Video: Adaptive DH Racing at Kicking Horse in BC
 | It’s just so exciting that adaptive riders have a platform to race just like the able bodies can. I know speaking from my perspective, it’s something that I’ve missed and wanted to get back to for a long time now. There hasn’t been anything remotely close to it. We’re pioneering a sport and I’m really excited to see where it takes off to. |
2021 was the first year the Adaptive Category was embraced by such a prestigious Downhill series. We saw 10 athletes paving the way for not only the future inclusion of Adaptive Downhill Racing at the Dunbar Summer Series, but paving the way for inclusion in events like this around the world.
2021 was a huge learning curve for everyone involved as we all tried to figure out what Adaptive Downhill Racing should look like. The three events showcased 3 very different tracks and really highlighted the potential for Adaptive Downhill Racing.
These events would not have been possible without the hard work and open mind of Dunbar Summer Series Race Organizer Stephen Exley, along with Niall Pinders and Mike Riediger, for not only planting the seed that spawned the series but also for putting in the leg work to get this off the ground in the right way. Huge thank you for all the work that went into this.
2021 National Championships Kicking Horse Results:
1. Cole Bernier
2. Samson Danniels
3. Landon McGauley
4. Ethan Krueger
5. Cameron Lochhead
6. Scott Patterson
7. Rich Vanderwal
8. Rob Buren
9. Sierra Roth
10. David Sagal
2022 Dunbar Summer Series takes place on:
@ferniealpineresort July 17 | Canada Cup
@panoramaresort July 20 | Canada Cup
@kickinghorsemtn July 24 | Nationals
With borders now open, 20 Adaptive Athletes are signed up for the series, double the entries from last year. Coming from as far afield as Chile, Wyoming, and even Kelowna. Gustavo "Guga" Ortiz is competing this year and flying up from Chile to compete. https://www.pinkbike.com/news/gustavo-guga-ortiz-injured-while-training-in-whistler.html
| It’s been a huge step up to be able to have the platform to do this. Basically, everyone is here to figure this out. We just wanted to have courses open. The courses to be challenging and not dialed down because they are adaptive riders, I think we’ve really nailed that. |
Cole Berniers Race Winning Bowhead Reach
Go Fast Don't Die
See you at the races!!
Photo credit: @npinder2002
Find out more here Click me
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Oh but also a photo post too.
I can’t be the only one who wants to try one of these bikes though. I am able to ride a standard bike but I would love to get a chance to try one of these just to see what it’s like.
If it was on here the comments would be full of "it'S an ebIke WHy dont yOU mAKe a siTE CALLed PiNKebIKE.COM"
come and join in, yee haa! : )
And no, I'm not going down the long road. But what makes them mountain bikes?
It's not my resort or my race. A 3 wheeled,motorized off road golf cart race using laced wheels and a handlebar is a mountain bike race?
What purpose does it serve to change the name of an ATV to mountain bike?
If people raced electric wheelchairs on paved roads, no one would be referred to as a cyclist and it wouldn't be a UCI event and they wouldn't call it a road bicycle race.
Am I wrong?
It's just virtue signaling to try to call it adaptive "Mountain Biking". It's not. Every one of these guys could do what they're doing anywhere on anything with a motor on any ATV or moto track or any place else.
Because they're fully motorized. They don't even need a lift. Let me repeat that. They don't even need a lift.
But no I don't need a hug. I understand outreach, acceptance, community, a sense of belonging. But I fight back against taking the word "adaptive" or "mobility" out of context of granting access in categories of movement to people under the pretense that limitations to access should be removed in every aspect of life.
Tech can certainly help the segment you assist. But assistance should not mean "at the detriment" of the area accecss is gained. 3 wheelers are being built saying "so the adaptive community can gain access to trails". But that thought ignores the incremental nature of physical disability.
We grant access to a segment of disability "right now" under the insistence that we're evil if we don't and as you put it "need a hug". But it ignores that we're still picking a category. There are people like Stephen Hawkings who are still DENIED access to trails.
If we extend it to his level of physical challenge and others like him, then we must build fully autonomous battery operated 4 wheelers that can take him down the mountain as well or we're "excluding".
I basically believe batteries + tech + inclusion has jumped the shark. We have no ability to say "too far".