Dates for the 2018 BC Bike Ride North, presented by BC Bike Race, announced

The dates of the 2018 BC Bike Ride North—described by organizers as “the ultimate road trip experience in Northern British Columbia,” happening from Aug. 4–12—have been announced, and registration for the second edition of the event opens on Nov. 27 at 9 a.m.

There are only 50 seats available for this “unique mountain bike vacation,” though, so officials are recommending that interested riders reserve their spots early.

Last summer, the inaugural 2017 edition of the BC Bike Ride North took a squad of 50 international riders along Route 16 through northern B.C., through a network of trails alight with the incomparable stunning scenery of the province. Powered by the BC Bike Race and supported by a team representing a decade of mountain biking experience, the 2018 year’s event will take participating riders—intermediate to advanced—through a purpose-built network of 11 routes, an all-mountain guided adventure with a bit of backwoods entertainment thrown in. Through Prince George, Burns Lake, Smithers and Terrace, riders will experience the unique local cultures of each town, along with daily happy hours offering a selection of local craft beers.

Participants in last summer’s adventure described the experience as one that shouldn’t be missed.

“I really enjoyed everyone from the participants to the crew, to the guides, and the local communities,” said Collin Wedel, a rider who took part in the 2017 event. “Top notch-people all around. The diversity of the terrain and the ride options gets a big thumbs up as well.” According to another 2017 rider, Ian Burbridge, “I love steep, technical terrain and pushing my comfort zone. British Columbia exceeded all of my expectations. I felt like I had a massive smile the entire time.”

The last day of the six-day ride will take the group to the historic Cassiar Cannery near Prince Rupert, B.C., welcomed by a traditional First Nations cultural performance, with a choice of experiences ranging from canoeing to deep-sea fishing, jet boating, touring the local town and museums, or simply taking in the picturesque, glowing views of the coastal Northern B.C. region. Describing the end-of-ride pause offered by the Prince Rupert stopover in 2017, Burbridge said, “It was a great end to the trip. It gave all the riders plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and share stories from the past week while getting some much needed rest.”

The event endeavours to respect the land of local First Nations while giving riders the chance to soak up their respective cultures and gain a deeper understanding of each, passing through the traditional territories of the Tsilhqot’in, Secwepemc, Nazco, Lheidli T’enneh, Carrier Sekani, Wet’suwet’en, Gitxsan, and Tsimshian.

Read further details on the website of the 2018 BC Bike Ride North presented by BC Bike Race.