BC is a destination for downhill mountain biking. Whether doing shuttle runs with friends, or spending the weekend at a privately operated bike park, the number of outstanding places to ride seems limitless. However, there is more to the sport than simply riding; Cycling BC’s affiliated clubs and volunteers organize many different downhill races throughout the season – everything from relaxed local races, to BC Cups, and even Canada Cup events.
Downhill racing (DH) is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking event. Riders race against the clock, starting alone at set intervals, on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. The fastest rider to complete the course places first. As the name of this discipline implies, downhill races are held on steep, downhill terrain with no extended climbing sections, resulting in much higher speeds than in cross-country racing. The terrain is also often somewhat rougher than in cross-country racing. The bike is specialized and has a long travel suspension and powerful disc brakes.
While the rider’s goal is to get top to bottom as fast as possible, the course designers have their work cut out challenging the rider and making the job of going fast more difficult. Downhill courses usually feature big jumps and drops, as well as often being either covered with roots or rocky (occasionally both). A common feature is a “rock garden”, which is a strip of moderately sized rocks.
Super D (SD) is a blend of cross-country and downhill. Most of the race is downhill, on trails similar to the downhill segment of a cross-country race. There are also short (100–500 m) uphill sections which make the use of downhill bicycles difficult, as a result, many riders use cross-country or ‘trail bikes’. Depending on the trail and race venue, the start may either be seeded (riders start in short intervals), or Le Mans mass start (riders run to their bikes, timing is started when the riders start running).
Four Cross- (4X, also known as ‘mountain cross’ or ‘bikercross’) is inspired by the older dual slalom format and by BMX racing. This event pits heats of four riders against each other on a short, technical downhill course, usually less than 45 seconds in length. Two riders advance to the next round of competition from each heat, with the best 4 riders ultimately meeting in an exciting “winner takes all” final.
