Thinking about the BC 2024 bike race

It's always difficult to look back and summarize a race week in a few words, a few lines, a paragraph or a story. But I will try to wrap up the race week starting July 1st^St (Canada Day) for BCBR 2024.

As the AMB community knew, we brought together 10 racers to find the best adventure in British Columbia that would take on some of the most famous trails the world had to offer on Vancouver Island. BCBR is more than just a race though! With the Aussie stage racing team in a different country, what happened was an epic journey to be played out during the title.

It's hard to explain what BCBR means to people, but I'll sum it up like this: a mountain biking summer camp. Jam-packed with some of the most amazing trails you'll find anywhere in the world, the BCBR team produces a spectacle that excites every mountain biker's dreams, year after year. Hard days spent riding the same track forever pushing all riders to their limits.

Leckie and I started watching the famous videos of this amazing race five years ago and knew we needed to be there and immerse ourselves in the BCBR culture. We created the Browny and Leckie BCBR Journey to show everyone what to expect when you get to this ultimate mountain bike destination, and how to have the best time.

In 2023 we decided to take some of our team to have the best few weeks anyone can have on two wheels. Did everyone have a perfect ball, push themselves beyond what they thought was possible and live to tell the tale? Hell yeah!

In 2024, Aussies are arriving at all different times to make it to BCBR 2024 and quite a few are taking part to continue sampling BC and all it has to offer both on and off the bike. Another Aussie, Owen Gordon, even managed to propose to his girlfriend, Amelia.

For me, the year 2024 was coming to Vancouver Island to experience the tracks I had watched on YouTube hundreds of times, but 2024 was going to be a different experience as I was racing in pairs with multiple world champion Peter Selkrig. When we competed in Australia, for 1 week in July we were teammates.

I remember on Stage 3 at Mount Zu coming down 'Maple Syrup' I could hear in the distance “this is Hammerhead on steroids”. For those who know Mount Stromlo, you will understand the reference.

Our goal was to be on the podium, but from the beginning I had my mind set on a top 5 result. The Prelude (which was the new BCBR venue in Victoria) was a very difficult 7.5km route with high technical techniques.

We have 4^th position in this category behind 3 Canadian teams who were all cross country champions at different times.

Stage 2 was worth it for Victoria again with the clock in the camp with 8km of road before hitting Victoria's single track.

This stage was only 26km with a gain of 703m but as Dr Dre had pointed out during the zoom calls that 20km in Victoria is a tough day for the pros. Protect us 4^th Place is also 27 minutes off the top three now, but 22 minutes off the top 5^th.

As the week progressed, we continued to pull time at 5^th then back to the top 3. The week ended as follows:

It was an experience for me to ride with Pete all week and I know he will be back in 2025 to have a crack, as he said it was the best stage race he has done around the world. This is coming from someone who has ridden the Absa Cape Epic, as well as a number of places in the 24 Hour World Race.

Big thanks to Stef for looking after me and Peter during the week.

I couldn't wrap up each section but instead dive right in and experience the best week you'll ever have on two wheels.

A few of the group gave summaries.

Michelle Newstead (24 Hour World Champion and Australian World Champion)

“My take on the 'mature woman' who was scared and nervous before BCBR!! Wow, what a great week for mountain biking!

“The tracks used in BC are the same as anything I've ridden before, they're not the tracks I want to ride here in Australia and they're definitely not the type of tracks that are on XC races here.

“There were a lot of rocks and tree roots, and they liked to put black tracks in their sections and some of that stuff was crazy, rocky and scary!

“It doesn't matter, there are parts I walked. The tracks are next level and it's called mountain biking for a reason: rocks, hills and mountains!

“However, this experience was the worst, most amazing and empowering week I've spent on a mountain bike. I may have walked some dark ground, but I rode harder than I thought and it was an empowering part; you'll never know what you can do until you pull it off.

“The BCBR vibe before and after the race is great, it gets everyone together and you can't help but lean in and swap stories with other riders over a cold beer every arvo.”

Kevlar (Kevin Wynne-Smythe) – A 24-hour multi-tasker.

“What can be said about BCBR 2024? Having completed many solo 24-hour races for over a decade, and after talking to colleagues who had tackled the event before, I knew the trick for this race was going to be a different beast and I would have to pack a regular diesel engine and take off. 2-stroke.

