Day 3 in pics

Day 3 was a pinned at, hard trails, or soft... You get the idea. This is the day that sadly wore Robin down and forced him to pull the pin. Jamie rode hard and strong and Carter survived the "flat" day.

Day 2

Today was wet.....I am tired so I'll let the pictures tell the story. The boys are ok, and finally clean, as are the bikes.

Day 1

Sunday we get to wake up, make a coffee and watch the TDF in bed so it starts really good! Lol. Everyone is giddy as they prep for this yrs starting stage in Cumberland. The weather has decided to cooperate for today do that will make my job mega easy! It's a bit different start this yr with a staggered stArt to break traffic though the first single track. But if course u still starts right DT and the whole community is out to cheer on the racers. The back of the corral is filled with riders that have probably never taken on or challenged themselves to something like this so you can sense the anxiety and excitement in the group. Shoot forward to our boys and it's no biggy, business as usual, bin der, dun dat! Carter on the other hand looks so excited he could pop out of his skin at any moment. Horn sounds and they are off, and so am I, with a special delivery for for Amanda W. Carter comes by the dam about 6 Mins back off the lead group and looks really comfy. A shirt while later Jamie comes through with Robin a lil ways back. Jamie does a big skid and Robbie a big smile and what might have been a peace sign? Back to town for cho mo and salty snacks for the arrival. I was surprised to see a helicopter following the racers from upon high..very...expensive? First to show were 3 pro men all at once, sprinting to the line and about 5 mins back Carter appears and hammers away from the group to take 4th, an awesome showing! The boys after some bio mechanicals managed to snag 3rd, I think as results are as of yet not posted. Will update as they are available. We are all safe and sound and will see u In the am!

Day Zero

Well today was all about hurry up and wait. North Van was absolutely drunk with rain but hell, I was having a continental breakfast and watching the tour so no biggy. Regi and "mandatory" racer meeting meant I had some time to cruise around take some pictures. Afterwards it's of to Horsshoe to come back to the island to start Day 1 in Cumberland! On the boat i had to install Robbie's new Fox Doss seat post. Once we landed We had to have a quick lunch pits stop at the best lil cafe in nanaimo called Bocca. If you've never, you should. Now I am
Eating peppercorn pecorino cheese and watching James Bond. Need rest and inspiration for the start or race wel for the boys.

R

Just 3 shots

Here is a test of the low budget way I'll do it this yr. should be fun. Regi in the am and back to the island!

Night:)

Schmengy Bros. DO BCBR......the next step!

So some of you may remember this lil blog i did while working BCBR a few years back For Jamie and Robin. Well as it turns out I fooled them and they have invited me back for a repeat performance.  Joining us on this lil soirée will be Carter Hovey of Vic. BC. Carter is an elite level MTN biker who has a real shot at an overall podium by th send of day 7. It will be perfect truing for The Mongolia BIke Challenge.

BCBR Day 7

Another early morning and it is now day 7….FINNALY!!!! A fairly stress free day for myself. No loading, no transport. It took us 7 days but we have this whole routine dialed Robin was up uber early and went out and grabbed a big ass tray of kick ass coffees while I went and made sure again the bikes were ok. Cannot have any mechanicals today so we can hold 2^nd place overall. They grab the bikes and do a quick lil warm up around Creekside, get the legs prepped! Buys are ready, bikes are ready. Even the bloody tile guys finally showed up!! I will meet them at the start .Its Just a quick lil pedal down the path to the village and the start of day 7. grab my camera and today in my bag is also a 6er of blue buck for the guys at Trek VW for the solid hook up on the derailleur hanger. Hop on Mary and head on down to the start chute. Its very nice to not be in a rush. Meet Jamie in the tunnel and he says he lost Robin I while warming up…oi vey!! Hahah, but no worry, he peals around the corner with a big ole grin on his face! Chatting with some of the folks that I’ve met along the way. Karen who is supporting her husband who is racing with Kate who raced it last year with Chad from Fort Mac who is who I used to work and ride with……WHOA!! i went off the end there. Back on track. Asking Harold and Tim form Victoria if the extra weight and durability of the R.I.P. Niner was well worth it vs the weight savings of the J.E.T. but the headache of thinking its gonna snap underneath you and they both said without a doubt worth it!! See Dawn and Lisa who have tore it up all week and finished a wicked 3^rd behind 4 full ticket girls so full marks for the OBB gals!

