BC Bike Race Day 3: Tzouhalem serves up sizzling singletrack

This is BC, the singletrack ninja's are hard at work carving up the roots, rocks and berms. What a day, as the temperatures cooled off it was prime time for heating up the level of gnar.

With the legs still firing hard, all of the racers came off the course STOKED on a wicked stage, this is what they came for and this is what they got.

Without remorse today was an extravaganza of everything BC could throw at the racers, ready or not, this is the FULL Ultimate Singletrack Experience.

Stage 3 - Mount Tzouhalem - Cowichan Valley July 2 - Presented by Crankbrothers 

24.7km - 992m 

5 climbs - five descents - Bumblebee, Finality, Rocky Mountain Ridge, Danalyzer, finishing on Double D

Tzouhalem serves up sizzling singletrack 

A veritable smorgasbord of singletrack goodness, with a short but punchy road sections to spread out the field before hitting the best singletrack on Mount Tzouhalem from start line to finish banner.

992m of elevation was condensed into just 25km of punchy, rolling climbs and a mix of fast descends and classic, west coast janky rocks and roots. Ecstasy if you were on your game but agony, albeit in a scenic locale, if your legs didn't show up for the fight. 

Returning champions and a growing battle 

On the women’s side, Sandra Walter continued to extend her lead over BC Bike Race royalty, Katerina Nash, and defending champion Maghalie Rochette. Nash has won a few of these races over the years, though, and should never be counted out. 

“I think I’m riding really well, kind of where I’m at at this point, and just really enjoying all the downhills. The climbing, oof, it’s been heavy on climbing in the first three days. But there’s always that reward!”

Nash was absolutely flying down Tzouhalem’s suite of sweet singletrack descents, whether it was the janky tech of Rocky Ridge or the high-speed flow of Double D and Bumble B. That’s given Nash a sizable lead in the Foxed Timed DH race-within-a-race. As for moving up into the lead on the overall, is there a strategy? 

“Yeah, the strategy is to make it through the week!” Nash says with a laugh. “That’s the main goal. I haven’t been able to stay on Sandra’s wheel from the start, essentially, so the goal would be to try do that one day. So we’ll keep trying.” 

Behind today’s podium finishers, an intense battle for positions is brewing. Usha Khanal currently holds fourth position, but with Lauren Zimmer, Starla Teddergreen and Chloe Cross chasing close behind. 

“When I came here I was hoping for a top 10. I am kind of surprised and happy that I’m doing well. I hope I can keep the pace up like this,” says the Nepalese rider. “Finger’s crossed for no mechanicals!” 

Anything can happen in racing, and the battle for fourth can quickly turn into a race for third if anything goes awry for the lead trio. How does the BC Bike Race compare to her home trails on the other side of the world? 

“Very, very good. This is my first stage race in Canada. It’s great to ride trails like this. We really don’t have trails like this in Nepal, so it’s nice to ride on trails really meant for bikes, I’m enjoying it so much.” 

A sizzling singletrack battle on Tzouhalem

On the men’s side, yesterday’s Canada Day fireworks continued today on Mount Tzouhalem. Matthew Wilson sits between two Forward Racing teammates, Sean Fincham and Sean Fincham, and decided to try to do something about it. 

“I love a good, long climb and it was pretty steep today as well, so it was a good chance as any to put the power down and try put some time into them,” said Wilson. It worked, for a while. After escaping at the top of the first climb, the Kiwi rode solo for much of the day. 

“Matt went out super hard, just a crazy high pace,” said Fincham, adding to the play-by-play from his end. “I eased off a bit, recovered, and ripped the second half. I found my flow a bit, slowly closed on him, and ripped the downhill to try catch him.” 

“I was happy to be out of sight,” Wilson says, “But couldn’t quite hold it together on the back end. I found my efforts from earlier in the day. I just couldn’t hold it through that really janky, up-down stuff at the end. I was just all over the map. Sean showed up from out of nowhere behind me and I just couldn’t match him on his home turf.” 

“I sprinted by him pretty all-out,” Fincham admitted, “he looked a little tired and I wanted to maximize. Then I know Double D so well, I just risked it hardcore.” 

