Cycling BC is pleased to officially announce the BC Cup downhill series of events for 2023. The BC Cup will feature seven challenging races between June and September that will test riders’ skills on some of BC’s most breathtaking trails.
The overall series structure and categories will be mostly the same as in previous years. However, a noticeable absence from this year’s series will be the adaptive mountain bike (aMTB) category as Cycling BC, Cycling Canada, Kootenay Adaptive Sports Association (KASA) and other key stakeholders continue to seek a solution to insurance issues surrounding the motorized features of aMTB rigs. Organizers have every intention to reintroduce the category back into the series once a solution is found.
In the meantime, the 2023 BC Cup downhill series opener will launch at Big White Bike Park in Kelowna on Canada Day long weekend, June 30-July 2, where riders will be shaking off any early-season rust on the Big White’s bone-rattling Catapult Ranch race course. The following weekend, July 7-9, is a triple-whammy at SilverStar Mountain which will serve as the Canada Cup season opener, BC Cup, and the 2023 BC Provincial Downhill Championships.
While not part of the BC Cup series, Fernie will host the 2023 Canadian Downhill Mountain Bike Championships on the weekend of July 14-16, while simultaneously launching the first race of the legendary Dunbar Summer Series. The next three Dunbar Summer Series races will double as Canada Cup and BC Cup races, including Panorama on July 17-19, Kicking Horse on August 11-13, and Sun Peaks on August 18-20.
The penultimate BC Cup race will be held at the Steve Smith Memorial Downhill at Mt. Washington, Vancouver Island, on August 25-27 and the series finale will take place at Coast Gravity Park for a late-season showdown on the Sunshine Coast from September 15-17. The overall winners will be determined and awarded the BC Cup jerseys and medals at the conclusion of the final race.
Winning the overall BC Cup means that a racer has been available for the majority of races and has accumulated the most points overall, based on their performance in each race—not an easy feat as BC Cup races attract some of the best riders in the world and are held on exceptionally technical tracks requiring skill, fitness, and mental strength.
To qualify for the BC Cup, riders must hold a valid 2023 BC Provincial or UCI Race licence at the time of the event in which they participate. Cycling BC 2023 licences are available now via CCN.
2023 BC Cup Downhill Series
June 30-July 2 – Big White BC Cup
July 7-9 – SilverStar BC Cup/Canada Cup & BC Provincial Championships
July 17-19 – Panorama BC Cup/Canada Cup/Dunbar Summer Series
August 11-13 – Kicking Horse BC Cup/Canada Cup/Dunbar Summer Series
August 18-20 – Sun Peaks BC Cup/Canada Cup/Dunbar Summer Series
August 25-27 – Mt. Washington Steve Smith Memorial BC Cup
September 15-17 – Coast Gravity Park BC Cup
Note: The 2023 Canadian Downhill MTB Championships/Dunbar Summer Series at Fernie Mountain on July 14-16 is excluded from BC Cup rankings.
For more information on the BC Cup Downhill Series please visit the series page on the Cycling BC website.