This summer’s calendar is filled with events that will bring hundreds of athletes and spectators to Sun Peaks.
The Canada Cup will take place from July 17 to July 19 with over 400 participants competing in high-level mountain biking at Sun Peaks Resort. The competition starts at the top of the Sunburst Lodge before racing down to the village base, while spectators line the course to watch the action.
“It’s pretty high level, very, very fast. It’s quite exciting,” Liz Wilkinson, Sun Peaks Resort LLP’s director of events and partnerships said.
Next, the Canadian Downhill Championships will follow July 24 to July 26 and are expected to draw a similar number of competitors from all over the world.
“They will have people from South America, Australia, Europe, Canada, America, sort of all over,” Wilkinson said. “So that’s pretty exciting as well.”
The championship course will feature a slightly different route that includes double black diamond trails, creating an even more challenging competition.
Later on in the summer, Sun Peaks Resort will host Peaks Pedal Fest from Aug. 28 to Aug. 30. This includes the Sun Peaks Junior Downhill which brings female and male athletes under the age of 16 from across America and Canada to Sun Peaks.
“It’s a really good competition… It gives young athletes the opportunity to compete in a race and learn what a race is like so that when they step into the Canada Cups and the Nationals and all the rest of it, they understand how a race actually runs,” Wilkinson said.
After races, junior competitors participate in podium celebrations similar to those seen at national events, swapping champagne bottles for ginger ale.
“The kids just want to replicate it,” Wilkinson said.
Community impact
The season wraps up with the Enduro race taking place Sept. 5 and Sept. 6, marking the sixth competition in the Canada League. This event will span across all three mountains and is expected to attract approximately 300 athletes.
All these events are designed for elite racers with high-caliber trails and a mixture of pros and amateur competitors, according to Wilkinson.
Hosting these events is “a testament to our bike park and the work that the bike park crew has done out there,” Wilkinson said.
“We’ve got a fantastic course, we’ve got a great bike park, and we’re able to deliver these really high level events.”
The major July championships span nearly 10 days with athletes staying in the accommodations all over the resort. Wilkinson said competitors, families, support crews and industry representatives provide a significant boost to local businesses, accommodations and restaurants.
Beyond the competition itself, the events provide a significant economic impact to the resort and local businesses. Wilkinson said that for every athlete competing, approximately three additional people travel with them.
“If we’ve got 400 athletes, we have about 1,600 people that come as part of that,” she said,
Visitors stay in local accommodations, dine at restaurants and purchase equipment and replacement parts from local bike shops throughout the event weekends.
Looking ahead, Wilkinson noted that another Enduro event may be added after the official bike park season closes, although plans are still being finalized.
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