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simon
Canada
4 Posts |
 Posted - 07/06/2008 : 14:21:58
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I just finished the BC Bike Race and I must say that I was impressed. I've done the TransRockies in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, and it is obvious that the BCBR organizers have learned a lot from the TR. They've set a new standard for 7-day mountain bike races in Canada.
Here is my brief comparison.
BETTER THAN THE TR
-Gear bag - The Dakine bag on wheels rocked. Big enough and so much easier to move around. A welcome improvement over the unwieldy duffle bags.
-Camp Food - With the exception of deserts, there was always enough and the quality and variety was really good. The ice cream in Cumberland was amazing.
-Aid Stations (Drink) - On day 1 two aid stations ran out of water. (It was pretty hot) But the organizers bought up every 18 litre bottle of water they could find in town and added a water-only station. The choice of Ultima, Gatorade and water at each aid station was great. The organizers did throw in some extra self-serve water-only stations along the way on hot days. Quick thinking that I'm sure saved a lot of work for the medics.
-Aid Stations (Food) - Clif was a sponsor, but they sure didn't provide enough for the people at the back of the pack. (I didn't see a pack of Clif Bloks at a station ever and only saw Clif bars and gels at about 1/3 to 1/4 of the stations) Sharkies were always very plentiful and all stations were very well stocked. Stinger gels and bars seemed to be in shorter supply.
-Accommodation - A 4-person tent for two people is almost big enough once you add in the gear bags. The TR's 3 person tents are too small. The BCBR provided sleeping pads. Only 1/2" thick, but better than nothing and one less thing to carry. Not surprisingly some early finishers scooped extra foam pads from empty tents, but that I think that stopped after the first day.
-Swag - You just about needed an extra bag for all of the goodies. Bars from Syncros, a special edition tool from Crank Brothers. The very nice pro deal on Crank Brothers pedals and tools. Two tee-shirts, Sock Guy socks, Ryders sunglasses and a Suarez BCBR jersey. And a box of Honey Stinger bars to start and a pound of Kicking Horse coffee at the finish line. (Both care of Planet Foods.) And don’t forget the BR Ferries towel, which for many people was their only towel all week
-Finish Line Food - Salt, sugar and carbs awaited up at the finish every day. (One day they even had pizzas delivered, but they were all gone by the time I pulled in.)
EVEN WITH THE TR
-Announcer - It is so nice to hear Drew Bragg's voice as you come into the finish. You know you're home and he seems so happy for you.
-Route Book - I'm really torn on this. The BCBR route book is a thing of beauty and will grace many a coffee table over the months to come. The BCBR folks did a great job with tons of information and beautiful photos. But the compact, but black and white and boring, TR route book is actually small enough to carry in your hydration pack. The BCBR route book was so nice that I didn't bring it along with me, but just glanced at it and sent it in my bag to Whistler. So I missed seeing the tear-out page with the mini route guides. Maybe printing this as a separate sheet would be good. It seemed a shame to tear up the beautiful booklet.
-Finishers Banquet – I’m really torn about this too. The food and atmosphere was so much better than the 2007 TR. (Styrofoam plates in a tent with a dirt floor.) The BCBR held this at the Roundhouse at the top of the Whistler Gondola. The food was amazing, and on china with metal cutlery. But the crowd didn't all fit in one room and it was so noisy. But getting all of the winners their finisher's tee shirt happened at the finish line so it was a faster process at the banquet. (But we didn’t get a chance for the big photo of all the finishers in their tee shirts.) The food was much better, but the room just couldn't handle the whole crowd. (I had a seat in the outer room which may have coloured my opinion.)
-Showers - The shower truck was the same and with the smaller number of racers (400 vs. the 600 at the TR) I never had to deal with more than a 5 minute line-up.
WORSE THAN THE TR
-Awards Ceremony - The TR people have the awards ceremony nailed down. Those songs ("Amigos", "I Will Survive", "Stand Up for the Champions etc".) are stuck in our heads forever.
-Massage - The BCBR had 10 massage therapists, more than the TR, but all spots for all days were booked by day 1. They needed about 15 MTs. At the TR I found that I could squeeze onto the massage schedule.
