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BC Bike Race: The First Three Days

By BC Bike Race

Photo courtesy of Dave Silver

Day One Report: Cumberland Singletrack Sets the “Fun” Bar High!

The start line of any race is always alive with energy. But when you bring 450 singletrack hungry mountain bikers to a singletrack crazy town, line up the start chute down the center of the main drag, mix in a heavy percentage of cheering locals, and remind riders that this is the first of seven straight days of singletrack heaven, well, it’s electric!

Enter BC Bike Race Stage One. This morning you could have powered the entire village of Cumberland with the energy racers exuded as host Drew Bragg counted down the launch of BCBR 2011. More than 50 km of incredible riding lay ahead for the Epic riders, while the Challengers experienced 30 km of the same.

Photo courtesy of Dave Silver

The big question of the day was how would European riders Thomas Dietsch (BULL) and Marzio Deho (Olympia) fare on these trails against the defending champion Chris Sheppard (Rocky Mountain Bikes). At yesterday’s press conference, Dietsch pointed out that the European races only see about 7% singletrack to BCBR’s 70%. And the technical levels are incomparable, so it was going to be an interesting week.

Stage one didn’t disappoint. Dietsch tailed Sheppard through the initial singletrack and attacked on the long fire road ascent. Sheppard regained the lead back in the singletrack with Dietsch–rocking a hardtail this week–close behind. Close, but not close enough to steal the yellow jersey from Sheppard for Stage One. Shep, who is very familiar with this terrain, holds a 2+ minute lead over Dietsch going into Stage Two. The next four category finishers, Neal Kindree (Republic Bike Shop / SRAM), Cory Wallace (Kona), Jason Sager (Jamis) and Marzio Deho all crossed the line within three minutes of each other. Gravity master Brian Lopes (Oakley/Ibis/ENVE/Kenda) sits in 14th.

The Epic Team of 2 Men category promises some solid competition as well this year, as champions Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks (Kona Factory Team) defend their title against a strong field. A little bottlenecking and some tough breaks set a few teams back during the day. Sneddon and Wicks blasted through the finish in 2:28:12 to claim the day’s jersey with Mary Lazarski and Ricky Federau (Nativo/Devinci) just over a minute behind. Five minutes later, Mitchell Hoke and Brady Kappius (Clif Bar) came through with Greg Day and Colin Kerr (Rocky Mountain Bikes) and Mark Weir and Jason Moeschler (WTB/Cannondale/Shimano) less than a minute back. It’s still very early times and there are hundreds of kilometers of singletrack that can see this race take any number of turns. No matter what, it’s shaping up to be hot competition!

Photo courtesy of Stephen Wilde

Epic or Challenge, racers crossed the finish line today with huge grins and exuding a serious sense of accomplishment. It’s not surprising as the Cumberland trails are hand-built beauties that are guaranteed to delight every rider. Course Director Jeremy Grasby knows almost every inch of the trail network and continues to craft a Cumberland stage thrill-ride every year. Gravity girl Katrina Strand (Troy Lee Designs/Oakley/Maxxis) was having so much fun on course that she was accused of smiling too much!

We’ll wrap up this edition with a brief racer story we’ve come to call “Planes, Ferries and Automobiles.” Epic Solo racer Anthony Alvarado hails from Costa Rica. He’d intended to join us for registration on Day 0 but missed his flight. That led to a panicked phone call and overnight stop at a friend’s place, a repeat trip to the airport, and a subsequent 7-hour flight from Costa Rica to Toronto on July 2. Anthony then landed in Vancouver at 2 a.m. the following day, took a cab to the BC Ferries terminal, caught a 5 a.m. sailing to Vancouver Island, and was met by BCBR crew who shuttled him straight to the Cumberland start line … with 50 minutes to spare. The Obsession: Bikes tech team assembled and tuned Anthony’s bike in record time and he was ready to roll for a 9:30 a.m. stage one start, 26 hours after leaving home.

Anthony finished in less than four hours and, despite being exhausted and battling near-cramping through the course, could not stop beaming with excitement: “I enjoyed it like I was a kid!”

And that seems to sum up the sentiments of many racers around Base Camp at the end of Stage One. Seven days of super fun singletrack has begun!

