Last of the BC Photos

They've finally posted up all the photos that the official photographer took during the race on the BC site. Here's the link (clicky, clicky). I've been sick ever since the race and have had a little bit of time to kill, so I scrolled through most of them and found some to post up.

Day Zero

Dinner at Shawnigan Lake private school - 400 racers stuff their faces

Day One

aerial view of stage one start from Shawnigan Lake School

Bill and Jenny at the finish line after stage one in Lake Cowichan

stage one single track

stage one finish line - Lake Cowichan

tents set up in ball field

Day Two

Start of stage two - this was a controlled 10 km start which I was very thankful for because my legs were
fried from all the cramping I had the day before during stage one

peleton

Mark on a climb in the only little bit of single track that we hit on day two

Peter & Anthony grab their bags and make their way to the tents after stage two in Port Alberni

Kari and Tanya post stage two - long, dry, dusty stage (125 km of logging/fire roads)

Day Three

single track leading around a lake close to the finish in Cumberland

Curvy Butt

Day Four

we were woken up at 4:30am to make this ferry crossing

every morning this guy and this thing woke us up the same way

aerial view of the start of stage four - Earl's Cove

day four had some nice single track

beauty views

Day Five

we were flying day five . . . right up to the point where we took the wrong trail (along with another 20 or so riders) and lost a tonne of time. We made up for it on the last 13 km or so of killer single track

Day Six

Squamish start

photo of the volunteers - they were awesome and made this event happen. I don't know how they pulled off the level of enthusiasm for the whole seven days.

home while in Squamish, with the mountains as a backdrop

we killed it on stage six, by far our best stage of the race - so much wicked, gnarly single track that we just ate up.

Day Seven

start of stage seven - you can see the bottom of the hill that we'd end up climbing for nearly an
hour right off the gun at the start.

stuffing my face on stage seven

finished

Congratulations Warren!

I've been meaning to get this up this week . . . . cause if my buddies are fast on the bike, that makes me fast too, right?!?

My good friend Warren won the Master A Time Trial 30 - 39 yr olds, at the Canadian Nationals last Friday. He won 1st place by 26 seconds, and third was 46 seconds back. It was a technical 20 km time trial course which he put down a time of 27:49.58 That's smok'in fast! Ever since moving from mtn bike to road, he's become a freak'ishly fast road machine. Way to go Warren!

Placing

I forgot to mention our placing in the mens open division. 95 riders, we came 43rd. Not bad considering the company we were pedaling in - some pros, many semi pros and a lot of very fast riders from around the country and world.

Miscellaneous thoughts on the race:

• I've been sick since Friday - managed to keep the symptoms at bay until Friday night after the awards ceremony. This cold/clue really started to kick my ass on Sunday and have felt like crap ever since. No surprise after having the body worn down hard for seven days
  
• I rode Kenda Small Block 8's for the first four stages, then switched up to Kenda Karmas 2.1 for the remainder. The SB8's were fantastic and rolled very fast over everything, but I was thankful for the Karmas breaking power in the later stages as the single track got pretty hairy at times.
• my cramping issues on day one really messed my legs up for the next few stages. It took a couple of hours after the race before I could even get my shoes on without my legs going into full cramping. My muscles hurt for days afterwards. I wonder how I would have done throughout the race if it hadn't happened
• we lost approximately 30 minutes to mechanicals on day three or four, then about 45 minutes on day five going down the wrong trail and bonking . . . . you could play "what if" all day, it's all apart of racing and it's just how the cards played out for us; live and learn
• I think Curvy Butt and I were a perfect balance, though I'd bet money that he led me around the trails for seven days more than I led him. He ripped it up in the single track and just following him around I was able to pick my lines and keep my speed up. He also showed me where not to fall - I've never seen someone crash like Mark - he falls and never gets hurt. We had a blast and laughed our heads off all race. I couldn't have asked for a better partner!
• I've never been around so many people who's body fat was so low - I was probably one of the biggest/heaviest guys there . . . . and probably one of the most handsome, most ripped (even more than Peter) and most modest too
  
• each day, after racing, was a routine: fuel the body, drink, unpack & set up camp, stretch, go eat supper, drink, stretch, get the gear and bike ready for the next day, drink, stretch, go to bed.
• we had only one night of rain & it didn't rain once while we raced - couldn't have been more perfect
• coke, pretzels and cookies after each stage were very welcomed
• be sure to wipe your hands free of bananas after an aid station, holding onto your grips becomes near impossible
• riding a 1x9 is all you need - at times I wished for a granny, but I got by without it. Did walk a few times, but didn't hurt my time any.
  