10 min to start so they all filter into the chute like a bunch of cattle in the farm. Find Scotty from Trek to shake his hand and tell him I have a lil present for him in the camelback. He super stoked, I think all the support guys killed it and this a great day for racers and support because it is just a big feeling of “whoosh, I can do whatever I frigging want on Sunday!!” Everyone is smiling and in great spirits not realizing that this stage is going to be hot and hell!! But on the flip side I don’t think anyone really cares either! This is the last day of an unbelievable journey for all them, pro to schmo, everyone has done a hell of job dealing with the day to day rigors of this awesome race.

The riders storm out of the village through the freight tunnel and out on the highway, such a great setting for a last day. As I roll through the lot I hear a familiar voice chirping at me. Its Eric and Katherine cruising in the parking lot festivities. I chat with them a bit and find out they too are riding so I ask if they mind if I tag along and they say sure. Meet at the Horn in 20. Rip up the hill, grab my gear fill my bottles and head out to the highway. It feels like 30 degrees already. Ugh!

Meet up with Eric and Katherine outside the Longhorn and I think they are the only to people in whistler wearing spandex!! And of course I have to comment on it!! They tell me we have a lil jaunt down the highway but what they leave out is that they are two fit mother flippers!!! They drag my ass down the highway 15 mins or so and we get to the trail head, Katherine asks someone where we go an d then back to the highway…just a bit though. Supper fun train Called Thrill me, Kill me!! Rocky Rooty stunty lovely goodness is how I would describe it!! So good except I lost my bunny banging bottle and it was 30 ish degrees…shitty! Eric was a sport and towed me back home in my sad state. Katherine was a horse, dropping me like 3^rd period French I’m afraid to say! STRONG as hell and flying the Norco colors!! Make it back to the village….barely, and tell them to meet me at the Horn for some margarita action before I gotta get back to the boys. Phone Jamie and make sure they aren’t waiting for me and informs me he had a really rough day but thinks they held onto the 2^nd place in GC so its pretty rad. Hard to appreciate right now as rough as he feels but will sink in how rad it all was in a few days!! So proud of my guys, I’m a lil younger and don’t think I could have done what they have done over these 7 days! Everyone here for that matter just amazes me!! Enjoy a couple margs. with E-lo and say my goodbyes and thank him again for dragging my ass down the highway like a stray boat anchor!! 20mins up the road and im home. Get changed quick shower and the boys awake from a well deserved slumber and we make our way down to the awards ceremony!! Really cool, talking with everyone now that its all over, big smiles and relief in everyone’s expressions!! Even though I don’t really know anyone I am so proud of everyone here. I feel like an uncle and these are all my nieces and nephews. I really have an itch to do this next year so I better get off my ass and get into shape. BIG TIME!! Make the rounds chatting with the folks I Know and the ones I’ve met. Really having a great time as it’s a relief for me as well. I need to do nothing except drive for the next 24hrs. Hang out with Mical and Jeff for a bit and Jeff says during the Parksville stage I almost scared him off his bike while yelling encouragement from the trees, which made me feel a lil stupid but he seemed ok because he didn’t eat it!! LOL. That’s a good thing cause he is way bigger then me….PHEW!! Awards are about to start so we head outside to watch the ceremony. No real surprises since like day 2 so it’s almost anti-climactic. When it comes time for The Schmengy Bros they do the day results first and my boys were off the podium for stage 7, first time all week they were off podium by the way. But when it comes to GC they fail to adjust the podium because my boys should have been on 2^nd spot and been recognized. A major foul occurs and they announce the GC final but my boys don’t get the podium and the trophies were given to the stage 2 winners…..confusing I know but it was pretty lame to sweat and kill yourself for 7 days and not even be recognized in front of the people that you sweated and killed yourself with. I personally was shocked and Mical even thought it was weird! As soon as the ceremony was over I saw Robin walking across the square to the tent and he did not look allllll that happy! I couldn’t see what was going on or hear what was being said but in a short couple of minutes he came back and by this time Jaimie was with Mical and I and he just said lets go back to the house. I wanted to stay to shoot the rest of the ceremony and hang out as who knows when ill see some of these people again so they told me reservations at 6 and high tailed it outta there. Went back in too Dusty’s as it was so hot my toes were sweating. Chatted with Mical a bit then I had to bail out make it back for dinner. Its always good re-connecting with solid people like that. Was good.

