Powell River area ferry traffic will be affected by the BC Bike Race, which makes its way to the Powell River area on Monday, July 8.
According to a media release from BC Ferries, large groups of cyclists will be on the 3:25 pm and 7:10 pm sailings on July 8, and people can cheer the cyclists on their arrival in Powell River at Westview Terminal. There will be an additional ferry sailings on this route on July 8, departing Comox at 10:30 pm and leaving Powell River at 11:59 pm.
BC Ferries is informing customers travelling from Saltery Bay to Earls Cove that the 9:25 am sailing on Wednesday, July 10, will be exclusively for BC Bike Race cyclists and support vehicles only. Customers may choose to take an early sailing departing Saltery Bay at 5:35 am to avoid congestion around the dedicated BC Bike Race sailing. High traffic volume is expected on the 7:25 am and 11:45 am sailings departing Saltery Bay.
BC Ferries also announced that customers travelling from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay should be aware that large groups of cyclists and support vehicles are expected on the 3:15 pm and 4:45 pm sailings departing Langdale on Thursday, July 11. Langdale Terminal will have additional traffic control and there may be traffic diversions, if necessary.
BC Bike Race features seven days of mountain biking on a hand-built single track through the lush rainforest of BC’s west coast. Celebrating its 13th anniversary this year, the race brings approximately 600 riders and their support teams on a 310-kilometre circle tour starting on July 4 from Metro Vancouver to Vancouver Island, Powell River, the Sunshine Coast, and wrapping up in Squamish on July 12. BC Ferries provides in-kind travel to race participants and helps promote the event through its social platforms.
This year, the BC Bike Race will feature participants from 38 countries. The event sold out in less than 24 hours.
“The BC Bike Race is bursting with pride that our event has captured the imagination of the world, while helping to promote BC as a premiere mountain biking destination,” said BC Bike Race marketing director Andreas Hestler. “We are immensely proud to showcase the communities we work within and talk about the story that is mountain biking in British Columbia. It is the unique relationship between BC Ferries, BC Bike Race and these towns that enables a route of such beauty to exist and keep the racers returning year after year, even after they have finished the event.”
