal Kindree (Specialized/EMD Serono) and Wendy Simms (Kona).
Registration for 2014 will open July 7, one day after the completion of the 2013 event.
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