Next Up: A quick morning trip up the highway brings racers to the site of our brand new stage for 2011: Campbell River. With a picturesque Base Camp set at the ocean’s edge and 33km of consecutive singletrack, Stage Two could become a new favorite!

PS – Campbell River trails will also be the launch point for the Rocky Mountain Bikes “Love the Ride” chip-timed sections. It’s our race within a race that promises to bring a whole new element to the BCBR!

Photo courtesy of Margus Riga

Day 2: New Campbell River Stage Introduces a Twist

In almost Tour de France fashion, BC Bike Race has introduced a new stage and consequently a new community each year. In this 5th anniversary edition of the event, stage two shone the spotlight on the ocean side city of Campbell River. The hometown of stage two course designer, Martin Ready, Campbell River is the third-largest city on Vancouver Island and fast becoming known for its exceptional mountain biking areas. BC Bike Race racers were about to find out why, as both the Epic and Challenge courses offered close to 33km of uninterrupted Campbell River singletrack.

For the vast majority of today’s riders, including current race leader Chris Sheppard (Rocky Mountain Bikes), the Campbell River area trails were unexplored territory – would this level the playing field for the top racers? A little more than two hours after Campbell River Mayor Charlie Cornfield signaled the start, we found out as a small pack of Epic frontrunners blistered across the finish line.

In a sprint finish, Jason Sager (Jamis) eeked ahead of Chris Sheppard to take the stage win in 2:13:24, while Sheppard retained his GC leader status, and the ‘golden fleece’ for another day. Team Kona’s Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon, rounding out the leaders pack, took the Team of 2 stage win in 2:13:26 and also retain GC leader status. Both categories saw a little shuffling in the top places within the stage, but the times remain tight and there is still a lot of singletrack to be covered over the next five days.

Currently the solo GC shows Sheppard with four minutes over Thomas Dietsch (Team BULLS), and seven minutes over Sager and Neal Kindree (Republic Bike Shop/SRAM). There is a huge battle developing in the Team of 2 GC behind leaders Sneddon/Wicks who have fifteen minutes over the next teams. Marty Lazarski and Ricky Federau (Davinci/Jamis), Greg Day and Colin Kerr (Rocky Mountain Bicycles), and Mitchell Hoke and Brady Kappius (Clif Bar) are all separated by a less than 30 second spread and fighting hard for position.

The majority of the other Epic GC category leaders remain the same after two days of racing. In the Challenge GC, Grant Fox leads the men, Tanya Berg leads the women, and Denver Poole and Derek Reynolds lead the mixed category.

Photo courtesy of Dave Silver

And adding another twist to the day was the introduction of the Rocky Mountain Bikes “Love the Ride” timed singletrack sections. Two separate segments of singletrack were marked and timed separately within the course to create a "race within the race." In these sections, all racers, regardless of Challenge or Epic, are pitted against each other to find the fastest male and female times.

Andreas Hestler (Rocky Mountain Bikes) and Katrina Strand (Troy Lee Designs/Oakley/Maxxis) each won both of the inaugural “Love the Ride” sections in stage two. They were awarded leader’s jerseys and will have the chance to defend their titles on the next “Love the Ride” stage, scheduled for Day 6 in Squamish.

The timed “hotspots” are a new feature in BC Bike Race and introduce an element that allows, as Mark Weir (WTB/Cannondale/Shimano) put it, “more heroes” to emerge within the race. Weir feels that this might be the evolution of stage racing, reflecting a move from “pinning it” style racers to bigger bikes ridden by more relaxed racers looking to have more fun.

While the “Love the Ride” sections are a young category for BCBR this year, the vision is to give more racers a shot at the podium. “Some climb well, some descend well, some are built for speed and some for distance,” said BCBR’s Andreas Hestler, “The Rocky Mountain Bikes ‘Love the Ride’ section creates the opportunity for a variety of racers to shine each day.”

Photo courtesy of Dave Silver

The sections also allows racers of all abilities to test their riding skills against the pros in the pack. The first offering seemed to be a hit with racers: Chris_McGregor on Twitter, “Epic moment @ #the bcbikerace – I rode wheel 2 wheel Katrina Strand for the 2nd times section + was only a few seconds off her winning time”

Thanks to the new “Love the Ride” section, an array of amazing trails, and a warm and welcoming community Campbell River Stage Two made its mark on BC Bike Race with style.

