Race Recap: Williams Lake Enduro – 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series, presented by Intense Cycles

May 23, 2017 at 11:10
by Canadian Enduro  
Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
#LeyenIntoIt, getting as close as you'd ever want to the #DeathToTheLeftCorner

Cariboo Crushin'

Whoa! That was one for the books. In the off-season, I received a few emails of people wanting easier races, less pedalling and less technical stages. Unfortunately, I didn't really listen. While the BC Enduro Series is typically a little tamer than the Canadian series, once in a while something sneaks in that is total legend status. It was steep, loose, long and wild, but when in the Cariboo you've got to go full-send, especially when Doerfling's name pops up at the reg table. Welcome to stop number three of the MEC BC Enduro Series (BCES) West, presented by Intense on in the Westsyde trail network of Williams Lake.

Williams Lake, BC, it's not your average mountain bike town. Actually, it's not like any other mountain bike town or place you've been. If you don't know, you need to stop what you're doing and head there. I'm not going to give you some long explanation, everyone has priorities and commitments in life and if you haven't put this on that list, I'm sorry, but we can't be friends anymore.

Fast, raw, loose, technical and I'm only talking about the apres and partying…

The trails have everything here. Last year we rode the more mellow Fox mountain, this year, on Westsyde, we opened our eyes, forced some folks to reconsider their Instagram bio's, and humbled even the most gnarly of the groms.

The winner of the weekend was Matt Beer taking the Pro Men podium, however, 13-year-old Johnny Helly was the talk of the town, as he held the hot-seat for the longest, finishing around eighth overall on the weekend.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Red Shreds and the Cariboo Crew—Thanks to all these guys/gals who volunteered to make this stop one for the record books.


Trail Club and Community

Last year in the article I described Mark Savard's presence in his community and what he's helped build is a true culture of riding and community. Racers, parents, locals and groms all came to me this weekend with stories of how Red's and Mark helped them out over the weekend, whether it was tips on how to get gnarly at Farewell, or replacing a riders mangled wheel after it was driven into, Mark and the crew at Red Shred's pulled out all the stops and that's just a typical day.

Community = Bikes + really, really, really, good people.

To give you an example of the selflessness in this community, on Friday, Mark gave a bike to a young dude who's been volunteering at the shop, learning how to wrench and to be around bikes. They didn't have a big ceremony, or hashtag it, or spam your emails. Mark and the crew simply wanted to help out a fellow comrade, no questions or strings attached. The icing on the cake—they later found out it was the kid's birthday. #CaribooCoincidence
Mark, Megan, Bryon, Chicken, JC, the Sasquatches, Coco, Jercan, Alan, Red Tomato Pie, Mary (Old Potato House), Nolan (Barkerville Brewing), Thomas S., Ryan Grady, Scott H., Kurt, Schyler, and anyone else (sorry if I missed yuh); thanks so much for making me want to move up here. There's something special about Williams Lake, and you'll only know it if you come here.

If you enjoyed the event and trails, there is nothing more rewarding you could do, than to leave a comment below to show your appreciation for the hard work of these volunteers.

Thanks guys for collaborating with us on this event.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Shreddi, delivering thanks and Yeeeehaaaaa's.


Local Supporters—Thanks!

These types of events can’t happen without the dedicated and loving support of the local communities. A special thanks to Ride the Cariboo, Williams Lake Cycling Club, City of Williams Lake and Recreation Sites and Trails BC. Also, a massive thank-you and respect to Bill Stafford of Stafford Ranch.

Piggybacking on this, I want to thank Bill Stafford (Stafford Ranch and the entire ranching community), for being an active steward in the riding community. Ranching is a massive part of the land history here in the Cariboo (and BC), and many trails were originally put in by these ranchers. Bill has a ton of cattle and part of the course that Bryon and the Williams Lake Cycling club came up with, intersected with Bill's spring ranching. Bill pulled the legend card and worked with the club to herd the cattle out of the area for the weekend! Not a lot of people will understand the significance of this, but to see the support and collaboration here is truly remarkable.

Bill, we thank you so much for working on this with us, and for all the folks out there who ride where they may see some cattle, here are some helpful hints:
• Slow down, give a wide amount of space
• Do not spook chase, or harass cattle to try to disperse them
• Leave them be in all cases
• When travelling grasslands, ensure your bike is cleaned before/after each ride, as to not spread any species
• Please recognize that grasslands and cattle are someone's livelihood and they work extremely hard. Go slow, be respectful and courteous
• Close any gate you open, do not cut or modify any fencing.