Some more photos . . . you can see the rest in my Flickr account

Dirty, dirty race clothes. With the warm, dry conditions came dusty, dirty gear.

View from the tent. You can see the start bear - I think that this was day three.

Whistler gondola ride up to the restaurant at the top of the mountain after stage seven for the awards ceremony and banquet. Saw two bear under the gondola on the way up.

Dinner with Team Go Banana & Go Orange on Day Zero at a private school in Shawnigan Lake. This place was unreal! Can't imagine what it must have been like going to a school like this growing up.
*there were approx. 14-15 riders from Ottawa at the BC Bike Race. Represent yo!

Tanya had some issues after day five with her cassette. Her solution was this homemade hammer (a pedal locked into an adjustable wrench) . . . .what are you thinking?!

If you're going to fix a cassette, you need a rock! "Grug (a.k.a. Curvy Butt) fix bike good. Grug smash bike with rock. Rock good."
McGuyver actually did fix the issue Tanya was having.

Another ferry crossing. Note the ferry who jumped into my picture?

Breakfast - eat as much as humanly possible at each sitting before your stomach told you otherwise.

Saturday, day eight, no racing. We were the very last ones to tear down our bikes and box 'em up at the Westin Hotel in Whistler.

I can't believe we are done.

The BC Bike Race - report

I can, without a doubt, say that the BC Bike Race has been the single most incredible riding/racing experience that I've had to-date. Everything about the experience, the highs and lows (most of them were highs), were amazing. I don't know how I can possibly cram all of my experiences that I've encountered over the seven stages of the BC Bike Race into one blog post? Here are some words and some photos.

Whoots:

• miles and miles of primo BC single track
• hitting speeds of 60+ km/hr down loose logging roads while cornering with the back end whipping out - yeeeee haw!
• massages
• mobile showers
• hot tubbing and swimming at the Squamish rec centre
  
• ladders, bridges and skinnies
• meeting tonnes of people from all over the country and world who had riding on the brain
• incredibly enthusiastic volunteers who never seemed to run out of energy
• the food was awesome - every night stuffing your face with as much food as you could eat
• logistics and organization - meticulous planning made everything run smoothly
• aid stations: water, ultima, oranges, bananas, Cliff shots, Zinger energy gels and bars, Sharkies - it was a free for all to stuff your face and fill up
  
• schwag: Dakine gear bag, Suarez jersey, Syncos handle bar, Crank Brothers multi tool, Zinger energry bars, Ryder sunnies, T-shirts, coffee, etc.

Boooo's:

• not enough toilets - lots of line-ups each morning before and after breakfast and especially before each stage began. Came close on a number of occasions to having 'accidents' while waiting for a toilet.
  
• day two - 125km stage, only 2km of single track (right at the end) - the rest was logging and fire roads
• day 4 - 4:40am wake up call, a bus ride, a ferry ride, another bus ride, another ferry ride, then stage four starts at 11 am!?!?!? Legs did not want to spin!
• controlled starts weren't that controlled (except for day two) - more like hammer fests right out of the shoot.
  

There were no easy days. I thought organizers would throw us a bone to break up the seven days of riding. Nope, not a chance. They ripped the legs off of us each and every day. As the week went by, each day got more and more single track.

Day One (89 km) :
went into the hurt locker about mid-race. 33 degrees out, climbing exposed fire/logging roads which seemed to take hours (the longest climb of the day was aprox. 9 km); fighting through loose, rocky single track finally cramped the legs, back, neck . . . everything started to go. Wasn't drinking enough, hadn't settled into a drink/eat routine for the work load. I suffered cramping right up until the time I went to bed. This hurt me for the first three days of the race. Many people crossed the line very dehydrated and hurting. Many were immediately hooked up to IVs to get fluids into them quickly. As a result, the next stage would have two additional water stations.

