It was hot, hot, hot last weekend in Kimberley but for the super-fit, a little heat can’t get in the way of a good four-hour bike race. The Kootenay Rockies Enduro Race, sponsored by Norco Bikes and supported locally by Kootenay Mountain Works, visited Kimberley this past weekend.
The race had a unique start — right in Kimberley’s Platzl. Riders then headed up the Peak to Platzl Trail, up to the Nordic Trails for an hour to hour and a half loop around those trails before climbing the ski hill, then Musser’s Trail and back down to the Platzl. The first rider crossed the finish line in just under three hours and he was none other than Trevor Knight of Kootenay Mountain Works, putting his local trail knowledge to work.
Most of the rest of the riders were in under four hours, with some stopping for a dip in Mark Creek before heading to the finish line where cold beverages awaited.
Megan Rose, event manager for the BC Enduro Series, says the stop in Kimberley was a great success, much enjoyed by riders.
“It proved to be a long hot day in the saddle but a day where everyone still returned with big smiles, albeit tired, but with sweet comments about how much they loved the course and the day they just had on their bikes on the Kimberley trails,” Rose said.
Attracting events such as these is a direct byproduct of the work going into trail maintenance and building in the past few years by a number of different groups, such as the Kimberley Trails Society, the Kimberley Nature Park Society and more.
Every successful event brings more attention, and potential return visitors, to Kimberley. Take for example, what is posted at pinkbike.com about the Kimberley event by Rose.
“The community in Kimberley were beyond amazing and supportive and there are more and more new trails going in every summer, so if you couldn’t make it out to the race, I suggest making a trip sometime this summer.”