Seven straight days of mountain biking; savour those words. Then think about using those days to ride some of the top trails in British Columbia, places like Squamish, Cumberland, and the mighty mecca of Whistler. Not everyone has the time, resources, or fitness to squeeze seven top riding destinations into seven days, but for those who do the BC Bike Race has become a must do event. Even for those who don’t, mention of the BCBR stirs emotions of envy and a wistful: “someday.”
For five hundred people, 2012 marked something more than that, it marked their opportunity. An opportunity to ride in Cumberland, Campbell River, Powell River, Sechelt, Langdale, Squamish, and Whistler. To race against the top riders, against the clock, or just to squeeze every last bit of fun out of these stellar trails.
See Scott Martin and Mike Colwill railing a corner as they race together through this year’s BCBR.
The Course:
In 2012 these were the stages on offer for riders:
Stage One: Cumberland
Challenge: 46.8km loop with 660m of elevation gain.
Epic: 53.4km loop with 1200m of elevation gain.
Stage Two: Campbell River
Challenge: 36.5km loop with 660m of elevation gain.
Epic: 50.7km loop with 1005m of elevation gain.
Stage Three: Powell River
Challenge: 37.3km loop with 740m of elevation gain.
Epic: 48km loop with 1070m elevation gain.
Stage Four: Earl’s Cove to Sechelt
Challenge: 28km point to point with 990m of elevation gain.
Epic: 65km point to point with 2110m of elevation gain.
Stage Five: Sechelt to Langdale
Challenge and Epic riders share a 40km point to point with 1420m of elevation.
Stage Six: Squamish
Challenge: 37.9km loop with 1240m of elevation gain.
Epic: 48km loop with 1660m of elevation gain.
Stage Seven: Whistler
Challenge and Epic riders share a 26km loop with 860m of elevation gain.
Summary:
Riders who completed all stages in the 2012 BC Bike Race completed at least 252km with 6570m of elevation gained and may have tallied more than 331km with 9325m of elevation gained. That’s a lot of mountain biking! Be sure to mark your calendars for BCBR 2013.