Day Two (125 km):
long, hot stage - 125km of fire/logging roads. Kind of boring. Good controlled start for the first 10km let the legs gradually wake up and spin the pain out. Was seriously worried about this stage as the legs were in a lot of pain from yesterday - muscles were very sore. Mark paced me for most of the race and climbed like a champ, leading many pace lines. Started to cramp up on the last 20km which ended on a fairly flat rail trail. One flat tire for the day.

Day Three (80 km):
Can't remember too much of this stage. Went fairly well I suppose. Not a lot stands out from this day. Got into a little more single track today.

Day Four (60 km):
Mark flatted and broke a chain, and I flatted later on. Lots of powerline climbs and desents. It was also a late start after the two ferry crossings and a very early wake up call. We both struggled through today trying to find momentum.

Day Five (65 km):
We started out flying, hammering and riding with people who we hadn't seen so much the first three days (faster riders). We were doing really well until we followed a lead group down a 1000ft descent of rocky, steep, fast single track. Took five minutes to get down, and about 25-30 minutes to get back up. I physically blew up on the climb back up (you couldn't ride it, it was all hike-a-bike) and was spent. With the loss of time after doing so well, mentally I was also beaten, got out of my eat/drink routine and ended up bonking. Once back to the top and on the correct trail I flatted within five minutes - another blow to the days race and my mental capacity to keep things in perspective. I basically shut down and was just riding along trying to survive until Mark was able to shake me free of my mood. Once past aid station two, we pulled our shit together and really made up time in the single track and had a blast. Says a lot to be able to turn that shit around - that's what racing is all about - highs and lows. I learned a lot on this stage of racing - it's as much of a mental race as it is a physical race and you have to dig really deep sometime.

* about 20-25 other riders went down the same wrong trail that we did. This was one place that race organizers messed up a little.

Day Six (65 km) :
we owned day six and Squamish. Made up a tonne of time and railed all the single track thrown at us. By far, the most technical single track of the race. To be honest, if I had seen what was coming before hand, I probably wouldn't had ridden some of that stuff, or at least not at the speed that we were moving. We hammered it through some really gnarly technical sections - by far the most technical stuff I've ever ridden. Grinning ear to ear at the end of this stage.

Day Seven (47 km):
another unbelievable day of single track. However, it did start on a ski hill climb on the outskirts of Whistler village. Straight up for 50 minutes. Riders from Ottawa - think of climbing the CBC Climb on the Fortune Race Course for 50 minutes straight with no breaks. Yeah - good times! After the first 8-9 km of climbing was done it was all about what Mark and I are good at: riding rooty, rocky single track. We caught and dropped many riders in this stuff and had a blast riding the final stage.

Tents were all set up for us each day as we arrived in whatever town organizers had us finishing in. Sunsets behind the mountains.

5 Am on a school bus taking us to our first of three ferry crossings. Tanya and Kari napping.

While they napped, Mark and I ate pizza that we bought the night before.
Mmmmm, nothing better than cold pizza at 5 am while driving on a school bus, on the way to the first of two ferry crossings before stage four.

Stage Eight . . . . no racing today. Rest and relaxation. The day began with eating oatmeal (that Tanya found in the condo we were all renting) in the hot tub.

Race bib

Sharing a tent with Curvy Bum - I needed to do what I needed to do in order to get a good nights sleep. The first two nights I was woken up by a smell which burned my nose and thought a BC Saskquatch was coming into the tent to have it's way with us . . . however, there was no such beast. The beast, in fact, was Mark's bodacious booty cooking out odors unfit even for a landfill. You pile in gels, bars, Sharkies, energy drinks, and as much food that is humanly possible at supper and you are bound to get some wild chemical reactions happening in the lower GI.

March of the penguins. Each and every morning you had to drop off your race bag so that organizers could load them onto trucks and ship them off to the next town we were staying in.

Kick'n it in Whistler - post race.

Helicopter buzzed around and took pictures of everyone on top of the ferry.

I got Kari onto my shoulders for the helicopter/ferry shot so that we could more easily find ourselves when they post up the photos on the BC site.

