BC Cup Finals at Sunpeaks

After a whirlwind week of 5 workdays we headed to Sunpeaks Resort just past Kamloops, BC for the BC Cup finals. After missing 2 ferries and getting a late start we got in to the resort about 10:30pm after a beautiful drive over the Coquihalla highway. Saturday, morning of the race Drew and I headed out for a coffee run, race registration, and breakfast. After running errands and getting the sleep out of my eyes I headed out for a pre-ride of the course. The course was a bit of a shocker, tough, steep climbs, rough descents, and then more climbs.

For the race start they started the Pro Elite Women behind the Pro Men and Junior Men. Up the climb Sandra Walters sprinted to stay onto the back of the men’s field. I bridged up a third of the way up the first climb and tried to hold on to Sandra’s wheel until the climb got steeper and she pedalled up and away. I dialled it back a bit and steadily turned over my pedals over the climb and into the first section of singletrack. After a dusty schute the course dropped into singletrack via a rooty line or a bridge that led to a skinny. Down the singletrack and back into more climbing, down a bit more singletrack, back up another climb, and down a big fire road descent back through the village area, a single track climb and a final singletrack descent.

I rode the race with no sign of Sandra in front or Christine behind me. The rest of the race was a mental battle as my legs suffered up the climbs, my lungs threatened to wheeze, and my single track skills were rough and bordering on comical. The last lap of the race everything came together a bit and I savoured my last 27 minutes of cross-country racing for the year.

This cross country season has been a huge stepping-stone for me. I finished up 1st Overall in the BC Cup Series, won the BC Provincial Championship title, and got 3rd at the Test of Metal. I have a lot of work ahead of me for next cross country season including more hours on the bike, work on my technical speed, and improvement in my suffering ability (apparently you can ALWAYS suffer more....).

For now, however, I am looking forward to cross season. This cross season Drew and I are planning on travelling a bit more with trips to Seattle for Starcrossed and Rad Racing’s USGP, Edmonton for Canadian Nationals and Jim Horner UCI, Toronto for UCI races, Portland so Drew can defend his Single Speed Cyclo Cross World Championship title and then again for the Portland USGP’s, and then a final race weekend in Bend, Oregon for U.S. National Cross Championships.

Drew has been presently surprised with his season as he has used the mountain bike season to prepare for cross. He has consistently improved throughout the season to finish up 2nd overall in the BC Cup Series (and 2nd in the final race of the BC Cup).

Drew and I would both like to thank Gary Fisher for their help this season and the sponsors of Island Racing Club: Robert W. Cameron, La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, and BB Physio.