It’s been an eventful past few days! At the time of writing we have 24 finishers, with many more still on their way. Unfortunately the number of scratchers has increased as a result of numerous mechanicals and injuries. Wishing all those finding their way home from the trail the best of luck and quick recoveries to their bodies and bikes. 

We have another winner! Sarah Robbins is your 2023 BC Epic1000 women’s winner, putting her foot on City Hall in a time 3 days 17 hours 23 minutes. Since our last update Keara Maguire also landed in Fernie, claiming second place female in a time of 4 days 7 hours 5 minutes. Congratulations ladies on strong rides - your dots were loads of fun to follow the last few days! Hopefully we’ll be able to catch up with them in the next few days and include some insights on their rides in the final reports. 

While we were driving home from Fernie yesterday we passed two riders heading up the road climb on the detour out of Christina Lake. We gave them a little toot toot with the car horn as we drove past, both appearing to appreciate the gesture. The car thermostat read 34C, and I have no doubt it felt even hotter grinding up that climb. I tried to find them on Trackleaders and think one may have been Doug Johnstone but not totally sure.

Glen Buchanan Yo-Yo in Merritt at 5:36AM this morning setting a new record of 9 days 23 hours and 23 minutes. You might remember that a few days back we reported that Glen was struggling with saddle sores. What a display of determination! Congratulations Glen. 
![Glen Buchanan - Yo-Yo FKT](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/69dDU4cFl9yzySMqVkXu2Z/c2967d696ab44b35815d9358d491de5e/Glen_Yo-Yo.jpeg)

It pains me to write this, but it’s unlikely that Glen will get to hold the Yo-Yo record for more than a few days because Damian is motoring his way back to Merritt and is on pace to arrive in the next ~3 days after winning the eastbound race in even less than that. That would put his Yo-Yo time in the neighborhood of 6-7 days. Of course, anything can happen but he did share with us he would like to go for the FKT so it’s certainly on his mind out there. 

Melanie Loseth, our Lantern Rouge, is still trucking along and should hit the halfway mark later on today. There are a few riders ahead of her who I suspect will be scratching, as they’ve been stopped for quite a while. I think Jamie Nicholson is navigating a knee/achilles injury and Tracy Banner looks to be back in Kelowna. 

As far as wild life goes I’ve heard reports of skunks, a black bear and some gophers, but this one is perhaps the best yet. Check out what Jan Acuff ran into… 
![Wild pigs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2DJuUKcyzabrR8STvW39qM/1997cf30f90d760b932c0b562133f6c9/Screenshot_2023-06-29_at_8.02.20_AM.png)
Not only is Jan riding strong but I think she might win rider with the best humour out there. 

Tata for now everyone, we’ll be back soon with more coverage – the Epic isn’t over yet! 


BC Epic - We have our first female finisher and a new Yo-Yo FKT

In just under 72 hours we've got a full podium and some records of all kinds to boot. 

We have our first ever tie at the BC Epic1000 and a new Grand Depart record, with Robyn and Damian crossing the line in a time of 2 days 15 hours and 10 minutes. Previously, the closest finish between first and second ever was 3.5 hours in 2019, with  Seth Dubois was 3.5 hours behind Tom Hainish in 2019, closest 1st and 2nd yet. The duo rode at their own pace out of Kimberley. While each had their own strengths, Damian zipping ahead on the single track and Robyn catching him on the climbs, they would catch up to one another regularly and effectively end up the same pace. I was able to catch up with Robyn today and he shared that over the final hours they would each push the pace a little higher, hoping that the other would fall back, only for it to be matched. They sprinted every climb and could just not shake the other one off! Despite going full gas into Fernie, their sprints were equally matched and crossed the line together. Less than an hour later, Andy Ward rolled in to take the third spot – or does it count as second since we have a joint first?

