June 25, 2008 – We are mere days away from the start gun firing on Day 1 of the 2008 BC Bike Race!! There are more than 400 racers packing their bags to converge on the beautiful town of Shawnigan Lake this week.

Months of planning and preparation have culminated in this final week of high energy and last minute tweaking as the anticipation of race day builds for everyone on the BCBR Team.

You can catch all the race action on the BCBR website – check the Home Page daily for stage results, daily race updates, and daily race photos. If you can’t come to the race, we’ll bring the race to you!

Welcome Back Pedal Magazine
BC Bike Race is proud to welcome back Pedal magazine for another year of supporting our event. Once again this year, Pedal magazine will be providing complimentary 1-year subscriptions to all 2008 BCBR racers.

Pedal magazine will also be sponsoring the Spirit Bear Awards. New to BCBR this year, the daily Spirit Bear Award recognizes team spirit and sportsmanship among racers and volunteers.

You can also check out Pedal – Canada’s Cycling Magazine – online!

BCBR Welcomes Several High-Profile Racers to the Start Line
We are proud to have attracted some of the biggest names in epic mountain bike racing to the 2008 BC Bike Race. highlights include:

– Team Trek – Chris Eatough – 6 time 24 hour World Champion and winner of the inaugural BC Bike Race, partner Jeff Schalk.
– Team Monavie-Cannondale – Tinker Juarez – Current 24 hour World Champion and mountain bike legend, partner Mitchell Peterson.
– Team Felt – Seamus McGrath – Canadian Olympic Team Member 2004, Training for Beijing 2008, Team Canada, partner Chris Sheppard – long time Canadian National Team Member.
– Team Rocky Mountain Bikes – Max Plaxton – 2006 Bronze Medal World Championships Espoir, 2 time World Champion Relay, Pan American Champion Espoir, partner Andreas Hestler – Canadian Olympic Team Member 1996, 3 x Trans Rockies Champion, 5 x Canadian Title Holder.
– Team La Ruta-Economy Rent-a-Car-Super Pro – Marvin Campos (Costa Rica) – Winner of La Ruta de los Conquistadores (2003), Winner of La Ruta de los Conquistadores 12 hours (2004), partner Manuel Prado.
– Team Kona – Wendy Simms – 3 x Canadian National Cyclo Cross Champion, partner Norm Thibault.

Follow your favourites and catch all the race week updates at www.bcbikerace.com!

Curious about Race Day Nutrition?
Ever wonder how racers maintain their energy every day during epic stage races like the BC Bike Race?

Well, wonder no more…check out the “Proper Fueling for the BCBR Video” here for all the inside tricks with Planet Foods!

Hot Off the Press!
Planning to be in the Shawnigan Lake area on June 27th? Why not catch the BCBR 2008 launch press conference! Join local and international media, high-profile racers, and BCBR competitors as we kick off the 2nd annual BC Bike Race event.

Time: 5:30pm
Location: Shawnigan Lake School

See you there!

Cumberland Trail Building
BCBR’s own Martin Ready (Bag Check Manager), Dave Silver (Photographer) and Jeremy Grasby (Stage 3 Course Manager) joined forces last week to blaze the final trail that connects BCBR racers through the Cumberland trail network to the Stage 3 Finish Line.

Check out Martin’s trail report and pictures here.

Don’t forget to check the BCBR Home Page for all the race results, updates and info Starting June 28!

For additional information, visit: www.bcbikerace.com