The Adventure is in the Journey

Dateline Silver Star BC, March 3, 2014
...no byline...

Frostbike 2014.
Well the season has begun...sort of. A road trip to Silver Star Mountain Resort in the beautiful Okanagan Valley BC for the 2nd Annual Frostbike DH MB Race. Whilst the skis and snowboards chill in the garage, the DH bike is getting its excercise. Seems rather odd to many in the Silver Star Village that these crazy persons are riding their bicycles down the mountain. Me? I'd say I came to terms with the idea when it was first mentioned. Besides it meant a road trip to one of my favourite places in Canada. The Okanagan valley is as beautiful in the winter as it is in Summer. Add to that the fact that the scenery on Trans Canada Hwy through the mountains is 2nd to none, how could one say no to it? Besides, I've spent many hours on Hwy 1 in the winter and can say the BC Highways crews do a first rate job at keeping the road open. The city of Calgary could learn from them.

So whats it like racing on the snow? I can't say. I haven't done it. But from what I witnessed it looks like a lot of crazy fun. From the Gingersnap's coach who couldn't hide the ear to ear grin he carried all weekend to the entertaining stops at the finish line, it was clean, cold, freezing, fun. It should be noted that the racers, female and male, were required to run on normal mountain bike tyres. Studded tyres were not allowed. Training runs were a challenge with the icy conditions but come race day, Mother Nature graced Silver Star with enough snow to make the boarders and skiers drool over the prospect of a day of fresh powder snow.
From an inexperienced witness' perspective of the Frostbike race, I thought the snow made the course not necessarily a challenge to get down unhurt, but more a challenge just to get down. An aspect of winter racing not considered by a virgin observer such as me, is the equipment freezing up. I grew up in a winter climate but I can't say I ever rode my bike in the winter. Dirt bike...yes, bicycle...no. And even if I did, my bicycles didn't have hydraulic brakes. However with the extra snow on the course, the problem for the racers wasn't so much the thickened brake fluid, but the ice building up on the brake discs, chains, sprockets etc. Most racers talked about losing their brakes at some point on the course.

Bikes parked outside at Long Johns, Silver Star Resort

Getting ready for training.

Gingersnap finishing his run

Crazy rider coming in fast...

and finishing in style...

If I'm going to be honest, I have to admit I found the to be finish extremely entertaining in the snow. The racers came it at full speed and would careen through the snow and, in some cases, cartwheel through the snow. With all the fresh snow, it was good to know that the likelihood of getting hurt was diminished.
Some didn't quite make it:

Others made it with a thrilling finish:

Coach Rhys coming in

Coach Rhys, winding up the event.