At the end of May, I had the pleasure of attending the Mega Volt eMTB event in Naramata, B.C. Created by the same crew who organizes the BC Bike Race, Mega Volt is a three-day event specifically designed for e-MTB riders. One cool thing about Mega Volt is that participants can choose to compete in a few races or events, or take it easy and enjoy casual rides with fellow e-bikers.
Through testing several Rocky Mountain Bikes, I’ve gotten to know RMB’s legendary rider and media pal, Andreas Hestler. Dre’s been encouraging me to come check out Mega Volt for the last few years, and this year I was glad I made the journey! Here’s my recap of the riding, racing, and overall good times at Mega Volt.
The Location: Naramata, B.C.
Mega Volt is held in Naramata, a small town located just North of Penticton off the shore of Okanagan Lake. Naramata is one of British Columbia’s most famous wine-growing regions, and as soon as you enter the town, there are vineyards everywhere. Between the countless fields of vines and the huge lake below, it’s a very scenic place to be! The event grounds were set up near the beach at Manitou Park, with shade tents, a few exhibitor booths, and post-ride beverages from Cannery Brewing and Copperpenny distillery.
The hillsides above Naramata are home to the Three Blind Mice trail network. This is a good-sized network, offering a range of green dot to black diamond trails. Within minutes, you can ride from sandy desert-like areas into lush forests and back, which makes for an interesting variety of terrain. One minute you’re feeling for traction in a dusty turn, and the next you’re spotting for sharp rocks on a chunky, rocky trail. While this area doesn’t have big gnarly trail features like Squamish or Vancouver, the trails have enough technicality to keep a skilled rider on their toes.
Day One: Shakeout Ride and Hill Climb Challenge
The first day of Mega Volt is rider registration, followed by the Shakeout ride and Hill Climb Challenge. The Shakeout ride is a loosely organized ride that leads everyone to a chosen descent trail. Riders naturally group up and hit the trails, using the Trailforks app to guide themselves to the meeting point. The descent trail provides a few minutes of fun downhill riding, then everyone gathers at a meeting point to get the Hill Climb event started.
The Hill Climb Challenge was fun for spectators or riders, and of course, is an ideal way to demonstrate something eMTBs can do that unassisted bikes can’t! And trust me, I doubt anyone without a motor could have tackled the final climb section – at least not without world-class trials skills. The competition started with anyone taking a stab at the first obstacle – A rock with a big step-up in the middle. Those who got up the first rock continued on to try another chunky section above.
After seeding out the most successful riders, a small group was invited to attempt the hardest climb. This section was steep and chunky, and there was no guarantee anyone would actually make it work. But, persistence paid off, and eventually three riders got up the climb! After the hill climb, everyone descended back to the lakeside event grounds and either hung out for a drink and some socializing or wandered off to sort out dinner.
Day Two: eFondo/Group Ride and Trailforks Adventure Challenge
The morning of day two offered two options: Either a beginner group ride or the eFondo event. I decided to take it easy this weekend, and despite being far beyond ‘beginner’ level, I went for the group ride. I fully enjoyed this ride! It was a great chance to check out Naramata’s trails at a casual pace with a small group. The trails weren’t super challenging, but definitely entertaining to ride. We also caught some nice views of Okanagan Lake and the surrounding canyons.
The eFondo is a 24.4km mapped ride through the Three Blind Mice trails. Prizes were awarded to the top finishers in each category and age group, but the event isn’t highly competitive in nature. The route was designed to show off the local trails in a fun way, and I think most riders treated it as a marked trail tour rather than a race.
The afternoon of day two held what a lot of people consider the most fun event of Mega Volt – The Trailforks Adventure Challenge scavenger hunt! Using the Trailforks app, riders find their own route through the trails and try to find six checkpoints. The more checkpoints you find, the more ballots you get in the Mega Volt prize raffle (which includesd prizes like NOBL carbon wheels, a Swagman ebike hitch rack, a Fox fork, Ninety K saddles, OneUp handlebars and chain guides, plus more).
I rode the Trailforks Adventure Challenge with a guy I met named Tony from Vernon, B.C.. Both of us had used Trailforks before, but not for a few years, so we weren’t the best navigators! We got close to four checkpoints, but missed some turns, so we wound up with just two. Regardless, it was a ton of fun venturing around the trails and seeing other groups on their missions.
Participants must use the Trailforks app for this event, but a one-year free subscription is included with your entry to Mega Volt. There are lots of trail junctions in the Three Blind Mice Area, which adds an ideal level of difficulty to the Scavenger Hunt event.
Day Three: eEnduro Race/Group Ride and Awards Ceremony
The last day starts with two options again: Another casual morning beginner ride, or the eEnduro Race. In hindsight, I could have stepped up to the race, but I was enjoying the casual vibes, so I went for the ride instead. Much like yesterday, we rode mostly easier trails, but saw more great viewpoints and explored more of the trail network. On this ride, we had some less experienced riders who got some tips along the way from one of our guides, Sylvie Allen, owner and instructor at Sweet Skills Mountain Bike Coaching and Personal Training.
At one point, we stopped along the race route to cheer on some enduro racers, then three of us split off from the group to hit a pretty fun jump line on our way back to the event site.
That afternoon was the awards ceremony and belt buckle handout. Prizes were awarded for the eFondo and the eEnduro Race, then the raffle was held. After many riders walked away with prizes in hand, the last ritual of the event is handing out Mega Volt belt buckles to everyone who participated. With high-fives to all the event staff, everyone walked by the table and grabbed their buckles before packing up and heading home.
Check out the Mega Volt website for all the event info.
