Canadian Olympians kick off the Bear Mountain Bike Festival with the 2018 PowerAde Canada Cup

March 29, 2018

(Victoria, BC – March 29, 2018)  Some of the world’s best mountain bikers will be on-hand this weekend as Bear Mountain Resort plays host to the PowerAde Canada Cup as part of the third annual Bear Mountain Bike Festival.  Presented by the City of Langford and Tourism Victoria, in collaboration with Cycling Canada, this year’s Festival will build on the successes of previous years bringing world-class mountain bike racing to Vancouver Island.

Fresh from a strong showing in the UCI Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike World Cup in Stellenbosch, South Africa, members of the Canadian national team are currently taking part in their annual training camp at Bear Mountain, the High Performance Training Centre for Cycling Canada’s MTB team.  The year’s first Canada Cup race is seen as a key workout in their camp.

“The PowerAde Canada Cup and the National Team Camp offer a great opportunity for all of us to come together and share our love of mountain bike,” said Cycling Canada MTB Head Coach, Dan Proulx. “Our sport is unique in its welcoming attitude and sense of community – our riders are fierce competitors during the event and the best of friends off the bike.  It’s a great bonding experience for our team and an event that offers a fun atmosphere and a fast and challenging course.  For our athletes, it’s a kick off to our North American race campaign and everyone looks forward to this one!”

Bear Mountain Resort and the surrounding area is an ideal location for Team Canada’s training base. The world-class terrain offers the riders a competitive advantage as they prepare for the Commonwealth Games and other international races.

The PowerAde Canada Cup is the highlight of the two day Bear Mountain Bike Festival, that also showcases long distance and short track cross country racing, challenge events for enthusiasts, enduro downhill racing, dedicated activities for kids and an on-site bike expo showcasing the top mountain bike brands in the industry.  New for 2018 is the addition of a food truck concession area.

“We are once again excited to welcome the Bear Mountain Bike Festival and its world-class athletes, coaches and support staff to Langford,” says Langford Mayor Stew Young.  “The BMBF diversifies our economy through sports tourism, increases Langford’s exposure regionally, nationally and internationally, and helps to define Langford as a centre of sports excellence and a sport and recreation destination.”

“There are incredible sports tourism opportunities in Greater Victoria and the Bear Mountain Bike Festival is one example,” says Tourism Victoria President and CEO Paul Nursey. “Tourism Victoria is committed to sports tourism and the recent creation of the Greater Victoria Sports Tourism Commission will allow the tourism sector to further support and partner on events such as this.”

On Saturday, spectators can expect a strong field of young men and women in the UCI Canada Cup Junior series and, for the first time ever, U17 men and women will be able to participate as an official Canada Cup category. On Sunday, spectators can enjoy the Russ Hay’s XC Short Track Race. Each race is 20 minutes long and takes place on a fast, flowing 1.5 KM course.  Lap prizes, or “primes”, will be awarded to heighten excitement and keep the race pace high.  Racing is open to the following categories: beginner, intermediate, expert, masters, and youth cyclists.

The Rocky Mountain Enduro p/b Marty’s Mountain Cycle returns as the kick off race for the Island Cup Racing Series.  This year’s race will feature three timed sections on the Bear Mountain Trail System that includes the “Flow Trail”, “The Chainsaw”, and a brand new trail on Skirt Mountain designed and built by freeride legend, Wade Simmons.

Kid-friendly activities will also be offered on Sunday as part of the Kids Bike Day presented by Oak Bay Bikes West Shore. Kids ages 6 to 10 are invited to join in some fun skills training with former Canada Cup champion and certified coach Adam Walker from the Cycling Co. Children will learn the basics of mountain bike riding, try their skills on the obstacle course, and enjoy free snacks and prizes as a reward.  Entry is free and is capped at 150 participants.

 

For more information about Cycling Canada:
Karine Bedard
Marketing & Communication Coordinator
Cycling Canada
(438) 884-8771
karine.bedard@cyclingcanada.ca

For additional event information:
Jon Watkin
Event Director
Bear Mountain Bike Festival
(250) 415-3246
info@victoriabikerace.com

 

BEAR MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL EVENT ITINERARY

 Saturday, March 31 
Canada Cup MTB p/b Powerade (UCIC1 MTB)
Bike Expo
Food Concession

Sunday, April 1
Russ Hay’s XC Short Track (BC Premier Series)
Oak Bay Bikes Kids Bike Day
Rocky Mountain Enduro p/b MCC  (Island Cup Enduro Series)
Bike Expo
Food Concession

BACKGROUND
This year’s Bear Mountain Bike Festival features the PowerAde Canada Cup, a UCI sanctioned event, which means that UCI points are awarded for top place finishers.   Points are used to determine a “World Ranking” and are also used to determine the start order of UCI races around the world.   Racers with the most UCI points are given the opportunity to start races at the front line while racers with fewer points start further back, forcing them to have to work more to get to the front during the race.

 ABOUT THE TRAILS AT BEAR MOUNTAIN
Home to the Canadian National Mountain Bike Team, the Bear Mountain Bike Park consists of over 10km of west coast inspired single track and flow trails. Built over the past two years in collaboration with the Nature Trails Society, the park is open to riders of all ages and abilities.

ABOUT CYCLING CANADA
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, Cycling Canada aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic, and World Championship medal performances. With the vision of being a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, Cycling Canada manages the High Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country. Cycling Canada programs are made possible through the support of its valued corporate partners – Global Relay, Lexus Canada, Mattamy Homes, Louis Garneau and Bear Mountain Resort – along with the Government of Canada, Own The Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.   http://www.cyclingcanada.ca