“Then all I had to do was wash and repeat for 7 days. Go to the park, right?! But as we say here in Oz…..yeah, nah.

“Happily, Stage 1 in Victoria was a 'huge' of sorts. A 'toe in the water' of what to expect in a week.”

“A gentle tool with peers at the beginning of the prelude, a little breath, then twist that visual sound and give it to the beans about 7k routes with time. Cross that line and relax. A dip in nearby Durrance Lake helped to relax… If only every day could be like this!

“From Stage 2 in Victoria to the final stage 7 in Cumberland it was a case of survival of the fittest. These methods didn't just get you out of your legs and lungs; upper body took full speed! If you came to this event with little extra energy, you would be injured on the 7th day. Fortunately, I try to maintain my normal fitness throughout the year, so, my body seemed to recover well in the days that followed when I hit it. most definitely accepted. I had to remind myself, and a few others, to stretch and bend properly if we were going to survive the week.

“The brutality of this event cannot be taken lightly. The planners include a complete astronomical course, showing everything the island has to offer, from slopes and descents to giant rollers, and did I mention tree roots?

“Racing has pushed you to limits you didn't think you had and made you come out the other side with more skill, a bigger smile, and a bigger sense of accomplishment. Take your eye off the ball, and it could turn ugly in a heartbeat.

“The camaraderie between all the events was great. From fellow runners to the event team, everyone had a smile, even when they were suffering from pain they didn't know they had.

“I've competed in many endurance events, and some have had amazing organization, but this year's BCBR was the highlight, and among the best events I've had the pleasure of being a part of. From more than 6 months, the communication Experts of the competitions were full of race preparation forums, a lot of advice that can come not only from the team of the amazing event, but also from long-time competitors and former world champions, information about accommodation and social events in the local areas and more.

“Will I come back to face the monster that is BCBR? Watch this space.

Should you put it on your bucket list?….Abso-bloody-lutely!”

Grant Hodgkins (Current Single World 24 Hour Champion)

“For the average cross country rider the BCBR stats don't seem too bad, for 7 days most of them are somewhere around 40k and 1500m. But it's another world out there, and it's a lot harder than you might expect to achieve those numbers.

“We all learned to appreciate the word 'jank' by starting the race with a prelude featuring the black trail '90's Jank'. A rock slab trail, rock roll down, chunked-up rock and more rock with woven tree roots. It set the stage for what our new riding style would be over the next 7 days.

“Its place is very different from home; almost every section had black diamond trails because that's what they had to work with. Most days there used to be Kilometers of dark trails full of rocks and roots, up and down, not just token sections like we would see in Australia.

“As a middle-of-the-road race at home, I'm very happy to finish in the middle of the pack again in BC. At the end of each day, I was so happy I was able to complete all these outdoor technical aspects in stages without crashing. But it's not just the ride; the start line party to the finish line party and the amazing people you meet from all over the world.

“What made us do it? Hearing and watching the Browny and Leckie BCBR blogs made it seem attainable. So, when they made the call for an Aussie team to lead in 2024, Michelle and I didn't hesitate to put our names down. And I'm so glad we did, 'best week ever for cycling' was the phrase they kept announcing, and I can't deny it. I can almost guarantee that I will be back again soon.

“Doing a big event overseas with a great group of friends and support makes for an amazing experience and memories that we will cherish for a long time. Big credit to Browny, this team wouldn't have gotten there without his determination to make it fun.

“My takeaway is if you want to challenge yourself and improve your technical skills while having fun, sign up for BCBR, and don't forget to do it with your partners.”

A big shout out to the BCBR team who made this week such a joy. Congratulations to Deano, Dr Dre, Moniera, John, Carmel and the rest of the BCBR team and volunteers. You guys move a lot.

You can check out BCBR as I'm sure this article will spark the excitement to add the Ultimate Single-Track adventure to your diary. The good news is that a lot of workers will be back to face it next year and in 2026. (www.bcbikerace.com)

Big thanks also to the sponsors who came along for this crazy ride – Supavest, Premium Select Finance, Toohey Associates, Eight Custom Clothing, Batch Brewery, AMB, of course, and GU & Weldtite.

We're off again for another year of BCBR. If you are not there'I already did so get on and follow

(Browny & Leckie – The BCBR Journey) as this chapter still has other chapters to be written.