The Whistler Museum’s latest exhibition—Pedal to the Medal: the History of Mountain Bike Events in Whistler—highlights several races and events that took place in the valley, as well as on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.
We have written previously in Museum Musings about Whistler’s first off-road race in 1982, as well as Whistler Mountain’s Can-Am Challenge. However, we have so far only referred to Blackcomb Mountain’s involvement in the sport.
In 1988, Blackcomb Mountain expanded its summer offerings with summer glacier skiing, hiking, sightseeing, and mountain biking. The latter was growing rapidly in popularity, and Blackcomb took the opportunity to host bike competitions that were the highlight of the summer.
Kicking off the racing season was a series of events presented by Bike Riders Choice, known as the BRC races. The first year held five races in June and July, including cross-country, trials, dual slalom, uphill climb, and descent.
Riders who entered the series would see their points in each event contribute to their overall score. Major prizes, such as BRC bikes, Blackcomb ski passes, or Keg gift cards were awarded to winners, with draw prizes available to participants of three or more races.
The majority of participants were from the Sea to Sky and Vancouver, though this changed as the series grew more popular.
The first season saw plenty of punctures, broken bikes, and DNFs (did not finish), but many riders also found success. Despite getting eighth place in the Mile High Descent, Eric Crowe’s performance in the other races won him the overall title in the men’s expert class. The tightest competition was between Cindy Devine and Diana Ghikas in the women’s expert class, with the former securing the top spot by only three points.
For many riders, the BRC races prepared them for the Labatt’s Can-Am Challenge on Blackcomb Mountain, which took place over a weekend in August. The Can-Am had a similar format to the BRC races, with five events determining riders’ overall score, but contributed $5,000 in prize money.
It was described in the Whistler Question as Whistler’s “first full-blown international bike race.” Despite the 1986 Can-Am Challenge on Whistler Mountain attracting more than 70 competitors from across North America, the inaugural year in 1988 on Blackcomb saw 230 Canadian and American riders.
The Can-Ams were also an important part of the local MTB community, as local companies such as Backroads Whistler and Jim McConkey’s Sport Shop used the weekend to advertise their services to a larger audience.
Athletes from the U.S. dominated the pro categories, but local racers placed well in their respective categories, including Devine and Ghikas, who placed third and fourth in the Women's Pro. Many experienced racers commented on some organizational blunders, though overall the event was a success, with Blackcomb’s dedicated staff and team of volunteers excitedly planning for the next year.
In 1989 the races saw some formatting changes, including dropping the trials event for both the BRC races and the Can-Am Challenge. They also nixed local business participation and focused only on Blackcomb MTB services, such as their retail, which disappointed some local companies.
As Eric Wight of Backroads told the Question, “it’s a North American event and we should be using it to show mountain bikers from elsewhere what a strong mountain biking community there is here in Whistler.”
Nevertheless, there continued to be a strong showing of local riders, and the event attracted more athletes from around the continent.
Keep an eye out next week as we recently had a participant from the 1989 Can-Am Challenge share his recollections of racing in the event.
