July 22, 2003 (Vancouver, BC) – The 2003 Canadian National MTB Championships took place this past weekend in Whistler, and with it, the crowning of new champions. As part of the Whistler Summer Gravity Festival, a seven-day long bike festival in British Columbia, the nationals helped to complete a successful week of bike-related activities.
BC hasn't seen a bike festival like this in many years, and the Gravity Festival pulled off seven great days of bike-infested activities! Not only was there the Canadian Championships, but earlier in the week international racers competed in the Joyride Biker Cross and Air DH, two stellar events that attracted pro riders including Cedric Gracia, Steve Peat, and Greg Minnaar. Throughout the week, daily demonstrations were held often several times a day, which included dirt jump demos and clinics, stunts and trails by the Baia Brothers, and an industry expo that filled an entire parking lot.
The Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association held epic rides daily throughout the week, (WORCA) to introduce beginner, intermediate and expert riders to the Whistler trail systems. Dangerous Dan and the Flow Show showed up during the last three days of the festival with their traveling stunt show. Other activities throughout the week included a Ride with the Stars, the Al Grey Memorial Loonie Race, the film premiere of RISE and the Zero Ceiling Fundraiser, not to mention the Slopestyle Expression Session presented by Shimano “SAINT”, the Whistler Trials Competition and the Whistler Village Criterium. And don't forget – the Canadian National MTB Championships were also part of the festivities!
The week was a bike lover's dream come true – we don't think that we've seen so many happy, smiling people riding their bikes, talking about bikes, and looking at bikes all in one place, for seven consecutive days! The Whistler Summer Gravity Festival pulled off an amazing weeklong event.
Pedal Magazine caught up with the festival's Event Producer, Richard Juryn of Shore Events Ltd., for a few quick comments on the week's events.
Pedal: It's Sunday afternoon, seven days into the festival, how are you feeling right now?
Juryn: Only seven days? Seems like a month! It's been unbelievable. We really went for a huge home run here and that's my nature, to go after something, 110%, put everything into it. We really bit off something big here. Everybody is ecstatic, there's a lot of businesses that had best days ever, we've had two of the biggest days ever in the mountain bike park, yesterday, it was the first time in the summer that they've ever had all of the parking lots full, the village was totally busy, everybody is raving about all the action. It feels great!
Pedal: Any problems?
Juryn: It's like keeping track of a runaway train, you're constantly tweaking and adjusting and doing things that allow us to have a face out there, such that what the public sees looks like a smooth running operation and things are clicking into place. From all the comments I'm getting, we did good damage control!
Pedal: For Shore Events Ltd., is this the biggest event you've helped produce?
Juryn: Oh yeah, I look at this and I'm trying to think of another week of MTB events in North America that stages this kind of event. To do this in my second year, doing this full-time, I'm super-stoked, and I know that we've got many more years. Already there are comments from Whistler-Blackcomb, Tourism Whistler, and others, that were to the extent that there is not any “if” about whether this is happening next year, there's just a when. We've already had some sponsors that weren't involved that have already committed to jumping in with money already after seeing what happened here.
So there you have it readers. It can be done! Seven successful days of integrated disciplines of cycling in one venue and in one week! If you get a chance, better start thinking about where you'll be spending next summer's bike vacation now, while there are still rooms available!