March 07, 2014 (Vancouver, BC) – Cycling BC is pleased to announce the introduction of the new BC Premier Road Series for the 2014 season, which will see the return of a unified circuit of high-quality cycling events to the province. Cycling BC is also pleased to present the Downhill and BMX event schedules.

“We are incredibly proud of our dedicated event organizers, volunteers, and racers in this province who join us in our commitment to making racing better in BC,” said Cycling BC Executive Director Richard Wooles.

The 2014 BC Premier Road Series consists of five events that have become recognized fixtures on the BC road cycling calendar due to their quality and popularity. The events include the DEVO Spring Series Classic Stage Race, March 29-30, Race the Ridge, April 26-27, Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series, May 30-June 1, UBC Grand Prix on July 8, and the Tour de White Rock Criterium on July 12.

“This showcase series will allow our talented athletes the opportunity to race at a high level close to home and compete for the prestigious goal of wearing the BC Premier Series leader’s jersey,” said Cycling BC Race and Event Coordinator Barry Lyster.

The UBC Grand Prix and Tour de White Rock are both part of BC Superweek – the biggest week of cycling in the province. Both events will offer Cat 3/4 Women’s races, and in doing so, make history as the first time this category will be included in BC Superweek.

“BC Superweek is very excited to have two of our events part of the BC Premier Road Series. High profile events such as these will only help grow the sport in BC and Canada. Therefore, we look forward to being part of the series this summer,” said BC Superweek Race Director Mark Ernsting of M1 Sports Management.

The following categories are eligible for the BC Premier Road Series: Cat 1/2 Men, Cat 1/2/3 Women, Cat 3/4 Men, Cat 3/4 Women, Junior Men, Junior Women, Master 40+ Men, and Master 40+ Women.

Riders will earn points at each event and the racer with the highest number of accumulated series points in each category following the final race – the Tour de White Rock Criterium on July 12 – will presented with the title of BC Premier Series Champion, which will include a jersey and an award. Racers are required to compete in the final race to be eligible for an overall ranking and prizes, and the series will offer equal prizing between men’s and women’s categories.

“Our aim is to make winning the BC Premier Series a goal for BC’s top racers – something that they can be proud of and aspire to,” said Lyster.

The BC Road and Criterium Championships will be held in conjunction with the BC Premier Series races in Victoria, May 30 to June 1, as part of the Robert Cameron Law Series, making the event doubly exciting, as the province’s best racers vie for the honour of being named BC Champion in both disciplines.

“The Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series presented by PISE is very proud to be part of Cycling BC’s new 2014 BC Premier Road Series. Every year, the quality and level of competition in BC continues to rise in road cycling, and we are very excited to give athletes and spectators something to look forward to,” said event organizer Jon Watkin. “We are also pleased to host the BC Road Cycling Championships and the new BC Criterium Cycling Championships in partnership with Cycling BC.”

Cycling BC is also happy to present the BC Cup Downhill Series for 2014, which will be comprised of six events in BC and the Pacific Northwest.

The BC Cup BMX Series calendar has also been set, including five events, which kicked off with round one at the Abbotsford Indoor facility, February 15-16.

More details regarding the Cycling BC event calendar, race registration, series rules and structure will be available shortly on the Cycling BC website here.

Read more about the new road series here.