Super heroes - Anthony and Peter off to the mobile showers after day two.

Day Eight - rest and relaxation in Whistler. Yeah, what can I say? I was born to be wild.

Boarding the first of three ferry crossings.

Home

I'm home. Glad to be home. The race was the most incredible, most awesome experience that I've ever had on a bike. More to come of course. Right now, I'm going to do a little unpacking then a lot of sleeping. Over and out.
Cheers.

Time To Relax

Phew! If plans went right, I'm relaxing right now after seven days of racing. Keep posted for some sort of half ass attempt to blog about this experience. Thanks for checking in and hope you enjoyed it.

Cheers.

Stage Seven - Whoot!

Distance: approx 47km
Start Time: 10am
Start Line: Whistler Creekside
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 25km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 42km
Finish Line: Spruce Grove Park, Whistler

Route: All Whistler, All Day!

The final day of BC Bike Race is a significant change from last year. The course begins at Creekside and climbs up Whistler Highlands to the doubletrack climb for close to 300m of vertical underneath the Creekside Gondola.

After about 15 minutes of climbing you will turn down the Bear Creek Trail and hit Home Run which rolls up and down with great views of the Valley. The trail narrows and drops down Lower Babylon By Bike to the junction of See Colours and Puke that descends through a series of switchbacks to Cheakamus Lake Road.

A quick road ride leads you to Upper Far Side Trail and then a rip down Riverside Trail takes you past the rolling rapids of the Cheakamus River for close to 3km of undulating trail.

After Riverside, head up Lower Far Side Trail and up to the High Trail. At this point some tough climbing starts as the steep ramps of the Microwave Climb await with killer panoramic views of Whistler Valley. The reward at the top is Tunnel-vision - an expert descent with some incredible rock faces and bermed turns.

Head up a paved climb to Big Timber and a rip quick descent back to Creekside and the first Aid Station after about 25km and 800m of climbing. Once through the Aid Station, you'll roll along the Valley Trail to the new Nita Lake Lodge and then make your way to the entrance of Lower Sproatt trail. A steep 2km climb brings you to an incredible trail experience complete with ramps, drops and rock faces. Once out of Lower Sproatt it's on to Beaver Pass and its expert descent.

Next head into River Runs Through It for a technical funhouse with great ramps, bridges and features that are so much fun to ride. Exit this trail and hit Aid Station 2 at around 42km with roughly another 20km to the finish.

Once out of the Aid Station tackle the Rainbow Trail climb and wind through the Bob’s Re-Bob network. Next, head into the second oldest trail network in Whistler, Emerald Forest, with its green tunnels and rock drops and the long chute down the Gravel Pit where you'll ultimately end up along the River of Golden Dreams.

Ride up the Valley Trail to the entrance to Cut Yer Bars for an entertaining romp through Whistler’s original trail which bucks and twists down behind the RMOW Works Yard. Proceed into Spruce Grove park for the final romp through the Lost Lake Trail System. Lots of fun on the Zappa Trails brings riders into the finish at Spruce Grove Park and the end of an incredible week!

Whoot! We made it (I hope)! Check out how we did. (clicky, clicky)

Stage Six

Distance: approx 65km
Start Time: 9am
Start Line: Garibaldi Highlands, Squamish
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 32km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 43km
Finish Line: Squamish Civic Centre
Base Camp: Brennan Park, 1009 Centennial Way, Squamish

Route: The Best of Squamish

New for 2008!! Day 6 gives racers a serious taste of the very best singletrack for which Squamish is renowned!!

Today's route is an incredible combination of two legendary race courses: the famous Test of Metal and very fun Gear Jammer. By blending the two courses we were able to cover the entire valley!

The day will start with a neutral roll out, then a gentle climb from Base Camp up to Garibaldi Highlands where we will start racing.

The start will be approximately three kilometers of fire road which will be a bit of a hole shot for 400+ riders - but don't despair, there will be plenty of time to pass your competitors later. After a blast through the newly reworked Tracks from Hell, you're in Alice Lake Provincial Park. As you ride past both Edith and Fawn lakes, you'll surely notice this beautiful country...but you wont enjoy it for too long because after a quick rip around Bob MacIntosh loop, you will meet Rock and Roll - 500 meters of steep hike a bike.

