BC Bike Race: What You Need to Know

Rule No. 1: Bring a kit for every day of the race. Because unless you have a personal soigneur, doing laundry during the race is no beuno. Photo by Jason Sumner

Make sure to budget some time for hanging out at base camp. As you can see in this shot of the Powell River compound, life can be pretty good. Photo by Jason Sumner

Recovery is key. Photo by Jason Sumner

Base Camp at dawn. Photo by Margus Riga

Massage during the race can make life on the bike all that much better. Photo by Jason Sumner

Ride time at the 2011 BC Bike Race. Photo by Dave Silver

Tubeless tire set-ups are a no brainer. Light, stiff wheels from Mavic are a bonus. Photo by Jason Sumner

Tent city comes down, only to be set up somewhere else later in the day. Photo by Jason Sumner

BC Ferries time is one of the event’s highlights. Photo by Stephen Wilde

If you’re lucky, you might get a chance to ride a Harbour Air seaplane during one of the early-morning transfers. Photo by Jason Sumner

The author carving lines aboard a Rocky Mountain Element MSL 70. Photo by RavenEyePhotography.com

Don’t worry, there are numbers on the back of all luggage pieces, making it easy to keep track of what belongs to who. Photo by Jason Sumner

Dropping in. Photo by Margus Riga

Not a bad view while waiting for the ferry to arrive for the trip to the Sunshine Coast. Photo by Jason Sumner

When racing is done, stay a few extra days in Whistler. To-do options include the world famous mountain bike park or skiing on the glacier atop Blackcomb mountain. Photo by Jason Sumner