PHOTOS: BC Bike Race's gnarly debut at Three Blind Mice

If anyone wanted more proof that Penticton and area is fast becoming one of the continent's endurance sport hotspots, the last couple weeks likely delivered all the evidence they needed.

First, there was a DIY Ironman, where a couple dozen athletes -- some world calibre -- staged their own Ironman-distance triathlon while waiting for the highly anticipated post-COVID return of the real thing in 2022.

Then last week came the very first annual iteration of the five-day, body-bashing Expedition Canada Adventure Race. It'll be back next year and almost assuredly many years after that.

And let's not forget stuff like the Granfondo, the Peach Classic Triathlon, Ultraman Canada, Ultra520K Canada, and the Skaha Lake UltraSwim.

This week, though, it was another newbie. It was all about mountain bikes, and it kicked off just one day after Expedition Canada ended.

It was called the BC Bike Race, and this was the first time in 15 years that this popular, highly-regarded event has been held outside the lower mainland.

For six straight days, participants -- again, some world caliber -- tackled the very best trails the south Okanagan offers.

They rode Cartwright and Conkle mountains nears Summerland, they climbed to the sky at Apex, they did the Naramata Bench and nearby Northern Mice, they blasted through Campbell Mountain and for the finale, they zipped around the confusion and the beauty of the amazing Three Blind Mice trail network.

PentictonNow hiked into Three Blind Mice Friday morning to get a feel for the event and grab a few pics. And we came away impressed. Not only with the quality of rider (and the speed -- some of these guys and gals are straight-up rocketships) but the organization of the event and the pure awesomeness of the terrain.

And in chatting with some of the competitors, we got the distinct feeling the event will have a very happy home here in Penticton for the next few years.

Bala Seward came to the event with his girlfriend and three other buddies -- two of whom are riders -- from Palo Alto, California. And he had good reason.

"The BCBR is a legendary event," he said. "Yeah, legendary. They’re known for selecting the best trails and getting together an awesome group of people to hang out with for a week."

Seward explained they'd signed up prior to COVID, thinking it would be held in its long-time lower mainland home. But they opted to stick it out even when the event moved to what they saw as an unknown -- the Okanagan.

"But it's awesome here," he said. "The lake, the mountains. You can tell it’s a super bike friendly town and the downtown is beautiful. I imagine in the summer it’s popping off with so many people and boats and swimming."

Seward, a self-admitted hardcore rider, said he felt Campbell Mountain's Thursday outing was a little "soft," but really seemed psyched over the rest of the week and especially Three Blind Mice.

"Today was hard," he said. "It's technical single track riding and that's what we strive for. We like going up and down the rockiest, gnarliest trails ever."

Seward and crew stayed the week in Penticton, dropped bucks at area eateries and shops, and planned to tour wineries all Saturday afternoon. They're the type of guests the local tourism industry craves, and they'd probably never have known of the region without the race.

"I'd love to do this again here," he said. "I'm glad the town hosted us and let us do this. And I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

Nearby was Lyndsay Wrightson of North Vancouver, a BC Bike Race rookie.

"I've heard about other BC Bike Races where you travel from one location to another to another. There are a lot of logistics I think. But this one, where everything is so close, is easier in terms of traveling and convenience."

Wrightson, who "hit a tree" Friday during the event but remained uninjured and on her bike, said her only regret was not bringing a camera.

"It’s been beautiful. I wish I could have stopped to take pictures, but I get in race mode and can't stop."

Later, event co-founder and former Canadian Olympic cyclist Andreas Hestler talked above the move to the Penticton.

"We started in the lower mainland and have been there for 14 years," he said. " We had one of our businesses owners move to Naramata and he loves the place and we had some conversations with people in the city and the vibe was good.

"We always wanted to move the BC Bike Race around the province, and we finally had that opportunity. We'll certainly be here for the foreseeable future. After that, maybe the Kootenays, maybe something else, but for the foreseeable future we're locked into the Okanagan."

This year, added Hestler, the pandemic and of course the Penticton move dragged the number of entrants down from the typical 600 to 200. But he believes as COVID wanes and the organizing committee is once again able to offer a "traveling festival of the mountain bike community," those numbers will once again soar.

For more informtion on BC Bike Race and how to sign up as a rider or a volunteer in 2022, hit up the website here.