How to even begin?

BC Bike Race is more than a race. It really feels like an experience…a celebration even, of mountain biking and the community around it. I just got home, less than 24 hours ago, and I already want to go back.

To preface, I flew out to BC Bike Race this year in full recognition that this was a “bucket list event.” I anticipated riding epic trails. I was prepared for full-gas racing and stellar singletrack. I was less prepared for the non-race part of the experience–the parts of BC Bike Race that make it really special, I’d argue.

The 2024 edition of BC Bike Race took place on Vancouver Island. Getting there from Roanoke, VA was no walk in the park. Even under the best of conditions, travel time was expected to be over twelve hours with multiple layovers. However, with the inconveniently timed WestJet strike, my travel time increased exponentially, with delayed, rebooked, and canceled flights resulting in a last-minute rental car reservation and driving to Vancouver Island from Kelowna, BC. Chaotic, but I made it.

Aside from being “acquaintances” with a few of the other pro riders, I arrived at base camp in Victoria, BC not really knowing anyone. The first stage, or prologue, was a “ride on your own” time trial, so I checked in, gathered my bike and kit, and set out for my first sampler of BC riding. Apparently ~40 hours of travel and less than 5 hours of sleep doesn’t prepare one well for racing trails blind, as I seemingly forgot how to ride a bike. I dabbed multiple times, nearly blew several corners, and generally struggled through the short course, all while simultaneously feeling surprisingly at home on the dry, dusty trails. Described by BCBR staff as “janky,” the rocky, rooty tech didn’t feel too different from the trails throughout SW Virginia and Western NC that I call home. It was also during the prologue that I “met” the first of what would eventually become “our crew.” Despite the TT-style start, I was quickly passed by a guy, who in several briefly shouted phrases, I learned had pre-ridden the course, so I attempted to stay on his wheel…and failed. I later learned that his name was Connor.

At dinner that first night, I met a number of other riders from around the world: Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and more. When I sat down to introduce myself to meet (and thank) Dre Hestler, legendary mountain biker and co-founder of BCBR (also one of the people who was pivotal in making it possible for me to race BCBR this year), I also inadvertently met another member of “the crew:” Sam. Sam and I hit it off immediately, connecting via a love of bikes, good trails, and rowdy descending.

Stage Two was also in Victoria, and after a full night’s sleep, I felt infinitely better on my bike. “Rip it & grip it” was the theme for the day as I did my best to stay on the gas, ride smooth, and not overcook blind corners on the loose, dusty trails. Thanks to Fox, each day’s stage included a “Fox Timed DH,” where, for approximately 1-km, the stage transformed into an enduro race course. Interestingly, these were not always the most technical or steepest downhill segments in the stage, and often required some pedaling, but still added a fun challenge. For stage two, the end of the DH segment and the end of the stage came at the same time, so as I crossed the finish line, I was immediately surrounded by the laughter, cheers, whoops, and hollers of hundreds of other racers all stoked on the quality and fun of the stage.

Upon the return to base camp, we gathered around the food trucks before loading our bikes and bags into the transport vehicles to move to the Cowichan Valley, where we would be racing the next stage. Stage 3 attacked two separate mountains, Mount Tzouhalem and Maple Mountain, with a neutral road segment in between. I felt like this was where I really came into my own in the race. Despite getting caught in some traffic early on, once I dropped into the singletrack, I was able to find my flow, get past the traffic, and really hammer on the descents. The first part of the Maple Mountain descent, “Maple Syrup,” was probably one of my favorite trails of the week, with giant rock rolls, steep chutes, and high-speed corners coming in fast succession. Once the racing was finished, Sam and I rolled down to the ocean for a swim…something that would become “tradition” by the end of the week.

Sharing meals each morning and evening is part of what makes stage racing such a great incubator for friendship. It was at mealtimes that we connected with laughter and enthusiastic stories from our experiences on each day’s stage, where we gathered with friends and competitors met on the trails, and expanded the circle with hasty introductions around mouthfuls of delicious food.