![The winners](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2TBoPwgBQQkR20daLVcilX/062c76fce0b71bf7c57bd65715006939/Screenshot_2023-06-27_at_8.08.47_PM.png)

Mike Martin rode himself to a fourth place finish, passing Mike Coulter and Corey Wallis as night fell. Earlier on in the commentary I noted that Mike Martin spent the night in Trail after a massive push on the first two days. Turns out, he was in a pretty bad way – he was having hallucinations of epic proportions, to the point that it would have been unsafe to continue on riding he highway to the ferry terminal. Well a good nights sleep seemed to do the trick, because after that he was back to flying. He sent me this photo of him at City Hall last night as well as a video of his climbing strategy - i.e. taking his feet out of his shoes and pedalling on top of them 😂

![Mike Martin climbing strategy](//videos.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/618yZPFvU3CzYzIz7cAbq2/43d1868b7b83790d6d18db7aedefa6a4/b96dc44417b34e30bc2ee0c1193e8ef6.MOV)

![Mike Martin at the finish](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/450MorisTnj7QkWhyAAtSv/27eab8048eb764bb35875cc479bd1d19/CB3EE7A2-81F1-4AD4-BB4F-5E86916966ED.JPG)

At time of writing we have a total of 9 finishers… minus Damian who is back on the road, riding the Yo-Yo home after winning last night. He seemed full of energy this morning and was doing laundry on his handle bars while waiting for Jake at the finish while munching on several snacks. He told us he spent $100 on bagelwiches this morning at Bangin' Bagels in Fernie and was sitting on the grass enjoying some mango raspberry icecream. 

![Damian and his snacks](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/69tzUkyQ0CJjgE0ns7Uzai/d4d137307380fbc1f1948be0cb28c253/IMG_1400.JPG)

When I went to meet Jake at the finish this morning, I was surprised and elated to see Robyn, Damian and Mike Coulter all there to cheer him in. All were in good spirits, Mike having finished earlier that morning and still in his racing kit. They were all swapping stories, but what I thought was most interesting was the wild life encounters. Robyn and Damian both shared that they were ambushed by skunks, though thankfully not sprayed, while Mike got a big ole’ snort from a mama black bear coming out of the tunnel into Grand Forks. 

![BC Epic finishers](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/46zKr9gXpOod7zsoTUwLld/e712cb1652ba59261dd6a35a62e342b8/IMG_1404_2.JPG)

Sarah Robbins is still holding on to first place female, and with ~70km to go we could see her in Fernie as early as 1:30AM tonight, potentially later if she decides to stop for some sleep. Maybe she’ll stop for a drink of magic water in Wardner to power her through the final hours. The trail gets quite rugged after Wardner and is slow going.

Most of the field has made it to the ferry, with a handful yet to make their way across Kootenay Lake. The days have been getting hotter and hotter making the climbs even more of a challenge. 

A few random tidbits from the field:

Kodi Hodgens, who finished earlier today, was rudely awoken by some sprinklers when trying to take a snooze the other night.

![Rude sprinklers ](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5cvKwOJrUFfx8cGKITSGYi/b9b5f2131451ebc4b01339cb57e76f61/IMG_1392.PNG)

Tracy Banner got in touch with me via Facebook and her hands are completely shot! She had to get some help from a gas station attendant to open up her bladder to refill it, and almost had a red alert situation trying to get her jersey back done up after a bathroom stop. It’s wild what these events can do to your body – the repeated vibration and battering from the trail certainly takes it’s toll. It looks like she’s back at home in Kelowna, based on her trackleaders, so safe to say she has likely scratched. I hope she recovers well!

We’ve got another report from the Mikes on Bikes (Mike Manuel and Michael Conrad). They spent last night in Grand Forks at a hotel, where Jamie and Luke were also staying. The Mikes on Bikes will be easing off the pace and enjoy all that the Kootenays have to offer with the goal of getting to Fernie in about four days time. 

My best guess is that all riders who are racing will be into Fernie by Sunday, with those who’ve shifted into touring mode trickling in in the following days. We’ll keep the commentary going until the final racer is in, with the commentary coming to you every other day now. Thanks everyone for continuing to tune in, and as always send your race updates my way – my DMs are always open and I love to hear from each and every one of you. 

BC Epic - Winner, winner, give these guys all the dinner!

It looks like we’re going to be treated to a sprint finish into Fernie folks! Robyn and Damian have been jumping at each other’s heels all day and don’t show any signs of stopping. In races of this distance it’s rare to see the race be decided in the final hours!  At the time of writing, they were filling up their water at the magic water stop in Wardner, with Andy not far behind, though it’s tough to say since his tracker has been updating sporadically.

