**Join Mike Kennedy each month right here on Flow on his journey to the BC Bike Race
We all love to dream of living the life; railing endless berms of hero dirt, smooth flowing lines through lush forests, jumps, transitions, roost coming off the back wheel, bike and body in harmony. But as wise man once said “In dreams begin responsibilities” and it’s time for me to wake up and start living those dreams.
Now I’m no superhero, just your average weekend warrior. I love getting out with my mates for a blast around the local. I’m happy going on solo missions too – just me and that relentless training partner Strava! Night rides, 24 hour races with the four man wolf pack, downhill races, beers and BBQ at the local pumptrack challenge. I’ve had some great times. But somehow I never managed to make it to Mecca, the holy grail, the heart of darkness. Canada.
I’ve watched all the movies and always said, “that’s on the list…one day for sure”. Then earlier this year I pressed the button. The opportunity came to go Queenstown and ride with a couple of mates for a week. It was awesome. Not just regular awesome, super freaking awesome. Soon after came a quick trip to the redwoods of Rotorua. It may stink but it is so much fun nobody cares! The sweet trails lit a new fire in me, and I wanted more.
Inspired by my mate Mark who just sold up and moved to Whistler, I came to the realisation that it’s now or never for Canada. The clock keeps ticking – it was time to buy a ticket and go.
I’ve done a handful of races over the years; the Mont24, the Scott24, the Polaris, some downhill, some cross country and lately some endures, all of it awesome fun. Then I heard about the BC Bike Race. It’s a seven-day stage race through the heart of British Columbia, a true test of mind, body and equipment. When I saw the footage and the endless ribbon of singletrack I knew I had to do it, this was what I had been looking for, seven days in an all you can eat singletrack buffet!
It wasn’t too hard to convince Mark that we should do it so into the diary it went and as soon as registration opened for 2013 we locked it in. Holy crap…it just got real.
So here I am, less than 300 days till I’m standing next to my buddy on the starting line in beautiful BC, staring down the barrel of 50-60km a day for seven days, gulp.
Now I’m pretty competitive kind of bloke and I want to enjoy the race and do well so 50-60 clicks a day means I need to start training now. I have a plan, which is to build some base fitness by doing about 100km a week and I want to do almost all of it on dirt. This training will evolve throughout the year and as I move into the final phase I plan to follow the 12 week training program of Canadian legend, Andreas Hestler. Currently I’m only averaging 57km per week so it’s time to pull my finger out get pedaling.
I hope that you guys and girls out there will follow me and my exploits throughout the year. I’ll need your support, feedback and encouragement as I head towards my goal.
You can follow my progress** on Flow every month as I show the body who’s boss and live the dream!
