The fourth annual BC Bike Race rolls through the Sunshine Coast next week and will showcase some of the top riders in the world.
The 2010 edition is sold out with the 500 participants starting their journey in North Vancouver on Saturday, June 26, with a prologue - a Tour de France style fun 20 to 30 minute rally.
Stage one rolls through Nanaimo on June 27, followed by Cumberland June 28, Powell River June 29, and stage four on June 30 from Earls Cove to Sechelt. Riders will be arriving around 2 p.m. using Sechelt Elementary School as their home base for the night. Stage five begins bright and early at 8 a.m. on July 1 with riders leaving Sechelt to tackle the trails around Roberts Creek as they make their way to the ferry in Langdale. Stage six is in Squamish on July 2 with the final stage on July 3 in Whistler.
BC Bike Race is a unique mountain bike stage race that boasts the ultimate single-track experience.
"With single-track and environmental issues to be considered, we must be very careful of our footprint each year," said course designer Andreas Hestler. "Each of the other events in this category has its own flavour and its own capacity, but we don't foresee being able or interested in hosting more than 500 each year. It's simply the most sustainable number for our area."
BC Bike Race has always had an amazing field of athletes from top pros to everyday "Joes" and this year is no exception. Sechelt's Kris Sneddon and his riding partner Barry Wicks - the Kona Factory Team - won the event in 2008 and look to be hungry for another title this year.
"We're excited for another challenging and competitive race," added Hestler. "The Powell River stage is new, so that adds a new element, and the two stages on the Lower Sunshine Coast are always fantastic. The Sunshine Coast is blessed with amazing trails. They are a key flavour of the race and keep that journey component and that is what is unique about the Coast and Sechelt. Day four and five are some of the best days and are such an amazing journey for the racers."
For more on the race and real time results and photos, check out www.bcbikerace.com.
