Organizers of the BC Bike Race are hard at work planning the 2011 event, including a return stage in Powell River.
The race is a seven-day mountain bike stage race from Vancouver to Whistler that covers over 400 kilometres. The event will be held from July 2 to 9, stopping in Powell River on July 5.
Last year was the first time the event included Powell River and from every perspective it was highly successful. It brought 500 cyclists, hundreds of tents, dozens of support staff, numerous mountain bike journalists and photographers, as well as family and friends of the racers to town. Participants extolled the quality of the trails. Many said it was the best day of racing they experienced. News of Powell River’s backcountry opportunities spread through social media, including YouTube, blogs and messages on Facebook and Twitter.
BC Bike Race organizers Tom Skinner and Malina Parmar were in Powell River on Thursday, January 20. They made a presentation to the City of Powell River’s committee-of-the-whole meeting and met with a local committee that has been established to work on the event.
Russell Brewer, one of the members of the committee, said the group is made up of representatives of community organizations, such as Tourism Powell River, the RCMP, and the city. “Hopefully, we’ll be in a position to put on an even better race this year,” he said.
The group will be working out details around traffic control and giving Powell River residents more opportunity to participate, Brewer said. For example, the plan is to have the race go through more city streets so people have more opportunities to watch the racers.
The racers also enjoy people coming out to watch, Brewer said. “A lot of the feedback we had from last year was how much they enjoyed going by Edgehill [Elementary] school with all the kids out,” he said. “If we have even more of that happening, that’s more positive feedback that gets out to the world.”
The committee is also looking at opportunities for residents to participate in the event in the evening, Brewer said.
Skinner said he appreciates the community organization that goes into the event. “It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Powell River and the amount of support,” said Skinner. “Council this morning said they want to get more people out. Last year there was an unbelievable amount of support and our racers love being here and seeing the community come out. We’re looking forward to improving on that and having a committee to work with on it is an excellent place for us to be.”
Last year, participants came from 21 countries, Skinner said. “The goal of the BC Bike Race is to showcase what we have in British Columbia, share our backyard with the rest of the world,” he said. “What enables us to do this are the communities like Powell River that support us and have a network of trails that are available.”
Powell River’s extensive trail network is unique, Skinner said, and second to none. As well, being able to camp at Willingdon Beach adds another dimension to the day. “There’s not many places in the world where you can ride through the mountains and next to the lakes, then come back and finish right on the beach,” he said.
The event provides significant exposure for Powell River, Skinner also said, pointing out that last year’s race was second in biking news only to the Tour de France.
