Qualicum Beach local Darren Berrecloth returns to the Island with more than 30 of the world’s best freeride mountain bikers for the Bearclaw Invitational Slopestyle. The popular event takes place Aug. 22-24 at Mount Washington Alpine Resort.
The sixth edition of the Bearclaw Invitational provides athletes with one of the last opportunities of the season to accumulate points towards the number one ranking on the Freeride Mountain Bike (FMB) World Tour.
Currently, Brett Rheeder of Canada is in top spot with Sam Pilgrim of Great Britain and Martin Soderstrom of Sweden trailing close behind in second and third place, respectively.
“The course this year features a significant increase in the size and setup of the dirt jumps,” Berrecloth said. “I removed most of the wood and brought in more dirt. There’s also a new entry point into the course to give riders another option for dropping in.”
Riders will compete for the biggest Bearclaw Invitational prize purse to date as $35,000 will be up for grabs on top of the FMB tour points. Pro qualifiers will be held Friday at 5 p.m. The pro finals are Saturday at 1 p.m.
In addition to the pros, Berrecloth is bringing back an amateur comp for the up-and-comers who want to compete for a spot in the pro contest. Amateurs will get their chance to break in with the pros Friday at 2 p.m.
Those vying for the top prize include a who’s who of the FMB World Tour. The list includes Brandon Semenuk, Cam Zink, Pilgrim, Soderstrom, Anthony Messere, Mike Montgomery, Sam Reynolds, Thomas Genon, Cam McCaul, Yannick Granieri, Greg Watts, Kurt Sorge, Berrecloth, Kelly McGarry, Geoff Gullevich, Mitch Chubey, Antoine Bizet, Szymon Godziek, Tyler McCaul, Peter Henke, Rheeder, Andrew Taylor, Tomas Zejda, Jakub Vencl, Graham Agassiz, Andreu Lacondeguy, Kyle Strait, Jack Fogelquist, Jamie Goldman, Jordie Lunn, Justin Wyper, Leo Delfour-Barsacq, Paul Genovese, Sam Dueck, Teo Gustavson and Ryan Howard.
Slopestyle mountain biking is considered the cutting edge of mountain biking. Progression and raw talent are on full display as riders take to the air and pull off tricks that simply blow the mind. The best part about the slopestyle: it’s free for spectators!
For more information check bearclawinvitational.com.
Rounding out the weekend of mountain biking is the BC Cup Downhill Race. The race brings competitors back to Mount Washington’s legendary Monster Mile downhill track, one of the most popular on the BC Cup circuit.
The race is open to everybody from pro/elite to those seeking to have fun in the citizen racing categories, and everything in between. Racers can start as young as 10 years.
Training runs begin Friday evening. Racing starts at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Registration, race schedule and the course map can be found at mountwashington.ca.
– Mount Washington Alpine Resort