![Magic water stop in Wardner](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4A63IcmrQaqWGNMdn4GR7k/bc36d7b11ba93736d5344eaab4abfa0f/WhatsApp_Image_2023-06-26_at_5.31.57_PM.jpeg)

Magic water?! Yes you read that right. Here’s a direct quote from last year’s winner, Cory. “Somewhere around KM 940 you will pass through the hamlet of Wardner. Don't blink, or you'll miss it. In the municipal park between the baseball field and washrooms is a water tap from which flows the coldest, most refreshing water. If it's hot, you'll really be ready for a fill up after the Chief Isadore Trail. I swear there is something magical in this water that will make you ride with super power for the next 50km.” Based on the speed they’ve ridden today, we can expect to see a winner crowned this evening, likely around 11PM Mountain Time, a different time zone than riders started in! Somewhere on the way up Grey Creek Pass the clock jumps ahead one hour from pacific time to mountain time. Meaghan Hackinen shared a funny story that she didn’t realize there was a time zone change when she raced in 2021, so when she got to the top of the pass and the clock had gained another hour she thought she had just been super slow. It wasn’t until she finished that there had been a time zone change along the way. 

A little more on how today shook out. Robyn, Andy and Damian were on the 6:30AM ferry – Robyn was the first to arrive there last night and his fiancée told me he was looking forward to a quick dip in the lake to freshen up and a long sleep. Damian arrived a little while after him, and I think Andy must have slept somewhere on the side of the road just before the ferry because his dot was inactive a few km from the terminal for several hours  until the time of departure. The trio posed for a selfie all looking stoked to head up Grey Creek Pass, the highest point and arguably most challenging climb of the race. There is an excellent bakery at the ferry, so I have no doubt they all fueled up before hitting the climb.

![Leaders at the ferry](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/40dHUNmQ9BbWEmcJsujYZQ/f20ca98ed4023c7b757d8dd54362aa31/IMG_1391.jpg)

Hopefully the leaders knock off as much of the Wigwam Rim trail before they lose daylight as the section from KM996 to 1010 is rough and can be quite sketchy at night. That’s where Damian went over the bars last year and had to be rescued. This is also Andy’s home turf - he trains on these trails and roads on the regular so he might just be able to close the gap! 

After a long stopover in Trail, Mike Martin is back on the road. While he’s out of contention for first now, I’m stoked to see he’s still moving and could very well ride himself into the top 5 and barring disaster is definitely on his way to a top 10 finish. A strong ride for this BC Epic rookie in a field full of veterans! He was on the 9:40AM ferry and nearly caught up to Mike Coulter and Corey Wallis who were on the 8:30AM ferry. 

Sarah Robbins now has over 30km on Keara Maguire as she rides towards the Balfour ferry. There’s still plenty of trail for Keara to catch up to Sarah, but she will likely have to put in quite an effort to close the gap. I expect we’ll have a women’s winner in the wee hours of Wednesday morning or later (but please don’t hold me to this as I’m horrible at math LOL). Tracy Banner stopped in Grand Forks overnight and doesn't appear to have updated for 19 hours. I hope everything is alright. Charlene Eden has now moved up to third. 

Some updates from further back in the pack in no particular order: 

Glen Buchanan is riding the Yo-Yo crossed paths with the leaders yesterday which was no doubt a huge morale boost for all of them. Yesterday evening he was on pace to best the current Yo-Yo FKT but has been struggling with really bad saddle sores, so it’s tough to predict his finishing time. 

Keara, Alex Moor and Richard Pendergrast took the detour around the washout in Christina Lakes and many others followed suit. 

There are so many Mikes on Bikes riding this year’s BC Epic. I heard from Mike Manuel who is riding the route with Mike Conrad (did someone say Mike Squared?!). So far they’re having a blast! They ended day 1 with some beers and told me that “you’ve gotta have daily beers.” They were aiming for Castlegar today to get a motel and treat themselves to some showers and laundry. It was a hot day full of climbing but it looks like they’ll achieve their goals!

Remember Jamie Nicholson from yesterday? Well, his wife reached out to me and shared some more tid bits about his ride. This is Jamie’s first bikepacking race! Chapeau! Jamie go tinto gravel riding during the pandemic and has been hooked since. He wanted to take on a race that was out side his comfort zone and something that would challenge him in a new way. No doubt the Epic fits the bill. Over the past six months he’s researched logistics, gear, trained nonstop both physically and mentally - preparing for the highs and lows of the road. He’s only got two weeks vacation and he chose to spend one of those racing the Epic, how cool! He’s been riding strong everyday, though nursing a bit of knee pain. Hopefully that can be solved with some ibuprofen and back up from all that money in the bank of mental toughness ;) 

It’s been so heart warming to hear from racers’ families - thank you to everyone who has shared insights and made it such a joy to write the commentary. 

