Words: Canadian Enduro League
What a freaking insane day! RD #3 of the We Are One Canadian Enduro League Presented By Leatt brought us back to where it all started, the home of the Canadian Enduro League, Harper Mountain. About 20 minutes outside of Kamloops, Harper Mountain is arguably one of the best spots in BC, and year after year, it delivers top-notch racing!
It’s safe to say Harper is a rider favorite! There’s something truly special about this event, and not just because of the racing. It’s the atmosphere. Signing in on race day, you cannot help but be absolutely stoked for the day ahead. Start the clock!
After a huge amount of work from Alex Silverthorne, the We Are One Composites staff, the Kamloops DH Union, and many other epic locals, the trails for this weekend were in quite possibly the best shape they have ever been in. Thanks team!
With an almost capacity field, the stage was set for a great day. Riders faced 5 stages, 40km, and 1800 meters, in the blazing hot Kamloops sun. But still, all we saw was stoke!
The racing was just as hot as the weather this weekend! Leading the charge, the We Are One Composites Manu-factory racing squad put down some blazing hot times. Not only is this crew doing incredible things for the Canadian enduro scene, but they are shredders too! Truth be told, we could write a story about every single category this weekend. Across the board, racing was tight, leaders chopped and changed, crashes and mechanicals switched things up, and the list goes on! So this week, we’re going to let the pictures do the talking. Enjoy!
Want to skip straight to the results? We got you! Click Here
A huge thank you to the Kamloops Performance Cycling Centre and everything they do for the trails. We were stoked to be able to donate $6600 back to the trails, and it’s all thanks to everyone coming out an racing! Want to support the trails yourself? Head over to the Kamloops Performance Cycling Centre website and donate now!
Saturday night Grass Slalom is a Harper tradition and simply cannot be beaten. There’s nothing quite like the simple pleasure of a few grass turns, a huck to flat, and good mud bog. $100 was on the line for the fastest male and female, claimed by Keira Flanagan and our very own Jacob Tooke. It wouldn’t be slalom without some chaos challenges, though. A mini bike challenge, huck to flat challenge, and more made this one hell of an evening.
This weekend, Easy Rider, Stage 4, was chosen as the McElhanney Special Stage. The 1.2km long flow trail combined a huge array of jumps and berms to keep everyone on their toes. Don’t be fooled though; at race pace, it was a true test of the lungs! Finishing with a huge 35ft – 40ft table (60ft if you’re Alex Silverthorne and sent it to flat!), this stage was clearly a crowd favorite.
New for the 2023 season is the Red Bull Downtime Stage. As an integrated stage within the event, The Red Bull Downtime Stage gives amateur riders the chance to win big, with the fastest male and female amateur taking home VIP tickets to Red Bull Joyride! For RD #3 riders had to risk it all on the infamous Harper Grass Slalom turns in order to punch their ticket to Joyride. As the final stage of the day, riders were starting to tire, but with such high stakes on the line, there was no letting up. Keira Flanagan and Jacob Baggot put down some blistering times to claim the top spot and punch their card to a VIP experience at Red Bull Joyride.
Being in their backyard, we simply couldn’t not get a We Are One Arrival bike check this weekend. What better person to chat to than Tyler Mccomb, lead machinist for We Are One.
These events do not happen without our dedicated volunteers! They are quite literally the backbone of the event. A huge thank you goes out to all of the volunteers that have already signed up to help out. If you’re interested in volunteering at some of our events, please reach out and let us know how we can make your summer exceptional!
We’re always looking for the following:
• Course Sweep
• Food Station
• Course Marshals
• Registration Table – Early start, early finish, interacting with the riders
• First-Aid – Must be comfortable with hiking/biking to your spot and be a minimum of WFR. We do offer paid positions.
• Finish Line Support – Hang out at the finish line
What we offer:
• Free entry to any race this year! If redeeming for your kids/spouse, you’ll receive 75% off.
• Free lunch, snacks, and drinks.
• 40% discount code from the legends at Leatt.
If this sounds like you, register here as a volunteer.
A huge thank you has to go out to the following people: Tourism Kamloops, Kamloops Performance Cycling Center, The Bicycle Cafe, The Kamloops DH Union, Cheryl Beatie, Lisa & Norm Dabuger, the We Are One staff, our volunteers, and everyone else who helped pull this event together.
The Canadian Enduro League acknowledges that this event occurs on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) territory, situated within the unceded ancestral lands of the Secwépemc Nation. We honor and respect the people, the territory, and the land that houses our community.
• Visit our Website
• Athlete Inquiries | Kaitlin Lomas info@canadianenduro.com
• Event Inquires | Brooke Hanson brooke@canadianenduro.com
• Sponsorship & Media Inquires | Jake Paddon info+marketing@canadianenduro.com