Mark Savard | Kurt Williams, RSTBC | Ranchers!!!! | Red Shreds (Shreddi and crew) | Thomas Schoen | Bryon Black | Sean Lewis (Chicken) | Coco + Jercan | The whole crew!!! | Old Potatoe House | Megan C. | Red Tomato Pies | Baskerville Brewing | Allan and Randy Adventure Shuttles)


Racing

The trails were in prime condition for racing and as the first race of the season is was exciting to see how the long winter affected riders. The course was around 48kms in length with approximately 2,400m of descending!

You can find more photos from James Cattanach here and here

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Nick going arriba. There's something about the WL community, they just love to fiesta.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Jercan, style for miles.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
  James Doerfling was on course, and before the trolls start squawking about how he wasn't on the podium. Every marshal who saw James come down the course said he was either completely sideways, manualling, or just blowing up every little corner. I saw James come through a section on Stage 3 with a big smile, throwing a little table into a section where most riders looked as though they were about cry.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Sarah Moore with another top-notch performance this weekend.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Carter is one of the most polite U21s on the scene and his riding has been blowing up.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Jenn McHugh, finding the speed and the style, with an absolutely stellar day.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Matt Beer was the fastest man of the day, blistering speed and always looking Cariboo cool.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Hardtail livin' on the edge.


MEC Trail Donation

At every stop in the BC Enduro Series we give back 10% of participant registrations to the local trail club, for this event we kicked in a little extra due to the overwhelming support.

At this race, we donated just over $1,400 back to the local club.


The Course

Stage 1 | Outer Max » Sweet Pee
2,493m distance, 32m climb, -421m descent
Stage 2 | Pot Bellie » Bellie DH » Cherry Popper
2,941m distance, 46m climb, -244m descent
Stage 3 | Dead Sailer
1,201m distance, 9m climb, -345m descent
Mid-Course Shuttle
5,100m distance, 382m climb, -0m descent
Stage 4 | Phil's Deli » Spokey Hollow
4,362m distance, 59 m climb, -411m descent
Stage 5 | Snakes and ladders
2,236m distance, 24m climb, -389m descent

Our Trailforks profile is here


Shuttles

Big thanks to Alan and Randy at Adventure Shuttles and their bus/trailer combo for the shuttles.


Bike Check

This week we featured winner, Matt Beer and his Intense Cycles Tracer. Matt's setup was a little unique this weekend, including We Are One's, Agent, Canadian laid carbon wheels.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles

I'm riding a 2017 Tracer, size medium with a Fox Float X2. I'm accidentally running a shorter eye to eye, which makes it feel like my old Tazer FS! Run whatcha brung though, right!?

The fork is a Fox 36 RC2 160mm travel at 76psi with two blue tokens and the compression fairly open. The rebound is on the fast side.

The wheels are hot off the press from We Are One Composites—proudly made in Canada. These have been bomber. They are 28 hole rims laced to Hope Pro 4 hubs with boost spacing.

For tires, I usually run a Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 EXO maxx grip up front and a 2.3 Double Down Aggressor on the rear, setup tubeless at 24/ 27 psi without any foam inserts. There were some quality turns to slap in Williams Lake and the rim/tire combo didn't burp once.

Magura MT7 with 203/180 mm rotors have a lot of power, but great modulation with a nice soft pad engagement.

For the cockpit, I love the angles of the Chromag OSX 35 bar at 770mm with a 50mm BZA stem. That setup has been on my bikes for many years now. The Mood DT seat is a go to for comfort. It has a sleek, slanted nose for those extra steep climbs.

The drive train is a Sram XO1 11-speed configuration with some special 175mm Race Face cranks. I also run an MRP SXG chain guide with a 32T ring.


Apres and Partying
Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
The Old Potato House, kept the rhubarb water and music pumping into the early hours of Monday morning. Thanks Mary for your hard work at putting together such an awesome venue.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
The Puddle sure knows how to party!


Results

You can find the full results here.

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Talk of the town was 13-year-old Johnny Helly, he sat in the hot seat longer than anyone else, with a time that would've put him in ninth overall! Check out the video of him ripping up Stage 5 on our Facebook page.

U15 Men
1 // Jonathan Helly // 24:05
2 // Wei Tien Ho // 26:50
3 // Tristan Curran // 31:33

U21 Men
1 // Carter Krasny // 24:22
2 // Jacob Tooke // 24:32
3 // Jack Cormack // 24:50

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Flo de Vries, capturing the win all the way from New Zealand! He was totally stoked on the trails and the Desous shuttles on Monday!

