Two Whistler-based mountain bike riders are planning to ride their way around the Strait of Georgia, sampling the best BC mountain biking has to offer along the way.
Riders Seb Kemp and Dave Roth plan to ride from Whistler up the Sunshine Coast, catch the ferry across to Comox and then pedal down Vancouver Island and back to Vancouver all in 12 days. The trip starts Wednesday, February 6.
“I’m always trying to get my friends up to BC for mountain biking, and straight away they think Whistler or the North Shore with big bikes, big jumps and big stumps,” said Kemp. “There’s a whole other side to it as well. There’s a far deeper culture that really hasn’t been explored or understood by mountain bikers around the world and that’s what I want to showcase. Every town in BC seems to have world-class mountain biking.”
Kemp said he’s wanted to make the trip for quite a few years. When he’s not on two wheels propelling himself along singletrack, he’s writing about biking for magazines.
“It would be easy to jump in the car and have a cool road trip with buddies, but I just want to slow down and explore it,” said Kemp. “You really want to be able to slow down and just appreciate all the bits between.”
Kemp and Roth plan on alternating longer road riding days with days on the trails. On road days, they will ride between 50 to 100 kilometres.
“We are used to doing long, long rides,” he said. “You wonder why you’re doing it. You want to stop and give up, but when you finish you’re so glad you never gave up.”
While riding on knobby mountain bike tires on the road will not make spinning up hills easier, Kemp said he and Roth are not planning on changing tires. “I’d rather suffer a little on the roads to have a better experience on the trails.”
A support vehicle with film crew will follow the riders as they progress through the ride, but Kemp is adamant about pulling all his own gear with his bike trailer.
Kemp had hoped to come to Powell River for the BC Bike Race last year but an injury forced him out.
Riding in the rain doesn’t discourage him too much, as he grew up in the UK and has waterproof cycling gear. Instead, snow is his biggest fear. “If we get a dump of snow here in Whistler a day or two before we leave it’ll make the Sea to Sky Highway quite a prospect,” said Kemp. “I’m praying for rain. Never thought I’d say that.”
Kemp said that he’s been all around the world on his bike and he’s found some amazing places to ride, but he finds BC is “consistently the most mind-blowing place I’ve been.”
The riders will stay at the Old Courthouse Inn while they are in Powell River. They hope to meet up with other riders here. Interested readers can follow their trip updates on Twitter and Instagram @weareunionco.
