By Ambassador Kyleigh Stewart

As a person whos found themselves racing their bike for the past ten years, the 2020 season was a pivotal one with no races in sight, so naturally, I was pretty excited to get back to the races in 2021. Here’s how things went down.

The first DH race of the year had us heading to about as far southeast in British Columbia as one can go. With that being said you would think we would have escaped the drought, heatwave, and wildfires that plagued central BC but we were far from that. Fernie provided a comforting familiarity for the first round of the Canada Cup series.

The Fernie race track proved to be a highlight of this trip. The steep and loose conditions may have been a bit different from a typical race track but it was the kind of trail you would chase your friends down with relentless laughs and yells all the way to the bottom.

PC: Clint Trahan

As race day settled in I was just enjoying every lap down the course, trying to take advantage of the opportunity to ride a track that although reminiscent of Kamloops, was also so much different. I would have to assume that this track would embody the term “dirt surfing”.

PC: Clint Trahan

The race may not have gone to plan with a crash in the middle, but in the end, I couldn’t help but be content with how the weekend played out. Not only did I enjoy time the time spent on my bike, but I was able to get back some confidence over such a long period away from the races.

PC: Clint Trahan

As we made the quick trip up to Panorama for the next race in back-to-back rounds, I was feeling more driven than was probably good for me. Although the Panorama track had always been a favourite for me in previous years, things just weren’t clicking this time around. Maybe it was the pressure I had put on myself to step up after the previous result or maybe it was just the lack of practice, either was I was on what we know as “the struggle bus”.

PC: Danyal Taylor

As practice came and went, I was starting to feel more and more like myself on the track but just wasn’t on the level I had hoped to be. Regardless of that, I was able to make some improvement in my riding which was as much of a win as I could get from that track.

PC: Clint Trahan

Now, a few weeks after these races, I can look back on my experience and see what went wrong but also what went well. For me, the big takeaway was that all I want to do is have fun on my bike. When I’m having fun that’s when I perform my best whether it’s in a race or just riding with friends. I’m starting to appreciate the break that COVID gave me from racing as it’s easier to see what drives my riding and what I’m passionate about.

PC: Danyal Taylor 

At the end of the day, all I want to do is have fun and I’d like to think I’m back on track for just that.