Video & Race Report: Canadian Enduro League Round 5 in Cypress Hills

Words: Canadian Enduro League

RD #5 of the 2023 We Are One Canadian Enduro League Presented by Leatt was one for the history books. Cypress Hills Provincial Park, just east of Medicine Hat, is a never before raced location, so naturally, we were excited to get into the action. The brand-new trail network is a true rider's paradise with a little bit of everything on offer. We're stoked to be able to showcase the best riding destination in Southeast Alberta.

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With recent heavy investment into their mountain bike trail infrastructure, the Cypress Hills Provincial Park, just a short trip east of Medicine Hat, is a must-ride location! With a brand new trail network, professionally designed by the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure team McElhanney, they have crisscrossed the surrounding landscape to create an incredible 50+ km of trail. The area features everything from blue flow with the kind of berms dreams are made of, to black jump trails littered with features to keep you on your toes. The area is complete with a pump track, epic xc singletrack and is all surrounded by stunning lakes and a great atmosphere. Directly in Medicine Hat there has also been a huge investment, the result is a massive paved pump track, trails leaving right from HWY 1 and a trail network that has something for everyone. The main trail network is based in Echodale Regional Park and the Gas City Campground, making it easy to park your vehicle and ride everywhere! A big shout out to the 670 MTB Club, Alberta Parks, and the City of Medicine for creating such a unique riding destination!

The weekend started on Saturday evening with a bit of Canada Day grass slalom action. With cold hard cash on the line, it quickly got serious. Coming all the way from Manitoba, Blake Stefanec took top honors for the men, proving that Manitoba is the flat corner capital of Canada.
he also won the 'WR1 Kid's Bike' special slalom category, claiming a brand new Fox 38 for the fastest time of the night on the kid's bike. For the ladies it was Hannah Gillcrist walking away queen of the slalom. A huge thank you to everyone that came out and raced and watched the shenanigans as the band Aim for Theo pumped the tunes!

Sunday morning started bright and early, with the first riders heading out at 7:30 am, under some slightly ominous-looking weather. Riders faced eight stages, covering a total of just over 40km and just under 1400m of climbing. The course for RD #6 would test seasoned racers looking for every second, but it was also a great selection of trails for those wanting to dip their toes into the racing world. This weekend saw over 50 riders competing in their first-ever enduro! Enduro is alive and well folks! #makeendurogreatagain. Thanks to the hard work of the 670 MTB Collective getting the course in tip-top shape, the racing was high quality! With so many local shredders coming out to play, it was really anyone's guess as to how the results sheet would stack up. Unstoppable We Are One shredder Jennifer McHugh continued her 2023 dominance taking the win for the Pro Women, with new Medicine Hat local and Leatt rider Brittany Falconer taking second. On the Pro Men's side of things, Matt Monod(quite possibly the nicest man in mountain biking) came out swinging, winning every stage, taking home that first-place payday, with Jamie Lamb and Noah Redecopp behind him. When it came to the kids, as usual, they were fast! Hannah Gillcrist battled it out alongside Ella Myers and Nico Knoll all day, eventually taking the top spot on the podium. Times were tight though! After over 30 minutes of racing, all three were separated by less than 30 seconds! Ryder Knoll ended the weekend victorious for the U21 Men, while also taking the fastest time of the weekend! Jacob Baggot, and Blake Stefanec went back and forth all day for second and third, with Jacob eventually coming out on top. A huge shoutout to Jacobs's dad, Ian as well! Ian has helped at many events over the years, and this weekend he was our lead rider out on course long before anyone else, making sure everything was all good. Thanks Ian! In the biggest Masters 40+ women's category we've seen yet, Alix Lus put her mark on the trails with a blazing hot time - one which would have slid her into second for the pro women! It's incredible to see this category growing with every race. This weekend gave the overall standings a good shake-up, and with only a few races left, it's all still to play for.

A huge thank you has to go out to the following people: Tourism Medicine Hat, Medicine Hat Accommodation Association, 670 Collective Mountain Bike Club, Medicine Hat Brewing Co, Chris Dodds, Mike Ratcliffe, Kurtis Peters, Joel Hese, our volunteers, and everyone else who helped pull this event together.

Want to skip straight to the results? We got you! Click Here

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Check out what Stage 3 Presented by McElhanney looked like this weekend.

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The incredible crew at the 670 Collective have been working hard to make sure that this year's event is one to remember. They have been out on course, making sure the trails are in tip-top condition. They are an unbelievable volunteer-run organization - committed to the community and building new incredible trails every year. We're incredibly grateful for the support and hospitality. We know the impact that these events can have on the trails and to help offset this, we will be donating 10% of the registration revenue back to the trails.

Want to support the trails yourself? Head over to the 670 Collective website and grab yourself a membership!

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These events do not happen without our dedicated volunteers! They are quite literally the backbone of the event. A huge thank you goes out to all of the volunteers that have already signed up to help out. If you're interested in volunteering at some of our events, please reach out and let us know how we can make your summer exceptional!

We're always looking for the following:
• Course Sweep
• Food Station
• Course Marshals
• Registration Table - Early start, early finish, interacting with the riders
• First-Aid - Must be comfortable with hiking/biking to your spot and be a minimum of WFR. We do offer paid positions.
• Finish Line Support - Hang out at the finish line

What we offer:
• Free entry to any race this year! If redeeming for your kids/spouse, you'll receive 75% off.
• Free lunch, snacks, and drinks.
• 40% discount code from the legends at Leatt.

If this sounds like you, register here as a volunteer.

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A huge thank you has to go out to the following people: Tourism Medicine Hat, Medicine Hat Accommodation Association, 670 Collective Mountain Bike Club, Medicine Hat Brewing Co, Chris Dodds, Mike Ratcliffe, Kurtis Peters, Joel Hese, our volunteers, and everyone else who helped pull this event together.

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• Visit our Website
• General Inquiries | Kaitlin Lomas info@canadianenduro.com
• Event Inquires | Brooke Hanson brooke@canadianenduro.com
• Sponsorship & Media Inquires | Jake Paddon info+marketing@canadianenduro.com

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Racing and Events Race Reports Canadian Enduro League LEATT