THE BC BIKE RACE WILL BE OPEN TO EBIKES THIS YEAR

PRESS RELEASE:

For the first time ever, the BC Bike Race has opened registration to ebikers for the 2025 edition of the race.

Remaining true to its roots as an innovator in the mountain bike events space, BCBR will be the first multi-day stage race in North America to launch an ebike category. This follows on the heels of other international events such as the Wines2Whales in South Africa and the Volcanic Epic in New Zealand.

“This has been our minds for nearly 10 years, since a few German racers asked us why we don’t have a category for eMTB,” says Andreas Hestler, Co-founder and Marketing Director for BC Bike Race. “North America was then and still is about 10 years behind the European adoption of electric bikes. We believe it’s time to start including them in our event.”

Dubbed the e-BCBR, the new category will be open to both SL and full power eMTBs, and will run as a separate and concurrent event. This means the race will NOT mix electric and acoustic on the course at the same time and will create a schedule that gives both rider groups The Ultimate Singletrack Experience.

There will also be an untimed option for those who want to ride the course without the pressure of a timing chip.

The Journey to this latest Evolution:
BC Bike Race has always evolved alongside the Mountain Bike Industry. At our inception in 2007, the majority of bikes were aluminum hardtails with 26-inch wheels, and there wasn’t a dropper post in sight. Over time, carbon became the norm, full suspension took over, gear ratios grew, and good rubber started to hit the ground.

As bikes evolved, the BCBR course has evolved, incorporating more singletrack and more technical terrain. BCBR gives racers the most, and arguably the best, singletrack of any stage race in the world.

Now, there are eMountain Bikes. Embracing the history, growth and development of mountain biking, the BC Bike Race is evolving to give more people the chance to enjoy The Ultimate Singletrack Experience.

THE DECISION TO ADD E-BIKES TO THE RACE:

We sent out an email asking for opinions about including an eMountain Bike (pedal-assist) option at the BC Bike Race. We were thrilled that so many people shared their thoughts.
We had 1,023 responses in just 7 days! Most of them were from alumni and people on our email list. A few were from people who saw our post on Instagram.

The Survey Results

Overall, the response was positive.
63.6% of respondents said they have an ebike, plan to buy one soon or are thinking about buying one.
36.7% said they were ready for, or interested in learning more about, ebiking at BC Bike Race. Another 36.4% said they might be interested in ebiking at the BC Bike Race in the future.
That means 73% of those who responded are open to the idea of having ebikes at BC Bike Race.

The main concern people shared in their comments was about keeping ebikes separate from non-ebikes during the race. Some cited bad past experiences at other races that tried to mix the two. Here are a few of those comments:

“If the ebikers ride separately and start at a different time I would have no problem socializing with them 😉 – I just would not want to share the trail with them during a race.”

“I think it would be fine, but it would definitely be frustrating if someone passed me on an e-bike while I’m already in pain from pushing myself to the limit.”

“Its own course would be key, I have done a few endurance races with ebike categories running along side, and it ruins it. It nearly needs to be a separate event.”

“It would be an interest if it was it’s own course. I would not feel it would be good if both types of bikes were on the same course as the climbs and descents would be such a different speed and therefore the conflicts between the two user groups would be too great.”

“If it has a different course or start day yes it’s ok. Having these buzzing flies around me while riding a steep climb gets me angry and frustrated…”

These are sentiments we wholeheartedly agree with. Mixing ebikers and non-ebikers on a race course is a recipe for frustration on both sides.
What are we going to do, based on your feedback?

The reality is that more and more people are getting into ebiking and not just because of an aging body, disability or health issues. Skilled and fit riders are choosing to spend some or all of their trail hours on pedal assist bikes. And there are both amateur and pro eMTB race series all over the world now. As it always has, mountain biking is evolving.And the BC Bike Race is going to evolve with it, mindfully introducing a concurrent and separate event, the eBC⚡️BR. This event will give more people than ever before an opportunity to join us for a week of spectacular mountain biking and camaraderie. At no point will ebikers and non-ebikers interact on course. We’ll be using our expertise in putting on events for both ebikers and non-ebikers to create the same unforgettable experience our alumni have raved about for 19 years.
If you are already registered, rest assured, we will make sure your BC Bike Race experience is protected. Our business has always been laser-focused on giving people the ultimate singletrack experience and their best week on a bike. That mission remains the same.
If you’re thinking about joining us for our inaugural eBC⚡️BR, registration is now open. There are only 100 spots available

More about the eBCBR

Date
June 30 – July 6th, 2025

Location
Vancouver Island – British Columbia
Stage 1 – Victoria
Stage 2 – Victoria
Stage 3 – Cowichan Valley
Stage 4 – Nanaimo
Stage 5 – Cumberland
Stage 6 – Campbell River
Stage 7 – Cumberland

BC Bike Race website – https://bcbikerace.com/

Photo Credits: Dave Silver
All photos are from the MEGA VOLT hosted in the Cowichan Valley (21′, 22′). These are some of the very same trails that will be included in the 2025 BC Bike Race. BCBR would like to acknowledge that we work and recreate on the unceded traditional territory of the Quw’utsun Mustimuhw (Cowichan Peoples), and recognize The Cowichan Trails Stewardship Society (CTSS) for their ongoing work and collaboration.

Cheers from the BC Bike Race Team

Andreas Hestler, Marketing Director