Cycling BC Delivers an Exciting Calendar

Article written by Nicole Rochefort, Communications & Events Coordinator at Cycling BC published in the April issue of Bicycle Paper.

View online article at: http://www.bicyclepaper.com/articles/462-Cycling-BC-Delivers-an-Exciting-Calendar-

Cycling BC Delivers an Exciting Calendar

By Nicole Rochefort, Communications & Events Coordinator

British Columbia promises to deliver the best adrenaline-driven races this season with more than 500 events presented across the province. Whether racing against the clock down a steep mountain side or against seven others on a 250m dirt track, setting the pace in a pack of more than 100, pushing the limit of endurance in an epic race though technical singletrack or battling the cold and wet weather through mud pits and over barriers, the adrenaline is undeniable, and BC’s got it all.

 

Racers will have plenty of opportunities to train for these high profile competitions by entering a variety of grassroot, regional and provincial events across the province.

BMX tracks in the lower mainland offer weekly gate practice and excellent club races (over 100 throughout the summer), giving riders of all ages and levels multiple opportunities to pump and jump their way to the top. All who dream of racing like a pro are welcome to test their skills on the Abbotsford BMX Supercross start hill during gate practice nights. Those tracks will later be featured in the popular nine-event BC Cup Series where coveted points can be garnered in what should be a tight competition for the overall title, leader’s plate and jersey that come with it. Winners will be declared at the finals on September 22 at the Ridge Meadows track. In addition to the BC Cup Series title, local riders will compete for the provincial crown at the Provincial BMX Championships on August 31 in Abbotsford. While the Junior and Elite racers will be going down the Supercross start hill and tackling the pro lines, with its huge jumps and technical rhythm section, the other classes will run from the regular start gate.

For those looking to crank their adrenaline level up with some off-road jumping and bike handling skills in a close eight-rider deep sprint that doesn’t last more than 60 seconds per round, then BMX is where you will need to be this summer.

British Columbia is known worldwide for its amazing mountain biking trails and the locals are treated to them daily. The 2013 season is already underway and opened with the first BC winter downhill race at Silver Star at the beginning of March, which saw riders push their bike handling skills to the limit down the resort’s main run, Milky Way. Until the snow clears the action moves to lower altitude for local races such as the Island Cup Series on Vancouver Island and the SORCE/SHED Twoonie Series presented at the Delta Watershed and the South Surrey Bike Park.

The classics such as The Coaster (April 27–28), Westcoast Super D (May 5), Salty Dog XC (May 12), and the Unicorn 5000 (May 26) will showcase some of the best singletrack the province has to offer. For racers who would rather shuttle up than climb up, the popular BC Cup Downhill Series will visit six communities starting in Kamloops with Race the Ranch (June 1-2), then move on to Sun Peaks for the dual sanctioned Canada Cup (XC and DH) / BC Cup DH on July 6 and 7.

The July 27 and 28 weekend event at Silver Star will have riders dropping in to Dag’s Downhill to beat the clock and claim the title of BC Provincial DH Champion. Golden, just a few kilometers from the Alberta border, will host the Western Open (August 3–4), also a BC Cup Series event, where participants’ endurance and stamina will be put to the test on the second longest race course in the series. The Monster Mile Downhill Championships at Mount Washington Alpine Resort on August 24–25 will host the longest BC Cup race, and for the last stop of the series, racers will head across the province to Fernie Alpine Resort. There they will attack the course from top to bottom, chasing the last few points needed to claim the title of BC Cup DH Champion.

More than off-road, British Columbia hosts some of the highest level of road racing competitions in the country. Regional races such as the Escape Velocity Spring Series, Victoria Cycling League’s Spring Series, the Mid-Island Velo Association Summer Series or the Prince George club races are perfect to shake off the winter cobwebs. A plethora of mid-week criterium, time trial, road race and hill climbs are presented by clubs such as Sydney Velo, Escape Velocity and Coastal Race Club weekly.

Early road races include Barry’s Roubaix (April 7), a play on a french spring classic and Race the Ridge stage race on April 27–28. The heart of the season kicks off with The Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series which will be hosting the 2013 Elite Provincial Championships on June 2 in Victoria. Under 19 racers will then head over to the Comox Valley for the first ever Youth and Junior Provincial Road Championships presented as part of the VIPYRS Youth Stage Race the weekend of June 8-9.

The action then moves into July with the premier series of races in the country — BC Superweek. The weeklong event kicks off with the Tour de Delta’s three-day stage race (July 5-7), which will include for the first time an international 1.2 rated road race. After a day off, racers will find themselves at the UBC Grand Prix (July 9) before heading to historical Gastown for one of the most challenging and exciting events: The Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix on July 10, where a crowd of 40,000 will be watching their every move.

Burnaby’s Heights neighborhood will then host a criterium on July 11 before BC Superweek moves on to the Tour of White Rock for the second three-day race that includes a hill climb, criterium and road race.

The road and track season will draw to a close with the presentation of the last two Provincial Championships — the Time Trial on July 20–21 on Vancouver Island and the BC Provincial Track Championships on August 23–24, presented by the Greater Victoria Velodrome Association.

To extend the season as long as possible, cyclocross will test everyone’s entire repertoire of bike handling skills in a fun, short and weather defiant way with multiple regional ‘cross races including the Cross-on-the-Rocks Series, Interior Cross Series and the Lower Mainland Series in preparation for the National Championships at the end of November.

Are you excited? We are! We’ll see you soon.

For more information on racing in BC and schedule updates go to cyclingbc.net or follow us on twitter at @raceinbc.