Fondly known as the Monkey Wrench Cross Country, this long dusty race in Canada’s hot spot of Lytton, B.C., is one of the most popular races of the year. The race course ranges in altitude from 1,067 metres (3,500 feet) to the snowy alpine heights of 2,286 metres (7,500 feet), and along the way racers are treated to some spectacular views and some strange ones, also.
Lining up with the expert class for the race on Saturday and Sunday, I found myself with some familiar comrades and some new ones from out of province. This year, the event was part of the Canadian Cross Country Championships, and it attracted all of the fastest riders from Western Canada.
The dusty start straight up a hillclimb didn’t show me any love as I struggled with poor starts each day, leaving me battling from behind to work my way up through the dust. My strategy was to keep consistent times and outlast the majority of the competitors. This strategy worked, and I found myself swapping positions with the top five riders each day and landing in sixth place on both days.
After comparing my lap times to my fellow competitors, I was happy with my performance and also very happy with how my bike performed each day.
Interesting sights
A long weekend of racing deserves some fun times afterwards, so a few of us decided to go for a ride and find some of the more interesting spots along the race course.
Interesting spot No. 1 is called the Zip Line. The zip line consists of a steel cable suspended 4.6 metres (15 feet) in the air across a section of trail with a motorcycle and skeleton dangling below.
The last section of trail that held some entertainment didn’t have a name, but it was unforgettable nonetheless.
Lying in wait around a corner for the unsuspecting racer was a giant cow trough/bathtub filled with water and, of course, two blow-up dolls having a grand old time! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of this, but I’m sure you can use your imagination!
Besides some strange and funny sights, we were also treated to some beautiful scenery.
We rode to a look-out called Murray Peak, and we weren’t the only ones who braved the leftover snow drifts to reach the peak as we were greeted up top by a 1983 IT250 and a slew of other riders.
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