Sneddon, Simms dominate BC Bike Race
Simms repeats as overall women's champion, Sneddon wins men's title
After a week of riding some of the best singletrack trails in B.C., Kris Snedden and Wendy Simms respectively won the men’s and women’s open divisions at the 2013 BC Bike Race.
Snedden had been battling for most of the race with 2012 champion Neil Kindree. However, with two days remaining, Kindree pulled out from the race due to illness. Unchallenged for the overall victory, Snedden changed gears and worked to help his teammate Spencer Paxson.
Paxson won the penultimate stage in Squamish, B.C., and at the finish line in Whistler, Snedden and Paxson finished 1-2 overall.
Danish racer Erik Skovgaard finished third overall.
The 2012 women’s open champion Wendy Simms managed to hold off challenger Kim Hurst for all but the last day of the race, with Hurst winning the Whistler stage. However, Simms’ lead was secure, allowing her to repeat as champion.
“I just didn’t have enough downhill real-estate to catch up. She took off really hard up the hill. I told her it was a really good day for her, but she earned every inch of it.” said Simms of Hurst’s performance on the final day.
Second place on the final stage allowed Trish Grajczyk to claim third overall after seven days of racing.
Simms also went on to claim the women’s enduro title after class leader Jaclyn Schapel crashed on the final day. Despite the setback, Schapel finished second in the enduro class, followed up by Adrienne Miller claimed third.
Sneddon also doubled up on trophies, winning the men’s enduro title overall. Eric Goss finished second in class, his efforts having been focused only on the enduro portions of the course. After a slow start, Skovgaard finished third in the enduro classification, matching his overall result.
“We enjoy the race at the front but in the end it’s not about the finish position of the rider, it’s about the progression of that individual as a rider and a person,” said Andreas Hestler, 2012 Enduro champion and current marketing director of the BCBR. “The BC Bike Race has taken a lot of people to new levels of riding even if only for the need to survive to ride another day.”
