January 20/21 12:45 pm - Cycling BC Announces Provincial DH Series Schedule

Posted by Editoress on 01/20/21
 

Cycling BC has announced the schedule for the 2021 BC Cup p/b Cobotix Downhill Series, featuring a stacked calendar of races at some of BC's most renowned mountain bike parks. First and foremost, Cycling BC would like to acknowledge the BC Cup series sponsor, Cobotix, and all the dedicated event organizers for their ongoing support and commitment to the BC Cup series.

"After everything we've been through in 2020, we're thrilled to be able to put together a 2021 BC Cup downhill series with a dedicated group of event organizers who are using our Return to Competition guidelines to produce a safe racing environment for the community," said Cory Ostertag, Operations Manager at Cycling BC. "Safety will always be our number one priority and we will continue to follow the latest public health guidelines to help keep everyone safe. We're optimistic and excited to see riders contending for the BC Cup title once again."

The 2021 BC Cup Series pb Cobotix goes nine races deep, with riders accumulating points based on their results from each race and are then ranked in the series standings. A rider must complete at least three races to be eligible for an overall ranking and a maximum of seven races will count towards total series points, therefore, riders who compete in all nine races can drop their two lowest results. The rider with the highest ranking at the end of the series will be named the overall BC Cup p/b Cobotix downhill series winner.

Spanning the province, the series will begin in May and will run through to September, giving riders plenty of opportunities to improve their fitness and sharpen their skills throughout the season. The series' opener will kick off on May 2nd at Coast Gravity Park in Sechelt, on BC's Sunshine Coast. From Canada's first low-elevation mountain bike park at Coast Gravity, the series will head to a mountain that touts one of the top 10 vertical drops in North America - Panorama Mountain on June 20th. The Panorama BC Cup will double as a Canada Cup race, a separate series run by Cycling Canada and will require a UCI licence for certain categories like Elite and Jr. Expert.

The last weekend in June will bring the BC Cup series to Whistler Blackcomb on June 27th, where the race will do double duty as a BC Cup race and as the 2021 BC Provincial Downhill Championships.

The first two weekends in July will be occupied by BC Cup races at Silverstar on July 11th (Canada Cup) and at Fernie Resort on July 18th (Canada Cup). The series will make another stop at Panorama Resort for a rare weekday BC Open race on July 20th that will feature more inclusive (blue) courses and a downscaling in points allocations. The BC Cup series will take a brief pause on the weekend of July 25th to give way for riders to compete in the Canadian National Downhill Mountain Bike Championships being hosted at Kicking Horse Resort.

The final stretch of the BC Cup series will see stops at Big White in Kelowna on August 8th, Mount Washington on Vancouver Island for the Steve Smith Memorial DH race on August 29th, and the series' final at Sun Peaks on September 12th.

To accumulate BC Cup series points riders must hold a valid 2021 BC Provincial or UCI Race licence at the time of the event in which they participate. Cycling BC 2021 licences are available Here.

2021 BC Cup p/b Cobotix Downhill Series Schedule

May 2 - Sechelt, BC - Coast Gravity Park BC Cup

June 20 - Panorama Resort - Panorama BC Cup | Canada Cup

June 27 - Whistler Blackcomb - Whistler BC Cup | Provincial Championships

July 11 - Silverstar Resort - Silverstar BC Cup | Canada Cap

July 18 - Fernie Alpine Resort - Fernie BC Cup | Canada Cup

July 20 - Panorama Resort - Panorama BC Open

August 8 - Big White Resort - Big White BC Cup

August 29 - Mt. Washington Resort - Steve Smith Memorial DH BC Cup

September 12 - Sun Peaks Resort - Sun Peaks BC Cup Final

For more information on the BC Cup pb Cobotix Downhill Series please visit the Series page.