I have never really attempted an organized event such as the BCBR before and I'm looking forward to being in between the ropes this year as opposed to a spectator/wheel man like last year. The closest thing to this race I have ever attempted was a 30-in-30 last spring. What that entailed was 30 mountain bike rides in 30 days straight. It ended up being 42 rides over 48 days, ranging from 1hr to 4hr per ride - some days were pre work, some post. The reason for doing this was to see if I could manage a race like the BCBR and also to see what kind of motor I had - if I could push past the inner voice telling me "rest days are good", "the couch is more comfy than my saddle" and " wow, that's really swollen, you should stay in!"
I will be racing the Solo Open Men's category which will mean that I get to race with the likes of Chris Sheppard, Manuel Prado, Andreas Hestler and Kris Holm. If you're unfamiliar who Kris Holm is, he's the a renowned master unicyclist that has appeared in free ride movies in the early years of Big Bikes! The BCBR race is somewhat of a challenge on two wheels so I can't imagine riding a fixed gear, one-wheeled unicycle, but Holm is here to show us how's it's done. In the Solo Open Women's category we have the likes of Xterra superstar Melanie McQuaid, as well as 2-time Crank the Shield winner Kate Aardal, and if I am not mistaken this will be her third BCBR, but her first solo ride.
The mixed categories are stacked as well. After chasing around Ryan Trebon and Georgia Gould, last year's 2nd place finishers, Jeff Neilson and Mical Dyck, return to try and hop up one extra spot on the podium. No easy task as a late entry team featuring 2009 national MTB champs, Geoff Kabush and Catharine Pendrel, will be vying for the same number one spot. We've even heard rumors (now confirmed) that 2008 BCBR Open Mixed champs, Normon Thibault and Wendy Simms, are returning following the recent birth of their little boy Tycho, to have a crack at regaining the title. This category could lead to some of the best racing and most wise-cracks as all six racers know each other well. The Men's and Women's teams are also sporting strong names such as 2009 TR champs [Stefan] Widmer and [Marty] Lazarski so stay tuned and place your bets!
I would like to thank our sponsors Maxxis, Finishline, PowerBar for supported our efforts, and Pedal Magazine for the opportunity to cover this year's "sold out" BCBR. And I would especially like to thank Bill Fry, Scott Mitchell and Troy Woodburn and the rest of the staff at Pro City Cycle in Victoria, BC, for giving me the week off to play, ride, write, and shoot pictures. Without their collective "yes", none of this could happen. So I will see you on the trails and I'm looking forward to getting shelled!!
Regan Pringle