2015
Stage 1: Salmon Arm
Date: July 26th, 2015
The Location: Salmon Arm, British Columbia
Located on the shores of Shuswap Lake, Salmon Arm is at the heart of a region known as Shuswap Country or “The Shuswap”. Noted for its abundance of recreational activities, the Shuswap offers cycling, mountain biking, golf, water skiing, house boating and more for the outdoor enthusiast.
The Plan: Kick off your ST6 six pack with a short drive to the start line 10 minutes outside of town at the Rubberhead Trail Network. Ride trails built and maintained by the Shuswap Trails Alliance on a route handpicked by local riders at Skookum Cycle and Ski.
The Stage: You’ll warm up climbing the forest roads that access the myriad fun descents in the Rubberhead area before dropping you into the timed descent. From there, you’ll ascend to the top of the Rubberhead system into the Larch Hills Nordic trail system, a fast and flow roll through the cool woods before descending into the South Canoe trail network, home on the legendary Salty Dog race! Finish the day with extensive descending and rolling singletrack trail to finish on the grass at Khalani Park in South Canoe.
Distance: 39.5 km
Elevation Gain: 1400m*
Timed Descent: 3.7 km, 270m descending
Stage 2: Silver Star Bike Park
Date: July 27th, 2015
The Location: Silver Star Bike Park, Vernon
Silver Star Bike Park is steeped in mountain bike history and some of the best trails you’ll find anywhere. The Trail Crew is the backbone of the resort and the dedication they have for building and buffing the trails is what has given them such a great reputation. The new XC network is an incredible place to get your pedal on. Up at the resort the weather is always 10 degrees cooler than the valley below and the amazing trails that they are so well known for on the DH side have now been carved into XC/AM trails that will definitely impress.
The Plan: Rise and shine in Salmon Arm for a 90km shuttle to Silver Star. Enjoy the views as as we make our way south to Vernon and climb up to the base of the resort on Silver Star Mountain at an elevation of 3800 feet.
The Stage: Silver Star is ‘new school’ singletrack with a hint of the old thrown in. The purpose built xc singletrack, whether going up or down, has been built with an emphasis on maintaining flow. Bermed out corners and switchback after switchback after switchback are the norm here.
Distance: 39.8 km
Elevation Gain: 1,200 m*
Timed Descent: 2.3 km, 200m elevation loss
Santa Cruz Stage 3: Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park
Date: July 28th, 2015
The Location: Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, Vernon
Located southeast of the city of Vernon, Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park offers up 42 square kilometres of beautiful country side featuring grassland, ponderosa pine forest, climbs to views of Kalamalka Lake and, of course, tons of singletrack.
The Plan: Wake up after a relaxing night at Silver Star Resort and shuttle 30km to the start just outside Kalamalka Park at Kalamalka Secondary School. After the ride, we’ll head back up to Silver Star for a second night in the same bed.
The Stage: The crew at the North Okanagan Cycling Society (NOCS) has created a network of trails that feature flowing switchback climbs over rockyterrain leading to bombing descents that will leave you grinning ear-to-ear. The views of Kalamalka Lake and the surrounding mountain ranges are simply spectacular.
Distance: 41.5 km
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1500m*
Timed Descent: 2.1km, 240m elevation loss
Trails: Gingerly, High Rim Trail, Foreplay, Beaver Basher, Crosstown Traffic, Cabin, Serendipity, Arachnophobia, South Park, High Rim Trail, Cabin, No Boats, Crosstown Traffic, 3 Rings, Pond Loop, Stone Free, High Rim Trail, Stone Free Again, High Rim Trail, CJ Express, Tombstoned, CJ Express, Big Ed, Rotten Cabin, High Rim Trail, Twisted Sister, Crash of ’08, Black Powder, Cosens Bay Express, Freaky Creeky, Early Exit, Cosens Bay Trail, Dew Drops, Gingerly.
Stage 4: Myra Bellevue Provincial Park
Date: July 29th, 2015
The Location: Myra Bellevue Provincial Park, Kelowna
Kelowna, B.C. has long been known as a magnet for Canadian vacationers and wine lovers. Nestled on the banks of Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, the surrounding mountains play host to 28 vineyards, exceptional golf courses and, of course, amazing mountain biking.
The Plan: Wake up at Silver Star Mountain Resort, load up and shuttle 85km south to the start line at Myra Canyon Adventure Park east of Kelowna.
The Stage: Taking place in Myra Bellevue Provincial Park, Stage 4 offers up an incredible mix of terrain featuring loose rock, power climbs, exposed trail through burned out landscape and technical descents with rock drops of up to two feet. Oh, and some long climbs to amazing views.
Distance: 42.6 km
Elevation Gain: 1600m*
Timed Descent: 5.3 km, 515 m elevation loss
Smith Optics Stage 5 & The Bike Barn Stage 6: Penticton
Date: July 30th & 31st, 2015
The Location: Penticton, British Columbia on the shores of Lake Okanagan next to the Penticton Lakeside Resort.
The Plan: After an epic day of riding in Kelowna, we’ll roll into town for the start at Penticton Lakeside Resort on the shores of Lake Okanagan. While we navigate through the permitting process we’ve been asked to keep these two stages under wraps for a while longer. Be ready for 35km – 40km each day with spectacular wine country and lake views, one timed descent, rock slabs and technical climbs. Finish off the week with a lakeside wine tasting and banquet!
Smith Optics Stage 5:
Distance: 35.3 km
Climbing: 1,200 m*
Timed Descent: 2.6km, 270m
Bike Barn Stage 6:
Distance: 40.4 km
Climbing: 1,300m*
Timed Descent: 4.0 km / 300 m
*Elevation data may be highly variable by device or mapping platform, as different software may use various data sources and calculation methods. Our total elevation gain for the stage is a middle estimate based on readings from multiple devices.