Next the race takes you through Rob's Corners followed by Cliff's Corners and then you'll make your way over to Garibaldi Park. This is about three kilometers of rolling but steady fire road climbing. After climbing Skookum then descending IMBA Smart, you will head over the new 'George's Crossing' bridge (built thanks to the combined efforts of BC Bike Race and Corsa Cycles.)

Next, a challenging doubletrack climb will bring you to Recycle, one of the most fun XC trails in Squamish. Continue down Psudoesuga One, Two, and Three. Out to Garibaldi Park Road and down through Quest University, over the Carpenters Son's bridge and up to the power line. Then you will see the first Aid Station. You will pass this point again so don't hang out too long!

Psyche yourself up to head over to the legendary Nine Mile Climb. Even the leaders will be hurting at this point! 700 meters from the top you will see another Aid Station after which you head up Lava Flow climb. You have now arrived in heaven!

Descend down The Rip and then the Powerhouse Plunge - combined, these two descents will take you at least 25 to 35 minutes. Back through Aid Station 1 and then right into Crumpit Woods. This first switchback climb has often been called Cramp-it Woods. Over the top of the climb, head to Route 99 for some fast, rolling singletrack. Tackle the Three Virgins climb and at the top you will cruise through Seven Stitches and you're almost done - no more major climbs! Descend down to Cliff Side Park, up and through the gully trail and you are on the Discovery Trail which will take you to the finish line. Don`t forget to Have Fun!!!

The stage is approximately 65 km long, with 5000 feet of climbing. More accurate distances will follow once the snow melts on the top of the course. Finishing times should be around 3.5 to 7 hours.

Sweet sweet single track today - did we ride it all? (clicky, clicky)

Stage Five

Distance: approx 65km
Ferry Transfer: Langdale-Horseshoe Bay
Start Time: 8am
Start Line: Sechelt
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 25km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 45km
Finish Line: Langdale Ferry Terminal
Base Camp: Brennan Park 1009 Centennial Way, Squamish

Route: Sechelt - Squamish

You’ll start this morning in picturesque downtown Sechelt, with a jaunt along a paved section of road bordering Porpoise Bay…just to warm up a bit.

From there, move into singletrack and slowly work your way up a small power line in order gain access to the main logging road. This section is quite flat and travels onto the biggest creek crossing of the day (on a bridge, this time!) on a very old road section that’s been abandoned for years. It’s definitely worth a stop and look.

Once out of this section, once again you’ll need to climb up in order to gain access to the Rat Race Trail System, which is purported to be some of the best trails anywhere - according to riders who have raced in many places around the world. These are gentle, buff, and fast rainforest trails and it’s worth taking a moment to absorb the scenery - especially in the areas that have been logged where the fireweed is climbing for the sky…it’s absolutely beautiful!

Much of your time in the Rat Race trails will be under the canopy of the trees, some of which are over 30-40 meters high…if it’s a hot day, you’ll appreciate their cooling shade. As well, there will be lots of small bridges to cross and beautiful creeks to admire. You’ll be treated to an abundance of amazing singletrack in this section of the day; in fact, the Rat Race system is comprised of too many incredible trails to individually list and describe here. Trust us you’ll love every minute of it!

Next, you’ll climb a great singletrack route that will literally keep you on your toes and ultimately take you to the highest point of the day – 725m. Shake out your legs and get ready to grin from ear-to-ear as you fly back down through one of the ‘swoopiest’ trails ever! You’ll be squealing with excitement by the time you reach the bottom!

You’ll have a small break from the singletrack as you head back up to a very fun and fast 7km decent on trails just slightly wider than your handle bars. Don't forget to admire the view! If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, no matter how tired you are, you should switch to road riding!

Only a little more pedaling and you’re across the finish line at the Langdale Ferry Terminal on a super high after riding some of the best mountain biking trails anywhere. Board the ferry and sail into the sunset of Stage 5.

Five down, two to go. How did we do today? (clicky, clicky)

Stage Four - Happy Canada Day!

Happy Birthday Canada! Happy Canada Day Everyone!

