July 4, 2008 (Squamish, BC) – The outdoor recreational capital of Canada (Squamish) hosted the BC Bike Race for the last two nights and served up the full meal deal of bountiful BC singletrack to racers. From punishing grunty climbs to “wooohooo”ing bermy downhill bliss, there was something for every rider on the Day 6 course. Some would call this the Squamish highlights tour, as the course consists of the Gearjammer and Test of Metal courses combined.

BCBR competitors were blessed with a break in the weather for this day as the rain was just substantial enough to dampen the dusty trails and wash away some of the heat from the air. With perfect temperatures, stellar trail conditions, and a well-designed course, this could be a contender for the unofficial “riders’ favourite stage contest that exists between course managers.

There was certainly no shortage of hoots, hollers and elated racers as the day progressed. John Ramsden, of Steed Cycles Dark Horse racing described the ups and downs of the day, “For every climb you get a wicked descent!” “Yesterday was the best day – until today,” said Kevin Smith of Team Skyline. A vast number of racers seemed to agree – to simply ride and enjoy the singletrack seemed to be the Squamish stage mantra.

Today’s top story on the trails is the incredible course time set by team mates Andreas Hestler and Max Plaxton (Rocky Mountain Bikes). Two days ago, the Rocky Mountain Bikes team incurred a one hour time penalty for being more than two minutes apart on course. Yesterday, Hestler suffered bad luck with a snapped bolt halfway though the stage, which caused him to withdraw from the race (they had a solid lead at that point in the race). Today, things were different.

“Some days you show up at the race and your legs don’t,” commented Hestler. “Today, my legs showed upSfinally!” Hestler is a firm believer in the power of the human body to adapt to the conditions in which it exists – especially when it comes to stage mountain bike races. His own fitness evolution over the past six days is living proof of Hestler’s theory. “I just kept getting stronger all week, and at last my legs showed up!”

BCBR staff were thrilled to have ‘Dre’, their own Director of Marketing for this race, take the podium this afternoon. Hopes are high for a repeat performance by Hestler and Plaxton on the Whistler course on Friday.

Although they are unable to claim title to the leaders’ jersey, Team Rocky Mountain Bikes buried their competition today with a hefty 6-minute gap between them and their second place team. The leaders’ jersey went out to Team Kona’s Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks, who have a commanding 41-minute lead over last year’s BC Bike Race champions Chris Eatough and Jeff Schalk.

The remaining category standings stack up essentially the same way as they have since Stage 1. The powerhouse women’s pairing of Sara Bresnick-Zocchi and Kelli Emmett (Taint Slo) claimed the stage and leader’s jersey yet again, increasing their overall category lead to almost three hours. Wendy Simms and Normon Thibault (Kona – Riding in Memory of Denis Fontaine) have dominated the Mixed category and took top honours and leader’s jerseys, as did Andrew Handford and Pat Doyle (Different Bikes/Deadgoat Racing) in the Veterans 80+, as well as Brian and Bruce Johnson (Double Shot) in the Veterans 100+.

With six Stages already complete, riders are gearing up for their 5th and final Stage in Whistler. On tap include such classics as Upper and Lower Far Side trails, River Runs Through It, Cut Yer Bars and the Lost Lake Trail system.

Current riders are already asking when they can sign up to come back next year. For those and all other interested riders, Registration 2009 officially opens at 12 noon at the BC Bike Race website. Based on this year’s registration demands, organizers anticipate an early sell-out.

Full Stage 6 results here,

For more information visit www.bcbikerace.com