Thursday, July 7, 2011

BC Bike Race - July 7, 2011



This week's highlight was BC Bike Race's annual appearance on the Sunshine Coast. This is a premier mountain bike race with over 400 riders from all around the world competing for 7 days. The Sunshine Coast is proud to be home for 3 days of the race.



Today, riders made the trip from Sechelt to Langdale...38km with 1,400m of elevation climbing. Serious stuff, but they all love the 7km downhill decent at the end. These are the same trails that I hike regularly on Mt Elphinstone. The last kilometer comes down through our neighborhood with the finish line at the ferry terminal.





The fastest riders made the trip in 2 hours. A good number were in by 3 hours and some made a day of it. There is obvious relief & joy when they hit the finish line.




The first rider I spoke to was from Belgium and the next pair was from the UK. Love to see people come from around the world to ride in my backyard. The brits loved the course, but were disappointed that they hadn't seen a bear yet. I told them that was probably a good thing.




One rider said, "The most fun you can have on your bike."




After the race, there is still much work to be done. The support team for the event is as least as big as the riders themselves.




Each day there are celebrations and awards for top finishers. Teams of 2, individuals, and two race categories. There are a number of women racing, and the best are right up there with the guys. These women rock.








What better after 3 hours of gruelling riding than a massage by this caring crew?


The first task after the race is food & drinks. Tables are layed out for the riders with fruit & drinks to rehydrate. The second task is to give the bikes a quick shower and get them loaded up on the truck for easy transport on the ferry.




Once the bike is taken care of...its time for the riders to have a shower, too. Yes, there is a mobile truck for that, too.























Then its time to hit tent city a have a good long sleep. Afterall, there is more singletrack waiting the next morning.




Good luck to all the riders in stage 6 & 7!






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