Sadly, it’s not all good news today – we have our first official scratch, Mitchell Roberts. When I spoke to Jake earlier today he told me that Mitchell had crashed on the first day and injured his knee quite badly and was going to scratch in Grand Forks. I hope he gets some well earned rest and recovers quickly to be back at it for whatever adventure is next for him. 

We’re in the home stretch now! 


BC Epic Day 3 - Magic water and a sprint finish

Good evening everyone and welcome to Day 2 of the BC Epic 1000. We had quite the night – while Mike Martin no doubt tried to stay on the gas, he was eventually caught by Robyn and Damian and the three of them have been leap frogging each other all day. It looks like they enjoyed A&W breakfast in Grand Forks this morning which would have been a welcome reward after what I heard was quite a chilly night, with some hiking through water somewhere around route KM320. 

While the pace was spicy for the first 24 hours and there was a glimmer of hope that the leaders would make the ferry in Balfour (KM770) this evening, the pace has cooled just enough that they will miss the last ferry tonight and will have to wait until 6:30AM tomorrow morning. They now have two options:

Maintaining a consistent pace and arrive at the ferry early enough to sleep 4-5 hours, or;
Slow ease off the pace in an effort to save their legs and get less sleep at the ferry

Looks like Robyn went with option 1 and Damian option 2. Damian spent an hour in Trail hitting up multiple destinations including the A&W on the west side of the bridge. He’s taking his time, and the hot topic of the evening in the dotwatcher chat is which strategy will pay off?

Cory (last year’s winner) offers his insider scoop on what unfolded last year.
![2022 vs 2023 race strategies](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1HDTNatjlDHIVsn3zscRgZ/17347bbd52b7383513a5058146ed73d6/Screenshot_2023-06-25_at_8.19.38_PM.png)

Mike Martin appears to have stopped in Trail as his dot has been inactive for quite some time. He pushed the pace aggressively off the start and motored through the first 30 or so hours with only a total of 1 hour stop time, so my hunch is he is taking a proper rest and reset in Trail. There’s a saying in the ultra community coined by the late Mike Hall, “Never scratch at night”. More often than not, barring serious mechanicals or injuries, a good nights sleep and a few hearty meals are the recipe to getting back on the road. Fingers crossed Mike does this and we see him out on the trail chasing tomorrow. 

Andy Ward, who is currently sitting in third, has been having wonky tracker updates, with dots pinging only every 90 or so minutes. He did send a message to his trackleader’s profile when he hit trail to say “Checking in, all is well.” So maybe he just has his tracker settings set to 90 minute uploads rather than having major issues. Andy will likely be the last of the top 10 to make it on the 6:30AM ferry.

Mike Coulter and Correy Wallis still have 4-5 hours of Columbia Trail to face, some of which will be in the dark, plus another 7 or so hours of riding from Trail to Balfour, and it’s entirely possible they will want to resupply in Trail before making that push. They would be better served getting as much of Columbia Trail done as they can tolerate tonight, then getting a good sleep and pressing on early in the morning to catch a later ferry after some rest. While the lead pack has covered a lot of ground, the biggest chunk of elevation comes after riders get off the ferry. 

Riders will get onto Columbia Trail as they leave Castlegar (around KM618), beginning with a rugged double track. While it’s not technically part of the official trail, it is a rowdy descent that can be loads of fun if you have the skills, then devolves into overgrown singletrack trail. Some of the trail is bench cut on the banks of the Columbia River, with a few poorly placed rocks, adding some extra obstacles. There are a few spots where a wrong move could send you tumbling into the river, which is less than ideal under any circumstances but especially at night when the temperatures are cooler. It ends with a steep and loose climbe that most people are better off walking. 

Here’s a quick look at the stop time of the top 10 so far: 

Robynn Cabunoc Boettcher - 2 hours 32 minutes
Damian Parlee - 1 hour 57 minutes 
Andy Ward - 1 hour 20 minutes
Mike Martin - 1 hour 12 minutes
Corey Wallis - 2 hours 23 minutes
Mike Coulter - 1 hour 45 minutes
Steve Petrar - 3 hours
Mark Williams - 1 hour 30 minutes 
Jake Cullen - 4 hours 12 minutes
Kodi Hodgen - 2 hours 38 minutes

Jake Cullen happens to be my fiancé and he’s been in touch quite a bit so I know for a fact he took a trail side snooze. I’ve been doing my best to keep the commentary unbiased, but one fact I’ll tell you all about Jake is that man loves his sleep and is able to ride fast when he’s rested. 