Next Up: A very picturesque sailing from Vancouver Island to the Sunshine Coast with BC Ferries. Once the ferry docks in Powell River, racers will walk off the ferry and down to the beach front Base Camp and Start/Finish line area.

Stage Three: Powell River – Sunshine, Blue Skies and Rolling Thunder

Another beautiful, sunny day graced racers as they left Campbell River behind and sailed from Vancouver Island to Powell River with BC Ferries. The beach front Stage Three Base Camp in Powell River is one of the most picturesque of the week, with the start/finish line arch and racer tents set up mere meters from the ocean’s edge.

The stage began with an ocean side lead out winding racers into an extensive trail network that’s meticulously maintained by local riders and includes singletrack affectionately referred to as ‘rolling thunder.’ Trees were the theme of the day, providing swoopy, slaloming trails and undulating rooty sections that lent themselves to strong focus and flow. The reward at the end of the trail was a return to the sun-drenched beach front finish line where sandy beaches and cool ocean waters beckoned.

Stage winner Neal Kindree (Republic Bike Shop/SRAM) was less than 30 seconds ahead of GC leader Chris Sheppard (Rocky Mountain Bikes) who still reigns with the yellow jersey, carrying a 10-minute lead into Stage Four. Jason Sager (Jamis) placed third for the stage while the European riders, Thomas Dietsch (BULLS) and Marzio Deho (Olympia).

The Kona Factory Team of Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks won the stage and continue to wear the leaders’ jerseys for the third consecutive day. While the focus often falls on the lead rider, there’s an intense battle shaping up in the Epic Team category. Nativo/Devinci’s Marty Lazarski and Ricky Federau, Clif Bar’s Mitchell Hoke and Brady Kappius, and Rocky Mountain Bikes Colin Kerr and Greg Day are in a fierce battle for the remaining top spots in the GC, with working within a 3-minute spread. This is definitely becoming the race to watch.

Remaining Yellow Jersey Highlights:

Challenge Solo Men – Grant Fox

Challenge Solo Women – Tanya Berg

Challenge Mixed Team – Denver Poole & Derek Reynolds

Photo courtesy of Margus Riga

Epic Solo Women – Jennifer Schulz

Epic Solo Masters Men – Jeff Neilson

Epic Solo Masters Women – Trish Grajczyk

Epic Women’s Team – Simone Mccallum & Claire Garcia- Webb

Epic Mixed Team – Mike Brown & Veronica Jarlehag

Epic Vets 80+ - Frank Wittmann & Axel Ruecker

Epic Vets 100+ - Daniel Auclair & Pierre Harvey

One international racer at BC Bike Race is here for more than just an amazing singletrack adventure. North Shore mountain biking legend, Paul Chetwynd, moved to Japan over 20 years ago for a biking career, fell in love with the country and its people and chose to make his life there. Paul was out of the country when the Tsunami struck earlier this year, but the disastrous scene hit hard when he returned two days following. While many people left Japan in anticipation of higher taxes and the cost of recovering from the devastation, Paul and his family opted to stay and do what they can to help rebuild.

That brings Paul to BC Bike Race. He elected to ride the event to create awareness and raise funds to support children who were orphaned as a result of the Tsunami. “At last count, 201 children were orphaned in one five minute wave. They’re going to need a little help for a long time and I want to do what I can,” said Paul. BC Bike Race is supporting Paul in his fundraising efforts and has provided a link on their website for those who wish to contribute.

Stage three wrapped up with an amazing evening dinner and a host of local dignitaries welcoming BC Bike Race participants and staff to Powell River. Most touching was a blessing bestowed upon the group by Tla’Amin (Sliammon) First Nations Elder Honourable Dr. Elsie Paul, “This is a prayer that is said whenever someone went on a journey by land or by sea. And I understand that you’ve undertaken quite a journey to be here.” In the Tla’Amin language, Dr. Paul connected the room full of BC Bike Race participants and crew together through a warm and sincere prayer for a safe continued journey.

Up next: BC Bike Race’s first point-to-point stage begins at Earl’s Cove ferry terminal. Racers take another scenic BC Ferries ride from Saltery Bay to Earl’s Cove where they will walk off the ferry and straight to their bikes for an 11 a.m. race start. Stage four is the first of two days focused on the Lower Sunshine Coast, which introduce yet a different type of riding to the BC Bike Race story.