-Toilets - The line-ups for toilets at the TR seemed to be shorter. A half dozen porta potties at each tent city would have been a great improvement.
-Course Marking – This was inconsistent and led to come confusion. On some days the intersections were marked with three tapes hanging from the same tree, other times there were three tapes over 10 metres. (i.e. 5 metres apart) The TR system of adding a contrasting colour tape to indicate turns is easier to see when riding quickly.
-Tyre Pumps – The TR has had Pedros as a sponsor and their pumps were great. The Axion (Norco) pumps were awful. The pressure gauges were notoriously inaccurate and at least one person blew their tubeless tyre off the rim because the gauge was reading about 20 PSI too low.
I won't talk about the route because the two races are not really comparable. I'd say the biggest difference is that a roadie will never win a stage on the BCBR. To do well in the BCBR requires a more well-rounded set of mountain biking skills. You must be able to climb and ride long sections of gravel roads. You need to be confident climbing and descending on rocky/rooty single-track and able to ride chutes, tight switchbacks and stunts. (Ladder bridges etc.)
PS I'm posting this on both the TR and BCBR forums.
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norona
Canada
51 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 20:56:25
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| This is a well written bit with great comparisons and will only help all events, thanks for doing this in a fair and cool way to help others. Moto Dave BC Bike Race |
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Bushwood
16 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 13:10:56
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A great comparison. I would have to agree with nearly all of it. But I would like to add one thing to the list. The "Organization". And I would classify it as MUCH BETTER THAN TR.
These guys & gals came to please and they worked VERY HARD at making sure everyone was taken care of and treated fairly. They enforced the rules (penalizing Hestler of all people). They reacted to unforseen events (adding extra water stations). They extended cut off times when it was prudent to do so. They even bought about a hundred pizza's and handed them out for free at one finish line. Just a few examples...
But perhaps the biggest example of the organization's desire to make this race the best there is... At the awards ceremony on day 7, they admitted they had made a mistake, in front of everyone... a hush fell over the crowd as Dean (I think, sorry, had a few beers at that point) explained that the cutoff for day 7 was a bit short and there were about 20 people who were impacted, not allowed to finish. So he called them all on stage and gave them their finisher's medals... to a standing ovation... cool $hit!! Nice work!
At the risk of sounding like a jerk... I've done TransAlp, TransRockies, Cape Epic, La Ruta, and now BCBR... I would have to say BCBR is definitely one of the best for overall experience and they are only in their 2nd year!!
To improve they need to add port-a-potties at all venues... lining up for the one or two bathrooms at some venues was a real head ache. Food vendors at each finish "village" is another necessary addition. I saw 15 pizzas disappear in about 30 seconds... TWICE! The last thing is the price... $2250 per person? Ouch!! Any way to get that overall cost of putting on the race reduced via additional sponsors? It's definitely a great race, but that is nearly twice the price of some similar events (Cape Epic comes to mind). |
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simon
Canada
4 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2008 : 08:52:14
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The important thing to remember is that the sponsors will only continue to support this event, and other events, if they know that they are getting "bang for the buck".
The purpose of sponsorship is to change attitudes and buying patterns.
So, you had not tried Kicking Horse Coffee or Dakine (Just two from among the HUGE number of sponsors) products before? And now you have and you think they are pretty good? What you must do is let the sponsors' know that you tried their product at the BCBR and you have bought some since.
The benefits of sponsorship are very hard to measure. The racers came from all over the world and the hope is probably that they will be opinion leaders in their home communities. So the effect will be scattered over 23 contries. This compounds the problem of measurement.
So, let the sponsors, and the BCBR folks, know that you appreciate the sponsorship and if you like the product(s) that you plan to keep buying it (them).
PS In answer to a probable question; No I don't work for the BCBR or any of the sponsors.
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marc_on_the_go
Canada
13 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2009 : 21:54:52
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Thanks a Ton Simon for posting this comparison. This really helps in my decision on race options this summer. I was always leaning to the BCBR and for me thiss helps even more. but it now also has me wanting to add TR to the "bucket list"
For me BCBR 1st. Then I will tackle TR! Cheers |
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chocochoco
2 Posts |
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BC Bike Race versus TransRockies