For Stage 4, we hopped on the busses first thing in the morning to be transported to Nanaimo. By time we arrived at the stage start, there was no time for a warm-up: just enough time to gather the bikes, finish kitting up, and line up. The stage started with a road climb, which felt like death after three days of racing and without the chance to get the legs warmed up. It took me most of the climb to get my legs spinning freely, but once I did, it was into the dense forest and stunning trails of Nanaimo. Loamy flow, smooth jumps and gaps, huge berms…these trails were like nothing I’d ever ridden before and so, so fun! The stage ended at a lake, allowing us to jump in and cool off before spinning back to the start. Back at the start, we once again loaded onto the transport busses to move to the next camp: Cumberland. This was to be our last move of the week, and when those of us on the busses arrived, we found that Connor and Tascha had already reserved a group of tents.

In Cumberland, our “crew” seemed to solidify: Sam, Connor, Tascha, Finn, Willa, Sean, “other” Sam (depending on which Sam you were talking to in the moment), Max, and myself. After the stages, we would gather to ride or drive down to nearby Comox Lake for a swim, walk into town for lunch or ice cream, or just hang out in whatever small patch of shade we could find swapping stories from the race.

Stage 5 was our first day riding in Cumberland, and it was a real treat. Before the stage, I realized that Sam had less than a minute lead on me in the GC, which created a bit of friendly competition for the day. Unfortunately, I was unable to drop him on the first climb, and blew up on the second pitch, getting left behind just enough that once the trail started trending downhill, he quickly and irrecoverably dropped me, stretching 50 seconds into nearly 8 minutes. Oops. 🙂 That aside, the Cumberland trails were incredibly fun, with a wide diversity of terrain and features. One section reminded me of Snowshoe backcountry, with wet roots making things extra spicy on one descent, while most of the trails were dry, littered with exposed rock features and plenty of berms, jumps, and gaps. Early in the week, someone had mentioned to me that they thought I’d especially like the trails in Cumberland; they weren’t wrong.

For Day 6, we drove north to Campbell River. This was probably the most unique stage of the week: instead of longer climbs and descents, it was flatter and more pedally. Aptly dubbed “the green room,” the trails were tree-covered, flowy, and gorgeous. The Abi of 2018-2021, prior to moving to Virginia, would have LOVED Stage 6. The present-day Abi just wondered when she’d get to descend. Haha. Despite being the most constant pedaling I’ve done since Iceman, I couldn’t really complain because the trails flowed so well and were so beautiful. After the stage, rather than waiting on the transport bus, several of us piled into Sam’s car to get back to camp in Cumberland so we could jump in the lake and cool off.

The final day, Stage 7, was back in Cumberland. Sam, Sam, Max, and I were all within minutes of each other in the GC, and started together in Wave 6. With just one long climb and a relatively short day, it was full-gas from start to finish. It was fun to battle it out with these friends all day: looking over my shoulder to see Sam chasing me up the climb, going back and forth with “other” Sam and Max for most of the day, chasing on the descents, and even a full-out 4-way sprint at the finish with several other riders. We ended up going down to the lake two separate times post-race, trying to stay cool in the sun, but also just enjoying each other’s company after a week of incredible riding.

As far as results go, I ended up in 11th place in Pro/Open Women, and 133rd place overall (out of 482 riders). My best result was 10th place Pro/Open Women on Stage 7, and I landed a 10th for Women in the overall Fox DH competition. What’s also fun is, that if there were a separate competition for riders who were camping (vs. staying in hotels/AirBnbs), I would have been the top-placed female camper. =D

Far more valuable than results, however, are the friendships gained and the experience had. I got to ride some truly epic singletrack (and a higher percentage of singletrack per stage than any of the other stage races I’ve done!) and made some really rad friends. Many thanks to the incredible crew at BCBR who made this possible–it stands out as a truly phenomenal race, and one I hope to be able to do again sometime!