Two bikers based in Langford will be taking home gold and silver, with another Victoria-based rider taking bronze, at a six-track mountain biking event in the Kootenay region.
From July 11 to 16, bikers from across North America travelled to the West Kootenays for the SingleTrack 6 event, in which Greater Victoria-based bikers Quinton and Peter Disera, and Rob Britton, swept the podium in the pro-elite category.
"It was an interesting dynamic the whole week," said Quinton Disera, who took first place. "It was us three, kind of battling it out all week long. It was just funny, because we're all slightly different paces and fitness levels, different skill sets and abilities, so we would kind of like all start the day together, and then we would all separate based on our pace."
Riders in the competition bike through six stages in six days across the region for around 200 kilometres in total.
"You went out and you started at lake level, like Arrow lake or Kootenay Lake, and then you went to the literal top, or as far as the service roads and trails would go, and then descended down and see how the views were. The views were nuts," said Peter.
The Diseras are brothers from Ontario who currently live in Langford. Peter recently retired from professional biking after his last World Cup in Quebec in October.
They said the trails they rode throughout the week, which included tracks in Nelson and Castlegar, where mostly newly built by local trail organizations, so among the first to ride and experience the trails.
"It was an absolute blast and great event. It's something everybody should experience at some point," said Peter. "It should be on the mountain bike bucket list for sure."
Since the Olympics are coming up, they will be coming back to Vancouver Island and taking a break for the rest of the summer, and Peter plans to compete at a Revelstoke-based event in September, and Quinton plans to compete in the Canadian XCM Nationals in Thunder Bay.
