Williams Lake’s Brock Hoyer became the first person ever to win a Snow BikeCross gold medal Friday at the 2017 Aspen X Games.
An early spill didn’t stop Hoyer, who is considered a pioneer of the sport, from blowing through a field of 15 of the best snow bike riders on the planet to finish 12 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Colton Haaker in 14:15.115 in the 30-lap race.
“Words can’t explain,” Hoyer said following the win. “I’d like to thank my crew for coming. The Lord’s looking out for me, and my best friend Diggler [Derek Christianson] for giving me inspiration.
“It’s still not setting in yet. This is where dreams come true and I’m just so stoked for the people around and X Games for putting this sport on and I think, I hope, they come back next year.”
When asked about his fall earlier in lap 10 of the race, Hoyer said he made a mistake.
“The roost was ridiculous catching lappers so fast – I think we lapped all the way up to the podium so [I was] just trying to make good lines,” he said. “I made a bobble, hit the deck and the bottom section pushed out on me and I was just like: ‘This can’t be happening.’
“I just put my head down like normal racer strategy and just worked my way back up to the front. [Cody] Matechuck was riding well. He made a mistake, I capitalized on it and I didn’t look back and just tried to push through the lappers.”
The father of two, who works in Williams Lake and trains during the wintertime as a snow bike rider and in the summertime as a motocross racer, said it became a battle of attrition once he clawed his way back into first place.
“I just about got taken out by two or three of them so it turned into a survival race by not getting hit by lappers,” he said.
Hoyer has been a consistent mainstay in the world of professional motocross racing throughout the years, having competed at multiple Monster Energy Motocross Nationals, as well as owning the title of the 2009 Canadian Arenacross Champion.
Following his first forray into the world of snow bike riding, after Christianson leant him his bike to try out the sport, he said he was hooked.
Hoyer not only competes as a professional, but commits much of his spare time as the vice president of the Williams Lake Dirt Riders Association helping out the club, local track and young riders looking to improve in the sport.
A video of the gold-medal performance can be found here.