21–29 Men
1 // Florian De Vries // 25:09
2 // Dune Casu // 25:12
3 // Scott Mackay // 25:28

30–39 Men
1 // Anthony Boussetta // 24:51
2 // Guillame Racine // 24:58
3 // Jeff Pont // 25:25

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Bryon Black (Right), was the man who put the course layout together. What an absolute legend, he sure knows how to pick a journey that leaves everyone smiling.

40+ Men
1 // Ryan Hayes // 24:55
2 // Bryon Black // 25:43
3 // Jesse Hohert // 25:55

Open Women
1 // Sarah Moore // 30:49
2 // Jillian Thatcher // 31:37
3 // Jayme Hills // 31:56

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Jenn Mchugh finding her pace the past two races and looking forward to the EWS.

Pro Women
1 // Jennifer Mchugh // 28:02
2 // Helena Ouskine // 35:58
3 // Ramona Wiggli // 38:26

Race Recap Williams Lake Enduro 2017 MEC BC Enduro Series presented by Intense Cycles
Coco with a solid 3rd in the race, but walking away with the 'W' for the chug-off.

Pro Men
1 // Matthew Beer // 22:24
2 // Brendon Edgar // 22:57
3 // Cory Brunelle // 23:05



A massive thank-you to this year's series sponsors and supporters

• And anyone who Volunteered with us and anyone who helped with a shuttle, a beer or a spare tube!

Fraser Valley Course Release MEC Canadian National Enduro Series presented by INTENSES cycles


We Need Help

We're always looking for parents, girlfriends/boyfriends or injured riders to help out!
What you'll get:
• Jersey
• Lunch
• Post-race meal and drink
• Discount entry to any other race, for you or for a friend/kid/dog
Contact admin@bcenduro.com, with your preferred race, phone number and email.

Need something? More information?

Website
Facebook
Instagram
• Athlete Inquires | athletes@bcenduro.com
• Volunteer Information | admin@bcenduro.com
• All other inquiries | ted@bcenduro.com (Event Director)



MENTIONS: @bcenduroseries



Author Info:
canadianenduro avatar

Member since Mar 9, 2013
216 articles

11 Comments
  • 16 2
 Whoever is asking for easier courses needs to turn in their fanny pack and their marsh guard and race cross country instead.
  • 5 0
 Dirt is dirt and berms are berms . Williams Lake is an awesome riding destination because of the people . What a town full of incredible caracters . Thank you to the Red Shred crew , thank you to Chicken and the bike club for hosting one of the best events I've ever been to . Can't wait to go back and ride some of the nicest , wildest , scariest and best decorated trails in B.C. . That's right its called trail deco and they made it an art .
  • 2 0
 Two huge thanks to note:

Ted and the BC Enduro Team - Thanks for your continued support of Williams Lake and for your enthusiasm in the community. I'm sure Brian, Sheddie and crew are already scheming over the course for next year. I guarantee that they will not disappoint.

Red Shreds, Ride The Cariboo, the WL Builders Guild and WLCC - Thanks so much for an ALL time weekend. I continue to believe that Williams Lake is the ultimate mountain bike destination in BC and its in large part because of the strength and power of these groups that have made it all happen. I'm proud to have been a part of the glorious MTB history in this town.

JC
  • 2 0
 Thanks for crushing our 100beers giveaway everybody!!!!????????
The Sasquatchs were stoked to kill all those pasties!!
Special thanks to the German Sasquatch!
Glad to have you on board bro!!
  • 1 0
 Not used to riding such steep trails, but super fun weekend! (even if I was a little puckered a few times).
Shuttles, beers, margarita stands, dogs with timing chips, great trails.
And we only got to experience 1.5 of the 4 riding areas... Will definitely need to go back again one day.

And it was so nice to wear sun glasses instead of a rain jacket for a change!
  • 3 0
 Awesome weekend! Thanks everyone
  • 3 0
 Matt Beer! The Pride of Newfoundland!
  • 1 0
 I'm sure glad I was able to watch some of the excitement on dead sailor! Fast and loose! Will be back to ride soon! Fox has fun trails too!
  • 2 0
 We Are One wheels represent!
  • 2 0
 Yeah J.Ho! Rippage.
  • 1 0
 So much fun. It's a must ride destination. It won't disappoint.







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