It’s possible Steve and Kodi may have stopped to sleep but seems unlikely unless they were just catnaps. When Jake phoned me today he said that he was passed by a bunch of guys while he was shivering in his e-bivvy so he didn’t think anyone around him had stopped for some shut eye just yet. 

Last year’s winner Cory took 17 hours to get to Fernie after taking the 6:30AM ferry on Monday morning. I imagine the leaders will finish in a similar time to Cory, of course with the potential to go faster or slower, but it’s safe to say that we won’t see a winner until after dinner on Monday or until the wee hours of the morning. 

At the time of writing Sarah Robbins was holding her lead over Keara Maguire, but not by much. With less than 10km between the two, that’s practically a sprint in ultra racing! Of course, there’s still a long way to go but exciting nonetheless. Tracy Banner maintains her third place position. Jamie Nicholson (who is also racing) reached out to me to share that he rode with Tracy quite a bit yesterday and that she only started cycling 4 years ago, but went all in fast. Impressive to see her riding so strong! 

After Jamie reached out, naturally I did some internet creeping. He’s not very active on Instagram but he did post a fantastic day one update to [his Strava](https://www.strava.com/activities/9329037091) complete with gorgeous photos, videos and some anecdotes from the trail. Here's a few selects from his post, but I highly recommend checking it out for yourself. 

![Jamie Nicholson photos](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7CWAE9BjKBYPsJXbR2IM7Q/0dfe5cdf58564f825f353afa9543e89c/Bridge.jpeg)![Jamie Nicholson Photo 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1YYv5SJKAssO0ute8kv6JD/01e40d5d2f701906d281a0bca725c569/Melanie_Forsyth.jpeg)

Other messages/notes from the trail and interesting tidbits I managed to dig up. 

Our trail angel from yesterday Daryl said he chatted with Kevin Warmen and Derek Slykerman at the A&W in Penticton and both were in good spirits but didn’t stick around to chat, eager to carry on the momentum. 

[Jan Acuff](https://www.instagram.com/janacuff/?hl=en "Jan's Instagram"), who you may remember from our race preview, posted some wonderful Instagram stories, notably one of her stop at Denny’s. There's not much worse than a hangry cyclist ;) She is definitely worth a follow as she’s done a great job documenting her ride so far.

![Hangry at Denny's](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5NhvinGnzUSjxXAeKM6bz1/ee4f034265dc2c4939f03e1ee622f451/Screenshot_2023-06-25_at_8.17.42_PM.png)

I spent a good chunk of the evening trying to find out more on our mid to back of the pack riders, but it seems they all prefer to have minimal internet presences’. Fair play. Our Lanterne Rouge, Melanie Loseth has been steady all day after spending the night in Princeton for a good night’s sleep. I’m sure there are more folks around her that are tackling the route but have opted not to use a tracker. 

As always, thanks for tuning in and stay tuned for how things shakeout tomorrow. With only ~200km to go once riders get off the ferry and some of the races biggest challenges ahead of them (it's worth going down a Google rabbit hole on Gray Creek pass and the section between Cranbrook and Fernie... they're quite the doozy), it will no doubt be a dramatic and action packed race to the finish.


BC Epic Day 2 

We’re officially over 12 hours into the race, and dare I say this is shaping up to be the most competitive edition of BC Epic… maybe ever? Riders set off from Merritt at 7AM this morning under cloudy and cool skies, the rain saving itself for later in the day. Mike Martin blasted off along the pavement, setting a strong pace and at the time of writing, he still hasn’t taken his foot of the gas.

The pavement quickly turned to forest service road all the way to Princeton, which was the first opportunity to resupply if they were in need that early on. Out of Princeton the trail is a nice rail grade that eventually turns into sandier terrain, which is usually slower going, but we didn’t see the pace come down much here. 

