Update #2: 2011 BC Bike Race
Monday, July 11, 2011
Under gorgeous blue skies with the picture perfect Whistler Mountains providing the backdrop, Saturday marked the final stage for the BC Bike Race. Lopes (Oakley/Ibis/ENVE/Kenda) flashed a high-wattage grin with arms in full stretch, as he greeted the finish line in the Olympic Plaza, his excitement was contagious.
“I launched off a ledge with my suspension completely locked out and flat landed in the street,” said an elated Lopes, who literally jumped past Jason Sager (Jamis) and overall leader Chris Sheppard (Rocky Mountain) to take second place, only two and a half minutes behind Squamish local Neil Kindree (Republic Bike Shop / SRAM).
Lopes who progressively rode stronger as the stages went on, had set a personal goal to finish the 335km/208miles cross-country ride in the top 20, managed to surprise himself. After almost 19 combined hours on his WTB saddle, he finished in 12 place overall and landed a podium spot for the Final stage.
Not too shabby for a man who earned his Rainbow Stripes specializing in 1min sprints!
Day 4: Earl’s Cove to Sechlet/Sunshine Coast (1st point to point)
Was the longest in climbing and mileage, add to that a missed turn and some back tracking. This day was the toughest for Brian by far.
Day 5: Sechelt to Langdale/Sunshine Coast (2nd point to point)
This stage rejuvenated Brian, as it offered some fast down hilling, allowing him to claim the 7th spot for the stage.
Day 6: Squamish
Brian won the Rock Mountain Bikes “Love the Ride” timed sections in Squamish, so you can tell he enjoyed riding in Squamish
Day 7: Whistler
His BEST stage of them all, as you can read from the details above.
A big “Thank You!” to the crew at BC Bike Race for putting on an unforgettable experience, to Andreas Hestler and the other 450 riders from 20 different countries simply driven by the love of riding!
Registration for 2012 BC Bike race is open now.
Comments are closed.