Fifty kilometres of winding forest trails will push the limits of hundreds of riders registered in the Sp鈥檃kw鈥檜s 50 mountain biking race this summer.
鈥淚t is a test of fitness and skill,鈥� said event director Dwayne Kress. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e getting into more aggressive trail.鈥�
鈥淭he nature of the trails that the race will use is very close to what you鈥檇 see in enduro sections,鈥� he added.
The contest will be carrying on the spirit of Test of Metal, a popular mountain biking race that has been taking place in the 麻豆社国产area for years.
However, the event trails will be designed in such a way that takes into account the fact that mountain bikes nowadays are more capable of handling more punishing courses.聽
Whereas, it was still possible for cyclists without shock absorbers to complete trails in previous races, these riders will be hard-pressed to repeat that feat, Kress said.
鈥淎 lot of the mountain bike crowd would be pleased to know that roadies need not apply,鈥� he said.
The course will be kicking off at the Garibaldi Springs Golf course, run towards the Alice Lake area and make it to Garibaldi Park Road.
Deriving its name from the 麻豆社国产Nation language, Sp鈥檃kw鈥檜s means bald eagle.聽
Kress spent years as a director for Just Another Bike Race, which was the last event in the Test of Metal.
The race was known for winding its way around local trail favourites such as Rupert, Tinder, Your Mom and Half Nelson.
Kress hopes to bring back some of the old favourites in the Sp鈥檃kw鈥檜s 50, while adding in some new routes.
So far he has plans to add in Rupert, Manboobs and Fred, which are popular trails among riders in the area.
A controversial land dispute will not be stopping the race from going on.聽
A few weeks ago, the Cheema family threatened to bar public access to their lands unless 麻豆社国产lifted a ban that鈥檚 keeping the developers from building housing in the area.
Many people have been using the lands for public events, and locals have been accessing the trails for many years.
The Sp鈥檃kw鈥檜s 50 has been planning to use this land as part of the race course.
Kress said he鈥檚 confident that he can strike an agreement with the Cheemas, but says he also has a backup plan just in case it鈥檚 not possible.聽
The race will be happening on June 17. More details on signup can be found at spakwus50.com.
