Introduction:

KRob is the famous mtbr member/writer who puts out the best Interbike Test Ride summary every year. His latest work can be found here: http://reviews.mtbr.com/2012-all-mountain-bike-tests-at-interbike-outdoor-demo.

Shortly after Interbike, he made his way to Whistler to ride and meet up with LeeL and Brodiegirl who write for mtbr as well. Follow their adventures here.

francis @mtbr

Photos by Lee Lau

Since my earliest forays into mountain biking and mountain biking reports I’ve seen pictures and read tales of the famous BC riding scene. But up until now these have been just surreal imaginings of deep green, moss, loam, ladders, and slabs that only really lived on my computer screen, ink smudged magazine pages and dreams. I scarcely believed I would ever get the chance (or develop the ability) to ride there.

I usually always go to Interbike the third week in September spending the first two days at Dirt Demo then moving on to Hurricane for a day then Moab for rest of the week. But this year, thanks to the urging of some good folks in this thread and via email, I decided to venture north before I got too old to enjoy the kind of trails for which British Columbia is famous.

My one hesitation was that I really enjoy doing the Interbike Dirt Demo reports and riding a bunch of new bikes, but with the generous aid of Lee Lau and the extreme kindness of many different people, shops, and bike companies, I was able to blend my desire to ride the Shore and test some different bikes while doing it. My super supportive non-biking wife graciously consented to come with me eventhough she knew this would be primarily a biking trip which really sealed the deal for me. So with bike gear stuffing my duffle to overflowing we caught our flight from the dry, desolate starkness of Nevada to the lush, deep greens of British Columbia.

It started with some very enjoyable touristy kinds of things in North Vancouver and Vancouver just chilling with my wife and seeing the sites.

Honey, I think we’re in Canada! Yup, pretty sure.

Prospect Point Stanley Park

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

We even found us a Mountie to pose with.

Stanley Park Sea Wall. This walking/riding path goes clear around the peninsula on which Stanley Park resides. It was extensively rebuilt and paved a few years ago after high winds and rains washed much of it away. We were going to come back another day and rent a tandem but ran out of time.