It was a busy weekend at Crowsnest Pass as over 200 mountain bike and gravel bike riders took part in the third official Crowsnest Pass 100.
Endurance bike races take riders on demanding trails with elevation gains in excess of his 10,000 feet.
The longest race is 150 km and takes about 11 hours to complete.
Race co-director Peter Hockenhull launched the event in 2019.
"We wanted something that people would mark on their calendars and freak out about," Hockenhull said.
They are working with his United Riders of Crowsnest (UROC). UROC is a non-profit organization that has been building and maintaining trails in the area since 2009.
When we thought hard about plotting this area and checked it out and actually rode our bikes here, it was pretty easy," said Hockenhull.
}Trending Stories
Stories Continue Beneath the Ads
Hockenhull Says the Best Part of the Race to see the rider cross the finish line. It changes people's lives and it's so amazing to see.
Ryan Williams, who completed his first 30-kilometer race, said the adrenaline was pumping.
"One of the most fun races I've ever done. I haven't done many races, but like this one, it was a lot of fun." said Williams.
Her Jessica Sprague, a cafe owner, says endurance racing has taken the area by storm over the past 15 years, with thousands of ultramarathons her runners and bikers flocking to the area each year. I noticed that there is
After several years of canceled races due to the pandemic, she is now witnessing a boom in business.
"It's really great to have more business than we can handle," she said.
Hockenhull estimates that for every dollar people spend on racing he spends three times as much on the local economy as she does.
"We know the economic impact is huge, and as the race grows, we hope that the impact will be greater," Hockenhull said.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