Before diving into how things shook out today I want to give a huge shout out to my eyes on the ground at KM235 for providing a little bit of trail magic today – cheering riders on and sending in some videos to share with you all.  [Daryl Chemko](https://www.instagram.com/daryltobedifferent) was meant to race the grand depart this year but had to switch to an ITT and will tackle the route later this year. That didn’t stop him from jumping on the trail this evening and cheering on the leaders. I’m sure they appreciated it – I know it’s always felt special to me when folks were on the trail cheering on the niche events I’ve done. He sent me a few videos of the leaders before heading back home. Thanks so much Daryl! There seems to be an issue uploading videos to this blog post so I'll post the videos to my Instagram story and you should definitely check out Daryl's feed linked above. 

Of the bunch I think Robin had the biggest smile on his face and who could blame him. He’s an 8th grade teacher and school is officially out for the summer… personally I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate summer vacation than setting off on an epic bike adventure.

Off the start, we saw Tracy Banner, Keara Maguire and Sarah Tobbins leading the women’s field, eventually spreading out, but not by much more than a handful of KM until the last few hours. Sarah has now extended her lead over second place Keara, with about 30km between the two. Picking favourites for the women’s race was challenging as the women who are leading the charge have minimal internet presences. I did some internet sleuthing to get more information on them as well as asked the Dotwatcher chat to add some more colour to the commentary.

First up, Sarah Tobbins, who was leading at the time of writing, is as Lennard Pretorious (the mastermind behind the Epic route and event) says “an old hand at [bikepacking and ultra racing].” She’s raced the [Alberta Rockies 700](https://www.albertarockies700.com/) (a challenging and gorgeous bikepacking race through the Canadian rockies) a number of times and we think the Tour Divide as well. Safe to say she has ample experience under her belt that will be beneficial as we get deeper and deeper into the race.

In second we have Keara Maguire. My internet sleuthing tells me she took a top 10 finish at the 2022 Penticton Fondo, riding to fifth place in a very strong women’s field. I can’t seem to find anything on past bikepacking/ultra distance racing, and while a fondo is very different than a 1000km bikepacking race, Keara is definitely strong and I’m excited to see how she goes over this distance.

Tracy Banner and Charlene Eden have been leapfrogging for most of the day for third place. 

Tracy was a tough one to get any information on and in terms of her cycling pedigree she remains a bit of a dark horse. I did however find out that she was (and may very well still be) the owner of Sumaq Valley Alpacas, an alpaca farm in Kelowna which is pretty cool! 

Charlene, like Sarah, has also raced the Alberta Rockies 700. It’s a tough course, and if she was able to tackle that she should fair well on the Epic.

Onwards to the men.

Mike Martin has had a commanding ride so far. We still don’t know much about Mike, but Lennard tells me he is a BC Epic Rookie. He was closely followed by Damian and Robin for most of the day but seems to have extended his lead past Chute Lake Lodge, which is located at about 270km. If riders time it right, the lodge has excellent food and for those that don’t want to carry on into the night there’s potential for indoor accommodation. We may not see anyone stay here tonight though, as the midpack is still a ways away. 

The pace seems quite high this early on, so I took a look at how it compared to last year. Heading into the first night, Mike is tracking a bit faster than last year’s winner, Cory Ostertag. Of course, anything can happen but he is on pace to make the last ferry on Sunday night. I’m most curious to see what where the dots will be when we wake up in the morning and if there are any major shakeups overnight. For those new to dotwatching, though riders have covered quite a bit of ground during the day, it’s not until the night time that the race really starts. Time will tell who will push on through the night, and who will opt to get a bit of shut eye in hopes it refreshes them for what lies ahead tomorrow. It does look like many riders stopped in Summerland this evening to refuel and resupply before heading into the next stretch, so I do expect to see a good handful forgo their beauty sleep. 

As we mentioned in the preview, there is a detour option on the KVR at about 280km. The trail is officially closed to the public, but as previously mentioned, there are ample tire tracks. The trail is in great condition and the detour would add quite a bit of time… Mike looks like he continued on the original route, with Damian, Andy and Robin following suit. I do hope that everyone else chooses to stick to the original route, though I don’t doubt some true “rule followers” will be tempted to take the detour. 

