Cycling BC has released their 2015 Mountain Bike Calendar. Next to representing an important bridge between grassroots events and UCI Sanctioned races like the World Cup circuit, these events represent over 20 years of passion and commitment by race organizers and the mountain bike community.
Between the XC and DH Races scheduled for this year there are six hardworking and committed race organizers. While their events, focuses, tracks, and locations are widely varied, the one thing they agree on is the importance of BC Cup level of racing. It is a stepping-stone for BC athletes, for some it is their first taste of formal competition and it sets them up for success at the national and international level. This series offers racers the tools, experience, and support to make it to that next level and exposes them to the opportunities available to them.
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Miller. M’er. Mir. CHAMP. Mirtank. Large Marge. No matter what name you know her by, if you have had the opportunity to meet Miranda in person, you love her. She doesn’t like bacon, she eats Dope-Oats* for breakfast, and she wants to be reincarnated as a majestic bird. “If I could choose what to come back as, it would be some sort of bird, maybe an eagle, so I can fly and be majestic and no one could hunt me. Not that people hunt a lot of birds.”
Miranda is quirky, funny, a snappy dresser, and just really, really chill. When her name – or one of her nicknames – comes up in conversation it is usually around the topic of her ability to make people laugh and to be completely herself – suspenders and all. After spending a weekend riding on the sunshine coast with her and listening to her whale calls – “here whale, where are you whale? Damn it what whale where the hell are you?” – on the ferry, I get it, Miranda Miller is the person everyone should want to room with on the World Cup Circuit. And she does the dishes when you aren't looking.
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I have never really considered that being a girl has anything to do with writing. I think that growing up without running water and electricity, being chased by whales, and that one time I hit my head really, really hard, has had more of an impact on what I have to say, than the fact that I sometimes get free drinks in bars. In the past year there has been a shift, and a bigger focus is being placed on women in mountain biking. Awesome, right? The problem was that a bunch of people, really-great-not-sexist-at-all people, had a vague notion that women needed to be represented better or more or just. . . something in our media. They identified a void, but the solution wasn’t quite there yet. Being that I have the prerequisite ‘soft tissue’ the request was put to me a few times to provide ‘women specific content’.
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The Dunbar Summer Series has taken a page from Hollywood and Kevin Costner in their approach to downhill race culture, ‘if you build it, they will come.’Three years ago Stephen Exley, BC Cup Race Organizer, approached Rob Venables, Dunbar Cycles Owner, about partnering to produce a race series. At the time Stephen was already running the Western Open and Rob and his team were involved with downhill races at Hemlock Mountain and on Mount Seymour - the infamous Ned’s race. “Stephen was already doing a great job with the Western Open,” Rob explains, “he was doing a much better job than we could do on our own. We had limitations on our time, and it was obvious how much satisfaction Stephen gets from putting on the races. I couldn’t do a better job so I decided that I should support him to do the best job he can do.” The result of this joined force is the Dunbar Summer Series. In it’s third season, the series has expanded to include four BC Cups; Silver Star, Kicking Horse, Fernie, and Panorama.
More words and photos here.