As we are leaving for dinner we see a lil white vw van pulling up the road and I say “ Isn’t that Andreas’ Van?” He stops and hops out and you can see in his eyes that he is bothered by what transpired at the awards. I won’t share what was said as that is between the boys and ‘Dre. But I assume all will be ok. Dinner is at a super wicked place in the village., way over my head. We have a great dinner and some yummy drinks and desert and sit and chat a bit about the week. Lynn is with us and seems to really enjoy hearing about the ordeal that is the race. Feel bad as she never got to see her man with his hand raised at the ceremony but as I find out they had their own lil photo op at the house with Seamus and Chris. Which is awesome but its just nt the same. In the end all that really matters is that my boys killed it and finished 2^nd in one of the gnarliest races ive ever seen on a mountain bike. If I was wearing a hat it would be off tou you guys!

Lynn has a great idea to walk the village and people watch which if any of you know me I love to do! Find a great spot in a patio and our seating is all stone, so cool. Chatting and enjoying the company I am in I look over and there is Paul from Norco. Small world so I yell at him and go chat with him and his wife and before I become to much to handle I send them on their way…hahah! Robin and Lynn head back to the house so I congratulate Robin again and thank him immensely for allowing me to join them on his journey. Jamie and I walk through the village and I think from all the eating we have been doing we still need a lil food, so earls here we come for some chicken and ribs. Split an order and chat with a couple great martinis in hand. Enough of this place. Walk the village a bit, run into the DCM boys who finished 3^rd open mens. All the way from South Africa with loaner bikes the first 4 days and a car accident. Nice work as well!! Enough of the village I wanna head down to see real people so we cab it back to Dusty’s to see if anyone’s still around. Logan and James and a few red shirts are kicking it amongst others. So fun having beers and chilling amongst friends. And it’s not a crazy ass party it’s just chill and fun with beer and conversation!! GREAT!! Hang out for a few hours and I think Jamie has had a week full and is feeling it. Tells me he is gonna walk back and he will see me in the morning. Hang for a bit till the lights flicker and its time to evacuate the premises so I head to the path back to Robins Cool air on the burnt skin is very nice and the alone time leads to a weeks worth of reflection. Get to the house, head filled with things so I decide to pack as much of the hot rod as I can to save me some work if Im mildly hung-over!! That done I try to write out day 7 but I cant really focus, partly beer, partly exhaustion, so I rack out on the couch!! Hahah!

Awake to Robin and Lynn heading out for breakfast. He thanks me again and I really don’t deserve thanks.. This was a great thing to be a part of so I thank him again and they are on their way. Ralph again is up for coffee and the house is all asleep and quiet. No stress of getting up to do bottles or gels our bars or any adjustments or loading. Went by so fast am a lil mopey that its already over….but everything ends. Jamie and I load up the last of the gear and thank Ralph again and we are on our way.

Stop one more time for coffee in Squamish and ferry bound . Chatting about the week and just basking in it as the mind floats around to memories of all the people, bikes, tents, red shirts, dodgy food, BOB, motos, smelly gear and fun people! Reminds me that I love bicycles and everything associated with them and reaffirms where I am! Make the boat, short sail home to Jamie’s to see Susan and the boys. Luckily they are out on the stoop playing and are so stoked to see dad. Even a cool ass welcome home dad sign. That kind of love is absolutely catch free!! Its pretty rad to see. Load up the Titan and thank Jamie again as there is no way that I would ever be able to repay him for these last 8 days. Hop in, crank stereo and home bound.

I truly hope that whomever has been following this lil adventure has enjoyed the words and pictures put before you. It was an honor to be able to document this and share it with you. I am very lucky to have met people like Jamie Emery and Robin Willard ( Susan and Lynn as well J ) who allow me to be apart of their lives. For that I am truly blessed. So again I say thank you for all of it. See you next year…..or maybe at Creampuff!!

R