Sun Peaks will be hosting the Canadian Downhill MTB Championships from Aug. 10-11 this year, bringing in the best racers in Canada to compete for World Championship qualifications.
This competition is the last stop of the Dunbar Summer Series and Dunbar Cycles is the title sponsor of these events.
What to know about the race
Only certain categories can qualify for the World Championships, race director and event specialist Stephen Exley said. These are junior men, junior women, pro men and pro women.
“If you win the National Championships, you automatically get an invitation to go to the World Championships,” he said. “If you place in the top three, you can be selected to go too.”
As a basis for race selection, he said a panel decides who to select based on race results from other competitions as well as the national championships in Sun Peaks.
Registration closes once 350 people have signed up.
There is a significant number of young racers this year, Exley noted, with over 65 racers in the male U17 category. Downhill racing among women has grown in popularity, he added.
Over 60 women have registered, with 10 or 11 of them in the pro category. On average anywhere from three to five pro women race, so having the number they do now is a good sign for the sport.
“For women to have a pro license, that’s a lot of commitment and expertise,” he said.
The championship event in Sun Peaks
Besides the chance of wildfires impacting events in Sun Peaks, he said the resort makes for an optimal race location for the national championships.
“The course is phenomenal at Sun Peaks, it’s one of the longest courses on the Canada Cup circuit and it’s really well regarded as at the very top, a challenging but fun course,” he said.
Thursday Aug. 8 is the unofficial kick-off date to the event, as people will be arriving, walking the course and setting up pit tents. Friday and Saturday are practice and preparation days followed by races and awards on Sunday.
“Back in the day, we used to have Dual Slalom and games and different things happening, but with something like a Canadian nationals, it’s a very serious event,” he said.
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