Distance: approx 60km
Ferry Transfers: Little River-Powell River & Saltery Bay-Earls Cove
Start Time: 11am
Start Line: Earl's Cove Ferry Terminal
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 23km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 44km
Finish Line: Village of Sechelt
Base Camp: Kinnikinnik Elementary School 6030 Lighthouse Avenue, Sechelt

Route: Cumberland - Sechelt

Start your day with two early morning ferry rides: one from Little River to Powell River (1hr 20min crossing time) and another from Saltery Bay to Earls Cove (50min crossing time). The fjords that you’ll sail through this morning have some of the deepest waters anywhere; in fact, deep-water subs are sometimes tested here, to depths of approximately 2000ft.

Today’s ride will start on arrival at the Earls Cove Ferry Terminal and end in the beautiful seaside Village of Sechelt.

After a gentle start from the Earls Cove Ferry Terminal, the route will swing left of the highway for 1Km as you pass by North Lake. This is the start of great climb through the rainforest to Klein Lake Park. Next, you'll roll into a singletrack trail that leads to some fantastic views of Ruby Lake and Sakinaw Lake below. Make your descent into Ruby Lake Resort and though the Iris Griffith Informative Center.

After a short 1.5km, you will enter the Suncoast Trail, a singletrack route that was designed to allow people to get from ferry to ferry exclusively on trails and back roads. This rolling and non-technical portion of the trail jumps in and out of the forest, onto small logging roads, and under the power lines.

The race route then comes back onto the road for a short distance before it dives off road again and starts to gain some altitude on logging roads. This undulating section of logging and power line roads – some old and some new – will prepare your legs for the short challenging climbs that will gain the next height of land. If you need to cool off, there will be a few opportunities in the 3 or 4 creek crossings along the way.

With the climb behind you and elevation gained, you’ll enjoy a very fast, tight, doubletrack descent to the next logging road. Ride a little more logging road, and keep your eyes peeled for some incredible views of the surrounding mountains.

Before ending the day you’ll enter some very nice, tight, singletrack that crosses through lush west coast rainforest. Save some energy for the trail ahead!

Wrap up the day in Sechelt and enjoy this beautiful seaside village, the name of which translates to 'land between two waters'.

New for '08: Watch for some seriously sweet singletrack added mid-course and prep those legs for a hardcore granny climb in search of more sweet singletrack!

Have we made it this far yet? (clicky, clicky)

Stage Three

Distance: approx 80km
Start Time: 8am
Start Line: Port Alberni Multiplex
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 31km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 62km
Finish Line: Village Park, Cumberland
Base Camp: Village Park @ 6th St and Dunsmuir Ave, Cumberland

Route: Port Alberni - Cumberland

Today's route kicks off with a pace lap around the track at the Port Alberni Multiplex. Then, leave the Multiplex with the impressive Mount Arrowsmith in the background and cycle through the streets of Port Alberni with police escort before hooking into the first taste of singletrack.

Be prepared for a low elevation summit up and out of Port Alberni on a mix of trail and old road with beautiful views looking back over the Alberni Inlet.

Cruising on toward Horne Lake you will be riding over some of the most beautiful caves on Vancouver Island - if you have a support team be sure to let them know about this worthy underground scenic adventure.

Riding up a gradual grade alongside the Qualilcum River you will be surrounded by beautiful second growth Douglas Fir. As you reach the headwaters of this River you will be at your highest elevation for the day. From here you descend down alongside Rosewall Creek which you turn and cross over. Expect wet feet with this crossing! Once you break out of the trees from this crossing be sure to look back up the impressive valley you just traveled. It’s at this point in the day you will pick up views of the beautiful Johnston Strait which separates Vancouver Island from the Mainland. Dotted along the Strait are the Gulf Islands - Chrome, Denman, Hornby and Texada. The backdrop to all this scenery is the mainland with the impressive jagged peaks of the coastal range.

Taking a bridged crossing over the mighty Tsable River, you will make a short climb before again traversing through mixed aged stands of forest and before long you will be riding through another River crossing, this time the Trent River after which you will make a brief climb that sets you up for the famed singletrack of Cumberland. Make sure you have saved some energy from the past few days because it’s singletrack all the way to the finish line.

