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<\/a>Photo: Dave Silver\nSchurter breaks a long-standing BCBR record<\/p>\n
Nino Schurter has an endless list of records to his name. 10 world championships titles, the most World Cup wins ever, more World Cup titles, Cape Epic wins, and more. Amongst all that glitter, his win Friday at BC Bike Race still stands out. Schurter becomes the first European to win BC Bike Race. Over 20 years, many have tried. But the men\u2019s title has never crossed the Atlantic. Even in \u201cretirement,\u201d the G.O.A.T. is still setting records. \u00a0The local\u2019s advantage, Schurter said, was not to be underestimated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was difficult, actually. Some of these trails have lines where, if you don\u2019t know the trail, you don\u2019t know where the fastest line is. It was a challenge going up against the locals that know the trails when I don\u2019t, but it was a good challenge,\u201d Schurter said, adding BCBR isn\u2019t the same as other stage races. \u201cIt\u2019s different racing, it\u2019s so much more technical riding. That\u2019s what I\u2019m looking for now, to do stuff like this that\u2019s really cool. The best riding in the world!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What brought the G.O.A.T. to B.C.?<\/p>\n
\u201cI always heard good stories from this race and during my career I always enjoyed the technical riding, so I thought this is a race always on my bucket list. It\u2019s my first year of retirement from World Cup racing so I took the opportunity and it was a blast!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Schurter was challenged by a trio of Canadians. Peter Disera pushed the Swiss rider to sprints all week, winning three of them. Carter Nieuwesteeg quietly held onto the lead duo for much of the week, then rolled across the line in third. Vancouver Island local Max McCulloch used his descending prowess to stay in the race all week, fending off a challenge from two Californian pros, Tobin Ortenblad and Justin Peck, to hold fourth overall and, in the process, win the Fox DH title for the week.<\/p>\n For Disera, the final stage was bittersweet. A clip of the handlebars sent the multi-time Canadian national champ into the shrubbery where a root ball stopped him in his tracks. While going from race pace to a dead stop hurts, Disera said the lost opportunity to race with Shcurter hurt more.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the part that actually hurts. I was excited to have a good go at it. Bringing back 45 seconds on Schurter\u2019s just not going to happen, but I was excited to try.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, second behind Schurter is not a bad result. Even Disera has to admit that.<\/p>\n \u201cI have no business doing what I did for the first four days. It was pretty cool to have half of the week be competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n On the women\u2019s side, Ruth Holcomb proved she\u2019s a serious threat on two wheels of any kind. Taking a little side trip from her training with the U.S. team pursuit squad on the track and normal gravel racing with Santa Cruz, Holcomb was thriving back on mountain bikes.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t got to do a proper mountain bike race in long time, so it was really nice to be back.\u201d<\/p>\n Holcomb won several stages, but was pushed to two sprint finishes. And conceded stage wins to Sandra Walter and Katerina Nash, while fending off challenges from Hannah Simms. The Californian loved the challenge of the BCBR experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was awesome. I didn\u2019t really know what to expect. Every day was just amazing trails, amazing riding. I feel like the race played out differently every day, which was sick. I won, which is also awesome, but it\u2019s just such a fun week. I had such a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n Hannah Simms rode a stellar week, moving up into second overall on the women\u2019s podium behind Holcomb. That put her ahead of BCBR royalty, multi-disciplinary Olympian Katerina Nash. Nash, for her part, was quick to give credit to her competitors for their efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of us in the group threw everything we had at Ruth and every single day she came through. She is the deserving winner. Hannah stepped it up from two years ago, which is also really fun to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>Not hard to see how Max won the Fox DH challenge. Photo: Dave Silver
\nCanucks push Schurter on home turf<\/p>\n<\/a>Ruth Holcomb flowing down Maple Syrup. Photo: Dave Silver
\nRuth Holcomb tames BC Bike Race<\/p>\n<\/a>Holcomb, Schurter and several pros returned to the finish corrall to greet the final finishers of BC Bike Race. Photo: Deniz Merdano<\/p>\n<\/a>Coach K\u2019s still got it. 7th against the young guns and Schurter is pretty good. Photo: Dave Silver
\nGeoff Kabush looks into the future of BC Bike Race<\/p>\n