Several 麻豆社国产racers rode to the top of the pack during the fourth annual BC Bike Race, which started in North Vancouver on Saturday June 26.
With official results tallied, five 麻豆社国产epic course riders including two women and three men finished in the top 10, while one racer landed on the podium on Saturday (July 3).
Brackendale's Brandi Heisterman finished in second place along with her Whistler team mate, Cathy Zeglinski, in the women's epic category with a cumulative time of 25:13:34.
"I think we did great," said Heisterman who works in 麻豆社国产and Whistler as a teacher.
"I've never done this before on a team, so having to race with somebody was a new experience for me."
She said having a team mate helped her get motivated in the morning when she wasn't really feeling like getting back on her bike but it also frustrated her at times as well.
"It took me a couple of days to figure out that you're only as strong as your team," said Heisterman who plans to compete in the BC Bike Race again next year, but as a solo rider.
"As a women it's really hard to find someone who can descend as fast as you and climb as fast as you."
The duo jockeyed between first and second place each of the seven days of the race, finishing in first on day one, day two and on day seven but got lost on the fourth stage of the race. Veering off the Sechelt area course for more than 10 minutes cost the women the lead in the women's cumulative score and the yellow jerseys.
"We got lost for quite a while and kind of feel that was the day we lost the whole race."
Regardless of the race results, Heisterman said she had an awesome time racing as a part of a team with an experienced rider through some excellent B.C. trails.
"I'd truly recommend this event to anybody because it is truly the ultimate single track experience.
"I loved it."
Fellow Canadians Alana Heise and Kate Aardal finished in first place in the women's two-person category with a cumulative time of 25:05:17.
Local men's elite epic course racers Dwayne Kress and Kelly Servinski teamed up for the first time to give a consistent performance finishing the weeklong race in fourth six of the seven days. The 麻豆社国产duo crossed the finish line in less than three hours for all but two legs of the race, a feat only four of the 38 two-man teams managed to do.
Servinski said he realized he and Kress have different personalities both of them are strong riders who don't hold back.
"Just trying to lay it all on the line every day," he said. "We both dug as deep as we could."
For Servinski, a first time BC Bike Race participant, the 麻豆社国产stage was the toughest but also the most fun.
"I think this is the hardest one, when you think of them, the most technical - but it's kind of strange, the hardest but I think the most fun, definitely the most fun just the vibe and the trails, really the best-quality trails of any of the races I've done.
"I'm biased, I think [麻豆社国产has] the best trails."
The duo finished the BC Bike Race with a cumulative time of 20:18:34, less than two hours apart from the first place finishers, Sechelt's Kris Sneddon and American counterpart Stefan Widmer.
Nabbing everything from a first place finish to a 10th place finish, local rider Colin Kerr was all over the scoreboard while he tried to defend his title as solo rider in the men's epic category.
Kerr bounced between second and fourth place for the first four stages of the mountain biking race beating fellow Canadian Cory Wallace for the title of the fastest Canadian man in the category three of the first four days.
"I did good, but there was a lot stiffer competition than last year."
A broken bike chain caused Kerr to slip into 10th place during the fifth stage of the race.
"I was a strong rider I just had some bad luck."
The following day, Kerr managed to pull his bike together and finished first overall on his home turf with a time of 2:28:55, three minutes faster than his nearest competitor.
"To win in Squamish, that was great. It was really neat.
"I'd won stages in my category last year but to win out of everybody, this was the first time I won out of the teams and solo riders and to do it in my home town, that was pretty neat."
Kerr crossed the finish line with a cumulative time of 19:04:12, landing him in fourth place overall amongst the solo men riders. American Chris Sheppard finished first with a time of 18:17:32.
Local women's solo epic rider Carena Dean bounced between fifth and eighth place finishes throughout the seven-day race, which Dean said she's fairly pleased with.
"Going into it I knew there was going to be a pretty competitive field," said the former Canmore, Alberta resident.
"But I was aiming for top 10."
Dean battled it out on the course for a podium finish along side five fellow Canadians, including three time Xterra world champion Melanie McQuaid.
Dean finished fifth on day one and three and sat comfortably in seventh place in stage four, five and six of the race.
Other than a few on course crashes Dean said everything went off without a hitch - no flat tires or mechanical problems.
"The shorter races aren't my strength," she said.
"Anything from eight hours onwards, is more the type of racing I do."
Dean finished the race with a cumulative time of 26:07:34 earning her sixth place. McQuaid secured first overall with a time of 22:22:18.
The BC Bike Race wrapped up in Whistler on Saturday (July 3).