Perhaps what I love most about the Epic route is the number of folks completely new to bikepacking that take it on. As far as ultradistance bikepacking races go, the Epic is one of the most approachable and welcoming. There was quite a bit of chatter in the Facebook group leading up to the race of riders saying this would be their first major (or ever!) bikepack, and many on this type of terrain. Anyone taking on this challenge has my immense respect - it takes a lot of guts to toe the line, no matter your goals. While we have 60 riders showing on Trackleaders, it’s typical that many more are riding without trackers, enjoying all the trail has to offer. I’m hopeful that those who are getting into cell service tonight and on a more leisurely pace will be updating their Instagrams tonight so we have some stories to tell tomorrow. 


BC Epic 1000 - Spicy from the get go

The stage is set for another edition of the BC Epic 1000. As mentioned in the description of the event, it follows the same “underground” spirit as The Tour Divide – the event is free to participate, there are no official checkpoints, all you have to do is send the organizer Lennard Pretorious an email that you’d like to join the grand depart and register your dot on Trackleaders. 

Riders set off from Merritt, British Columbia at 7AM Pacific Time on Saturday, June 24. So far the weather is looking relatively good. In the last two editions riders were faced with challenging conditions - last year there was quite a bit of snow on the major pass of the route, and the previous year we saw record breaking high temperatures (otherwise known as the Heat Dome edition). While riders won’t be facing either of these major challenges, there is a risk of thunderstorms across the Okanagan and into the Rockies over the weekend which should make for a fairly eventful first few nights. Fortunately, rain on this course won’t have a major impact on the trail conditions — there aren’t any sections that turn quickly to Death Mud that other races like The Tour Divide and Silk Road Mountain Race are famous for. 

A few interesting notes on the route:

The first half of the route is relatively smooth sailing on all fronts. Riders are treated to mostly rail grade gravel with a longer climbs sprinkled in. While the entire route travels through bear country, it's not until Salmo that riders will have to worry about potential grizzly encounters. 

770km into the race riders will have to board a ferry in Balfour before continuing on their way. Navigating the limited schedule adds an interesting dynamic into the mix. The earliest ferry any grand depart rider has caught is 6:30AM on the Monday. Many have come close to catching the last sailing on Sunday night (9:40PM), and missed it by minutes only to be rewarded with a good nights sleep at the terminal… that is if they opted to bring a sleep kit. [Rob Britton](https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/rob-britton) currently holds the FKT. While we can’t compare apples to apples since it was set on an ITT, the pace he held would have gotten him to the last Sunday night ferry with 10 minutes to spare had he participated in the grand depart. While Rob has less experience in ultra endurance bikepacking races, he comes from a professional road background and famously trained for the 2018 Road Race World Championship by completing a bikepacking trip from Calgary to Squamish and doing intervals throughout. Needless to say, you have to go fast to make the ferry (20km/h average inclusive of stop time). 

This year riders will have the option to two detours. Both of these are at the riders' discretion, so at these key points we may see dots scatter in different directions. You’ll notice a few different coloured lines for the route on Trackleader to reflect the various options - orange for detours and red to follow the original race route. 

First off, there’s a major washout near Christina Lake. A photo of the washout was shared to the BC Epic Facebook group and captured sometime in May, so it’s possible some repair has happened by now but seems unlikely. We expect most people will take the detour here, but wouldn’t be surprised if a few decide to press on and hike their bikes. It’s certainly doable — if you look close enough at the second photo you can see some folks making their way across it.

![Hike a Bike at Christina Lake](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4My1JajyDakQq30FSvV4vF/ed71dda4e6409e10d17f8c074e865213/IMG_1296.jpg)![Washout at Christina Lake](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2licn1qVgSHpPjA47eQIH6/a22098f50bfa479ba6bb0828d599c5e2/IMG_1293.JPG)

Secondly, there is a washout that looks mostly repaired on the KVR above Kelowna. At the time this photo was taken, the trail was closed to the public, but it looks like some cyclists and motorbikes had been passing through. We expect most riders will forgo the detour and stick to the main route here since the trail looks rideable – the detour involves descending into Kelowna then a massive climb back out… Good on the riders who elect to do that, I know I wouldn't. 
![Trail repair on the KVR](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2TEnn4wYpEgesummAlw5KL/96e384f316b3f9f0291560e8fac23ebf/IMG_1295_2.jpg)

It was looking like we would have a third detour right up until today but Gray Creek Pass will remain open. There was a planned closure starting Monday, however Lennard has worked tirelessly to communicate with the District Engineering Officer and they have offered to push back the road closure to July 4th to allow riders to pass. Talk about teamwork and community building! This year is shaping up to look like a good one for this pass, with snow melting early on in the season it might just be 100% rideable. 