The strategy paid off, and Fincham not only took the stage win but extended his lead by 30.1 seconds. A wild back-and-forth day ended well for the defending champ, but the Canadian is very aware that BC Bike Race is a long, and occasionally wild race

“There’s just so much time left, a minute at the end of this race can be nothing,” says Fincham. “We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow, how I’m doing tomorrow - I mean, he’s really strong. I don’t know how it’s going to play out.”

Legends working together to extend the lead 

In the team racing, all-star duo Maja Wloszczowska and Nathalie Schneitter continue to lead the team of 2 women’s race. While both have extensive and impressive race resumes from World Cup’s around the globe, it’s their first time racing in B.C. and they are enjoying the experience. 

“It was a lot of fun today, a lot of nice downhills, both flowy and rocky,” says Wloszczowska, adding “and a lot of good suffering in between.” 

“I just love hearing her breathing hard,” Schneitter adds with a laugh. 

“Every time there’s a short uphill, up to 30-seconds, I’m just staring at her wheel with anger in my eyes, because she doesn’t feel any pain until 30 seconds,” Wloszczowska admits. “When it starts to get longer, I start to feel good.” 

Spoken like two riders who have spent years racing against each other. So how are the two former competitors working together? 

“I think we’re doing pretty good at the teamwork, I’m really enjoying it,” says Schneitter. “We’ve never raced together before! It’s the privilege of the retired.” 

Hometown showdown 

While Wloszczowska and Schneitter traveled from around the world to join the Ultimate Singletrack Experience, other racers were enjoying the luxury of racing on home trails. 

“It’s amazing to live here and ride these trails all the time, but to share them with people from everywhere and be able to race together. Just duking it out in all these little battles on the trails? It’s so good,” says coach Adam Walker. “My wife’s here, her family, my buddy from Edmonton and her family, and there’s people I know all over the course. It’s nice to have a cheering squad, It’s a little bit of a boost on Day 3.” 

And how does riding home trails compare to racing them? 

It’s one thing to go out and rip some laps and have good times, put in some good training rides, but hitting them when you’re already gassed? It’s a totally different experience. You have to be more calculated, more precise.” 

“I grew up here for 30 years, so I’ve ridden this stuff a ton,” adds former EWS racer and trail builder Trevor Thew, “But we definitely rode some trails today in a different direction than I’m used to, and suffered harder than I ever have before.” 

All the locals, though, were going for it on the descents. 

“That’s where you feel at home,” adds Dylan Phy.

 “Racing uphill is tough when you go down these same trails,” says Dylan Phye. But the descents? “That’s where you feel at home. It’s good fun.”

“Yeah, just trying to push the bike to actual disaster,” adds Thew. That effort showed on the results board, with both near the front on the Fox Timed Downhill and Thew in the top 15 overall on the stage. 

After three incredible days in the Cowichan Valley, the 2025 BC BIke Race is on the move. Day 4 heads to the mid-Island singletrack buffet that is Nanaimo. Classic trails wind through The Abyss lead into newer trails on Mount Benson before, finally, winding through Westwood for a lake-front finish. There’s no respite from the elevation, with another 929m on tap, but over easier grades of a 39.6km course. 

Day 2 Results - Mount Tzouhalem

Open Women
1st. Sandra Walter 1:44:28.0
2nd. Katerina Nash 1:50:02.6 (+5:34.6)
3rd.  Maghalie Rochette 1:54:26.9 (+9:58.9)
4th. Lauren Zimmer 2:07:07.4 (+22:39.4)
5th. Starla Teddergreen 2:07:09.6 (+22:41.6)

Open Men

1st.  Sean Fincham 1:21:46.3
2nd. Matthew Wilson 1:22:16.4 (+30.1)
3rd. Andrew L'Esperance 1:23:04.1 (+1:17.8)
4th. Peter Disera 1:27:46.6 (+6:00.3)
5th. Quinton Disera 1:28:46.3 (+7:00.0)

Day 2 - Overall Standings 

Open Men 

1st. Sean Fincham 2:45:27.0
2nd. Matthew Wilson 2:46:29.9
3rd. Andrew L’Esperance 2:47:23.2
4th. Peter Disera 2:55:54.4
5th. Geoff Kabush 2:58:16.3

Open Women

1st. Sandra Walter 3:28:58.0
2nd. Katerina Nash 3:37:47.2
3rd. Maghalie Rochette 3:55:08.3
4th. Usha Khanal 4:16:29.5
5th. Lauren Zimmer 4:21:24.8