BC Bike Race arrives in Powell River on July 8 for stage three of the eight-stage, single-track race. This week, the Peak begins a series profiling some of the elite competitors.
Defending BC Bike Race champion Geoff Kabush is the most decorated Canadian mountain biker of all time. He has represented Canada at the 2000, 2008 and 2016 Olympic Games.
Kabush’s record includes 15 Canadian national titles, five US National MTB Series Titles, a World Cup title, medals in nine World Cups and a BC Bike Race (BCBR) championship in 2017.
“Over my career I've been racing more internationally,” said Kabush, “so it was really fun to come back to BC Bike Race last year and finally get to do it because I grew up in Courtenay.”
BCBR is billed as the ultimate single track experience and Kabush, who competes in a lot of stage races, said cyclists will be competing on the best trails in the world.
“It's pretty cool in Powell River and so many other communities in BC, they've really taken on mountain biking as a central part of the community,” he added. “It's pretty amazing from when I was growing up how the trail networks have developed and to see the work that's been put into the development; now it's such a central part of tourism.”
A core cause during Kabush’s career has been his advocacy for clean sport, helping to develop and launch the "Race Clean, Own Your Victory" initiative with Cycling Canada.
Kabush said he rode through a dark time in the sport when athletes were taking shortcuts with performance enhancing drugs.
“I'm proud of the decisions I made in the past,” said Kabush. “I decided to be an advocate and let kids know you can make the right choices and still have success. There's no better feeling now that, toward the end of my career, there's nothing hiding in my closet.”
Doping in cycling is not as prevalent as it once was, according to Kabush. He said it has improved since the mid-1990s.
“People will still take shortcuts,” he said. “Some are in it for the money or their ego. For me it has always been about process, self-improvement and challenging myself.”
Kabush first discovered mountain biking when he was 15. He just celebrated his 41st birthday.
“I never expected to be still riding my bike full time; it's been a fun part of the sport,” said Kabush. “There’s always something new to learn and I've been constantly evolving, and experience goes a long way sometimes. As long as you're having fun and motivated, you can still be successful.”