![Gray Creek Pass snowline](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/9O0KZm78vrurqW468E0HB/0a715f15dd6ca4b544f66ed2aab87cdf/IMG_1294.JPG)

Amongst the Dotwatchers providing insights we have last year’s winner Cory Ostertag, who graciously shared his picks for this year’s race favourites. 

Starting with the women, neither the 2022 or 2021 winners are returning this year so the field is seemingly wide open. From our internet sleuthing we do have our eyes on two women in particular who we expect will have strong rides.

Charlene Eden - A multi disciplinary cyclist from Kamloops with years of experience. Charlene finished the spring Buckshot in a strong 1.5 days. 

Jan Acuff - Hailing from Washington State, Jan is a Randonneur that has put in the miles. She has also ridden the Rhino Run, South Africa’s version of the Tour Divide.

On to the men we have a number of BC Epic veterans toeing the line this year who will no doubt be going for the win. 

Andy Ward - Fernie hometown hero and runner up in 2022, Andy is force to be reckoned with. He’s coming in with intense motivation to better his previous result and has the mettle to do it. He’s probably done more miles than any other competitor and in the worst conditions having ridden through the winter. He’s spent ample time on the backside of Mt. Broadwood and knows the most challenging portions of this route like the back of his hand.

Damian Parlee - Another 2022 BC Epic starter coming back for redemption. Damian was only trailing the eventual winner, Cory Ostertag by about 1 hour in the closing kilometres when an untimely crash in the Wigwam flats took him out of contention. He’s an engineer from Victoria, builds his own bike bags and has the analytical know-how to get the most out of race strategy.

Jake Cullen - Jake comes to the BC Epic with loads of experience having completed the infamous Silk Road Mountain Race and the innaugural Hellenic Mountain Race. A previous professional road racer, Jake can ride his limit and know how to suffer. 

Robyn Cabunoc-Boettcher - Hailing from Nelson, this Kootenay local finished in 3rd position in 2022 and has been showing great form so far in 2023 with 5th place finish in the highly competitive Buckshot race. 

Mark Williams - Mark is by definition the underdog. He scratched from last year’s BC Epic after pushing his limits on day one. Coming into 2023, Mark has received coaching support from Scotti and Ernie Lechuga, two of the best Ultra-racing coaches in the biz. He finished just behind Robyn in the spring Buckshot race, making him one to watch.

Mike Coulter - The friendliest Bikepack racer around. Mike crushes routes with apparent ease, all while capturing it on film. Check out his beautifully captured short video about his ride to a 2nd place finish in this year’s buckshot

Of course these are just the folks on which we’ve been able to gather information through past races, their social profiles and good ole’ Google. There’s ample opportunity for other riders to take us by surprise. I would also be remise if we didn’t give a nod to the mid-pack and those coming in days after the leaders have headed back home. It’s just as impressive of a feat and no doubt they’ll have ample stories to tell, many of which we hope to capture here. 

If this post got you in the dotwatching mood and are hungry for more, might I suggest reading [Cory's write up from his 2022 win](https://www.panoramacycles.com/en/?portfolio=bc-epic&fbclid=IwAR2tR4IGjFtHkdv6CrGTye3q5AGI5fx2-WrJSp1K8nTr_l9k3ChKGAzTPkg) or [Meaghan Hackinen's from her 2021 win](https://meaghanhackinen.com/2021/07/23/playin-it-cool-how-i-survived-the-2021-bc-epic/). 

It all starts tomorrow so load up those dots and stay tuned.


BC Epic 1000 Preview

The Route

Mel Webb

BC Epic 1000 2023 Tracking + Commentary: The BC Epic has a few sections of challenging singletrack and the rest is mostly rough gravel forest service road and about 100km paved. The route crosses through a great diversity of terrain and ecosystems with remarkable scenery.

BC Epic 1000 2023 Tracking

The BC Epic has a few sections of challenging singletrack and the rest is mostly rough gravel forest service road and about 100km paved. The route crosses through a great diversity of terrian and ecosystems with remarkable scenery, trestles hundereds of feet high and multiple tunnels. This is an offroad, unofficial, completely self-supported bikepacking group ride in the spirit the underground 'Tour divide' style and under the same rules.

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BC Epic 1000 2023

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