Guide to Inaugural Trans BC Powered by Stages Cycling, July 4-9, 2016

North Vancouver, British Columbia— The Trans BC powered by Stages Cycling will usher in 130 riders to the technical terrain and infamous loam of British Columbia in less than a week, while the rest of the world peers in from their cyber desks, wishing they were shredding in paradise five plus hours per day.

“We’re excited to be a part of Trans BC,” said Matt Pacocha, Marketing & PR for Stages Cycling.

What makes this sold out event (in a day) every mountain biker’s dream adventure race?

“Perhaps it’s over 10,000 kilometers of trail that range from riding loam in the deep dark woods amongst ponderosas and pine trees, to steep, techy and rooty trails, to fast flow, alpine and everything in-between,” said Megan Rose, founder and race director of the Trans BC.

Rose has been scheming up the Trans BC for the past three years. Instead of jumping straight onto the enduro stage race bandwagon, Rose cultivated relationships with the riding communities in Interior BC. In the meantime, the BC Enduro Series was initiated in 2014 and the Trans NZ in 2015. This opened up a world of possibilities and created an even better experience for racers who made the start list for the inaugural event.

Eleven countries from four different continents will be represented at the Trans BC with an overwhelming 82 percent coming from other countries. Riders will have to complete 200 kilometers, with an average of 1400m (4500’) of climbing and at least 2000m (6000’) of descending per day. This will amount to 12,200m (40,000’) of descending over six days for the Strava masters. For everyone else, this means riders will be on trail for five to six hours per day in destination locations including Vernon, Penticton, Rossland and Nelson.

The race crew has been traveling all spring and summer to visit and dial in the trails in preparation for the event. Record snowfall, and subsequently record snowmelt have concocted the perfect recipe for unrivaled trail conditions. Rose discovered an unmaintained trail that connects a point-to-point high above the Okanagan Lakes with amazing views, and worked with Cabin Forestry Services to restore and re-open the trail. This day in particular will challenge all riders as they plunge into a reputable mountain bike trail network. But like every other day, all racers will end with beer at the finish line and a comfortable night’s stay in plush accommodations. The lucky ones may even get a hot tub in their condo and a moose sighting.

Stages rider Meg Bichard will produce features throughout the week, so stay tuned to how things shake out in the Open Women’s field with massive watts being thrown around for the podium.

It’s not surprising that all volunteer positions have been filled for the event, however, we will be keeping everyone in the loop with regular updates on Facebook and Instagram and core online media outlets throughout the week. Hashtag your photos #transbcenduro to make their way onto the live stream of the Trans BC’s Media HQ.

An additional thanks to supporting sponsors Cabin Forestry Services, Tourism Vernon, Bossa Nova Tech, Hope Tech, DJ Cycles, Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism, Tourism Rossland, and Penticton & Wine Country. For more information email megan@ridingbc.com or visit www.transbcenduro.com.

ABOUT MEGAN ROSE — Megan has been riding and racing bikes all over the world for 13 years and organizing bike events for the past six years. She splits her time between British Columbia, Canada and New Zealand, running the BC Enduro Series and the new Trans BC for 2016, and running the Trans NZ race. Over the past two years Megan has personally races in over 24 enduro races, timed over 58 days worth of enduro races, and personally organized 22 enduro races. Megan and her team look forward to bringing you the best of the best from all of these perspectives. ABOUT STAGES CYCLING — Stages Cycling LLC, based in Boulder, CO, launched the Stages Power meter at Interbike in September 2012. The new Stages Power meter immediately made waves for the power measurement category in all disciplines of cycling, including enduro, where the sport’s top pros collect and trust its data for training and racing. Since the brand has expanded into the commercial and home fitness category with the SC3 commercial indoor cycling bike, with groundbreaking features including: CarbonGlyde featuring Gates CarbonDrive, SprintShift, FitLoc, RoadBar and, of course, the Stages Power meter. More information at stagescycling.com