The BC Bike Race has added a new one-day gravel race to its calendar of events; the BCBR Gravel LT. This is a lighter version of the original Gravel Explorer XLT, a five-day Stage Race, run on the gravel roads and singletrack around the vineyard-covered region of Okanagan. The overall route is 91km long with 1600m of elevation gain, though only 71km of that is timed. The last 20km are “designed to reflect the Slow Ride concept”, meandering along the Naramata Bench and its various wineries. If you do enter this race, I would personally recommend you stop at the Black Widow Winery, a favorite of mine when I toured this region a couple years back.
The BCBR Gravel LT one-day race takes place on Sept 25th, with registration on Sept 24th. Pricing depends on when you enter. Enter before Feb 22 and pay $200 CAD. Enter between Feb 23 – April 19th and pay $225 CAD. If you enter between April 20th – Sept 1st, registration will cost you $250 CAD; that’s assuming there’ll be any entries left by then.
All new entries received before March 1st are entered into a draw for a 3T Exploro RaceMax frame. No questionnaire, no skill testing or video submissions required. Enter to race the BCBR Gravel Explorer LT or XLT and you’re entered.
The BCBR Gravel LT categories are as follows:
- Open Men
- Open Women
- Open Non-Binary
- 30+ (men, women)
- 40+ (men, women)
- 50+ (men, women)
- 60+ (men, women)
Here’s what’s included in your entry fee:
- 91km of riding in a 1 day course
- Professional Timing and Results
- Aid Stations
- Post-race nutrition
- On course Tech-Zone
- Professionally Managed Course:
- Medical Support
- Course Markings (ribbon, signage, marshals)
- Bike Patrol/Ambassadors on course to assist with any issues
- Custom designed Finisher Shirt
- Finisher Medal
- Bag check for Mini-day bag
- Bonus sponsor schwag for all participants