To start you will be on an old grade used to haul logs out by a steam donkey. In fact you will be riding right over history as we have utilized 2 old bridges dating back to the 1930’s. In opening this area up we also found telegraph line and porcelain insulators. The next section of trail is aptly named Tea Pot – we found it whilst grubbing the trail – look for it on an old log near the start. Climb this up and hook onto the trail 'Steam Donkey.’ You guessed it, there are parts of an old steam donkey out there – keep your eyes open. This trail puts you down at Allen Lake which is part of the Cumberland watershed. Be sure to treat it with respect as you will be drinking it later!

The next serving of singletrack is Short and Curly which offers up some good challenging singletrack with a couple of nice cedar bridges. Next up - Bronco’s Perseverance named after our once Mayor, Bronco Montcrief, the longest running mayor in all of British Columbia!

Next comes trails like Momma Bears and another new treat, Entrails, before getting on last year’s favourites Soggy Biscuit, Matt's Trail, Black Hole and Space Nugget. This string of trails will no doubt be the highlight of the day as they offer some fast and fun downhill sections interspersed with old-school singletrack and technical challenges that will leave you wanting more as you roll out onto the paved streets of Cumberland for the finish of Day 3.

How did we do today? (Click, clicky)

Stage Two

Distance: approx 125km
Start Time: 9am
Start Line: Lake Cowichan
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 49km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 95km
Finish Line: Port Alberni Multiplex
Base Camp: Port Alberni Multiplex @ 3737 Roger St

Route: Cowichan Lake District - Port Alberni

They always said, “Read the fine print,” and here’s one of those cases. Some of you may have noticed that little asterisk at the bottom of the route descriptions that says “*Stage and Route details subject to change.” Well this is one of those cases. Day 2 has seen some significant changes and it’s kind of a "good news - bad news" story. The bad news is that the stage is longer, yup longer at over 125 km. The good news is the massive 700m climb in the second half of the stage is gone. Trail access issues have forced us to reroute the stage. New description below.

Hopefully you'll wake up well rested without too many aches or pains from the first day and perhaps your introduction to multi-day stage racing. This is the longest day of the week, boasting a 125km ride from Lake Cowichan to Port Alberni. Use the controlled start of about 11km to spin out the legs from yesterday's riding.

Racing starts when the pavement ends just outside Honeymoon Bay. There's a short 120m climb out of town but it's generally a fast, mostly downhill run to Aid Station 1. Strategy may suggest passing this station by since you're upon it so quickly, but remember to check in with staff to confirm your positioning.

Continue descending after Aid Staion 1 to the lowest point of the day along the Nitnat River. You'll be riding the main route out to the Carmanah Walbran Park, described as one of the most remarkable wild places on Vancouver Island. Unfortunately we won’t be visiting the park today but plan to come back and you won’t be disappointed. After the Nitnat River spend the next 20km generally climbing, but gradually so. The profile looks jagged but close attention to the elevation profile will reveal this is a mostly flat day. Turn right on to the Bamfield Main route bypassing the tiny community of Bamfield. Bamfield, nestled on the south shore of Barkley Sound, is the closest community to the North end of the world famous West Coast Trail.

Rolling terrain leads to Aid Station 2. You may encounter the occasional vehicle so caution is suggested when going around blind corners and we recommend you stay on the right hand side of the road.

Continue north until a three way intersection feeds you onto the same tail end as last year. You’ll climb slightly and then descend into singletrack in the Roger’s Creek Trail system.

The final 2km will feature some great singletrack—icing on the cake after eating up all the day's gravel roads.

Check out how Curvy Butt and I did on today's stage (clicky, clicky)

Stage One

Distance: approx 89km
Start Time: 9am
Start Line: Shawnigan Lake School
Aid Station 1 Distance: approx 25km
Aid Station 2 Distance: approx 47km
Finish Line: Town of Lake Cowichan
Base Camp: Cowichan Lake Recreation Centre 309 South Shore Road, Cowichan Lake

Route: Shawnigan Lake - Cowichan Lake District

Assembled in front of Shawnigan Lake School’s Marion Hall, racers will surely be anticipating the days ahead as they gaze through the start line and eagerly await the first starter pistol fire of BCBR 2008.

