This Saturday, the 18th annual Sunshine Coaster mountain bike race comes to West Sechelt, offering a ton of fun on two wheels in the woods.
The May 13 cross country race, which has 43 km and 22 km options, has been a staple on the Sunshine Coast since 2000, when it was first born as The Rat Race under organizer Rod Camposano.
In 2010, current race organizer Sue Duxbury took on the effort under a new name and funnelled race profits to the groups that volunteer to create the course’s mountain bike trails and maintain them: Sunshine Coast Cycling and the Sunshine Coast United Mountain Bikers.
This will be the second year the race has been held in West Sechelt, with a mass start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 13 at the Old Sechelt Mine site, a little ways up the logging road that starts where Mason Road ends.
Last year the race moved to West Sechelt because it was getting costly and difficult to hold it in Roberts Creek, Duxbury said.
“When we were in the Creek, not only did we have to deal with tree huggers messing with our signs, but we actually had to pay Island Timberland $500 a day to ride through their property and we had to pay BC Parks $500 a day to ride through their property,” Duxbury said.
“In West Sechelt, not only do we have the support of Community Forest, but they sponsor us. They’re amazing.”
The West Sechelt location gives riders a chance to check out some of the sweet single track available in the area, including Phareline, which was created in honour of faller John Phare who lost his life battling the Old Sechelt Mine fire in 2015.
Each year the race hosts over 200 riders from on and off Coast and as of Wednesday, there were over 170 competitors signed up to take part, leaving room for more racers to get in on the action.
Duxbury said racers can sign up online at www.sunshinecoaster.net or on Friday in person at the race’s start location between 5 and 7 p.m. Last-minute racers can also sign up on race day, May 13, starting at 8 a.m., but the race begins precisely at 10 a.m. from the Old Sechelt Mine site, whether forms are filled out or not.
There’s no age limit for the Sunshine Coaster and this year Duxbury said the youngest racer signed up is just 11 years old, while the oldest racer is “well in their 60s.”
The cost to take part is $75, which includes a free barbecue dinner and beer (for those of age) after the race.
Also included with entry this year is a free pass to Sunshine Coast Gravity Park, for riders to check out the downhill destination after race day.
“In the past [Gravity Park has] given a few passes for draw prizes, but they’ve never done this before,” Duxbury said.
“We get around 200 racers from across the province – that’s 200 people who are going to stay overnight, spend money, buy a bed, buy food and go to the Coast Gravity Park. It’s really a huge economic blip in the community at a time when there isn’t a lot going on here.”
Find out more at www.sunshinecoaster.net
