Downhill Racing - A Beginner's Perspective

What goes up must come down. Really quickly, if possible.

Words and photos by Stefan Merchant

I never thought I would enjoy racing. When I ride with my buddies, I ride slow, stop frequently, look at lines, mull over drops and redo stuff.

Why give that up for a weekend with a bunch of strangers all trying to go faster than me?

When my best riding buddy told me he was going to enter the Bear Mountain Downhill and had in fact already taken a racing clinic, I thought I would try it too. Otherwise, I might have been riding alone that weekend.

Taking place in Mission, B.C., the Bear Mountain downhill course is an ideal beginner's course in that it is not very technical and if you didn't mind going slow the whole course could be rolled no problem.

To win, you need to be in great shape because the course requires a lot of pedaling.
Kind of like of that scene in Return of the Jedi - Photo: Stefan Merchant

There are two new doubles about a third of the way down the course. The first is a small gap of just over a bike length, but comes just after an uphill S-bend so you need good speed to make it cleanly and get over the next double, which has a gap of 12 feet.

Everybody I talked to was either rolling the second double or casing it. Even the pros I saw in practice were barely making the transition. For us slow guys and girls, there was a tabletop further down. Everybody I saw was having a great time off the tabletop.


Airing it out on Bear Mountain - Photo: Stefan Merchant

I am a complete chicken when it comes to jumping but even I couldn't help but enjoy myself off this one. The lines in and out were easy and the transition was long and perfectly sculpted. It was a great place to watch the race, too, as many guys were pulling tricks off it.

This year's event saw almost 300 riders participating in all classes. The hardtail class was under-represented as this course would have been easier on a hardtail than many other courses. Some riders even opted to leave the big bike at home and ride a bike with limited travel.

There was some carnage on the course, but considering that there were close to 300 riders pushing as hard as they could, it seemed pretty minimal. The St. John's Ambulance crew did a great job of running up the course and getting first aid to injured riders as quickly as possible.


Dude, this is so Budget - Photo: Stefan Merchant

The event organization was amazing. A week before the event, there was a clinic for first-time racers and shuttled practice sessions on Friday and Saturday.

There was water for the participants, a good selection of bike parts for sale for the inevitable mechanical problems, and the shuttle trained the riders to use their legs as suspension. (If you rode in the back of the Budget rent-a-van you know exactly what I mean). The organizers even scored with the weather, which combined with ideal trail conditions for fast times.

I rode in the over-30 Sport class and it was a great group of guys. Everybody realized that this class was about going out, doing your best and having fun. There was no attitude and riders encouraged each other to ride safe and fast. The winner finished in about 4:10, an amazing time as many of the men's elite riders had similar times.

The overall winner finished in a mind-boggling 3:49, and my buddy and I finished in the middle of the pack in our category. One of the things I liked best about downhill racing is that because the runs are individual you are really racing against yourself.

My race run was definitely my fastest run and I didn't make any stupid mistakes. Most mistakes were caused by fatigue - the race was far more physically demanding than I expected, and by the first jump I knew I had to take it easy or else I wouldn't make it to the bottom. It is the only time in my whole life that I have hyperventilated!

During the run, you are so focused that you don't really notice the lactic acid build-up and the fact that you have stopped blinking and breathing. Only after the run was over did I notice that I couldn't stand up, and that my contact lenses had dried and cemented themselves to my corneas.

If you've never tried racing, give it a go. Not only are the people and atmosphere great but you really learn a lot from watching the pros. They ride with a speed and precision that is awe-inspiring. Since that weekend, I have resolved to go faster and smoother. And my Shore riding can only improve as a result.
The author, hating every minute of it
Photo: Stefano Piccone

Stefan Merchant