With the crack of the pistol, racers will have to jockey for position through two loops of narrow road and double track on the school’s 300 acre campus, before heading west through the Field of Dreams and onto some of the campus’ sweet singletrack. This gently climbing trail opens onto a gravel service road. A short steep climb is followed by a singletrack descent. This magical trail winds back and forth through a thick fern forest. You will hear the hoots and hollers of fellow racers as you catch glimpses of them winding through the switchbacks below you.

After a few kilometres on a narrow doubletrack trail and a climb through an old clear cut, you will emerge onto a fantastic rocky lookout with the Koksilah River far below you. From here a maze of singletrack trails meander closer to the river until you are at the Kinsol Trestle and the Trans Canada Trail, one of the Cowichan Valley’s prominent land marks.

A quick shunt down a secondary gravel road takes you into the Burnt Bridge mountain bike area.

Burnt Bridge crosses the Koksilah River, a beautiful meandering stream. You turn left and drop into the green riverside trails of the Burnt Bridge Classic race course, steadily working your way up the Koksilah Valley. Rejoining the logging road, a short climb is rewarded by a blazing rip down a flowing ridgeline of singletrack, once used as part of the Burnt Bridge downhill course. This brings you back to Burnt Bridge itself, and you head left for yet another classic singletrack, the Can-Am trail. The Can-Am takes you east along the banks of the Koksilah.

Shortly after leaving the Can-Am trail, an old logging road takes you up the side of the mountain for the biggest climb of the day. The climb summits near Lois Lake and is followed by a logging road descent into the Deerholme area west of Duncan. You'll join up again with the Trans Canada Trail and have about 20km of flat trail to hammer on your way to the finish line in the beautiful village of Lake Cowichan. At the end of the day reward your feet with a soak in this amazing lake. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Check Out Today's Results (clicky, clicky)

The BC Bike Race - blog reports

So, here I sit one week away from the start of The BC Bike Race, at my computer typing this and anticipating this yet to be experienced race. I am able to pre-schedule the next week's worth of daily blogs so that you can read each stage/day's race description - I wouldn't want you to miss me! I won't have time or most likely a place to blog from while out west, so they'll be loaded up automatically. At the end of each post there is a link to the race's home page where you can find results and photos from the day's stage and check on Curvy Butt & my progress. These will be most likely posted later in the day, so check back.

Tomorrow, Saturday June 28th we begin - wish us luck.

Two Days Away

Picture this... one epic journey... two dedicated athletes working together and creating a bond that will last forever... three scenic ferry sailings... four mountain bike tires spinning toward a common goal... five mental breakdowns on your quest to the finish... six nights to meet new friends from across the globe... seven days of spectacular west coast mountain biking... and countless incredible tales of your legendary adventure that will keep you pumped for weeks to come!

With an epic route designed and endorsed by super endurance mountain bike racer, Andreas Hestler, BC Bike Race is in a class of its own. The lure of riding the best of BC's world-class mountain bike trails has already attracted a broad range of BC Bike Race competitors, from hardcore weekend warriors to some of the world's finest mountain bike stage racers.

So, grab a partner and join us...with the best singletrack in the world, and 96%+ racer completion rate, this is an experience you won't want to miss! It is the ultimate singletrack experience!

* Stolen from The BC Bike Race home page.

Off

That's it. One more sleep 'til I take off for out west and the BC Bike Race. I'm beat and tired, so I am looking forward to hitting the hay a little early tonight. There's absolutely nothing else that I can do to prepare for this race (or is there?!). I'm looking forward to getting on the plane and just relaxing and waiting for it all to unfold so that I can soak it all in and enjoy every minute of it. It's been almost an entire year of anticipation and now it's upon me. Hard to believe!

I just want to thank, most importantly Chrissie, and family and friends who have wished me 'good luck' and support in the race - it's meant a lot and very much appreciated.

Stay tunned, I've got some pre-written blogs that will automatically post each day that I am gone. There will be a link at the bottom of each post to the BC Race home page which will have a daily stage report and photos.

See you after the race! Whoot!

Just a little something to remember me by while I'm gone. Hugs and kisses.