Local mountain biker Dylan Marek will be well travelled through the province by the end of the summer, after competing in five B.C. Cup downhill mountain bike races.
Marek has raced twice so far this summer, once in Kamloops and once in Mission. He competes in the U17 Sport category, which is one level down from the highest Elite group.
In his first year racing, Marek is already making a mark on the standings. For his first ever race at the Race The Ranch event in Kamloops, he finished a solid 13th out of a field of 32 riders, just under 16 seconds behind first place. A month later at the Bear Mountain Challenge in Mission, he finished in fifth.
“In my Mission race I was six seconds off third,” he said. His goal for the remaining three B.C. Cup races is “to stay top five, and try to get top three.”
Marek started biking seriously about four years ago, learning on the local trails in Smithers. His training consists mostly of riding his bike as much as possible.
“I try to get out at least every day, and I usually do somehow,” he said.
He’s currently sponsored by McBike, has had some help from Rayz, and has been coached by Matt Kilback.
Marek has three more provincial races to cement his spot in the provincial standings. Coming up in July are the Panorama Mad Trapper in Invermere and the Western Open in Golden, and the Hemlock Valley race in Chilliwack will be his fifth B.C. Cup at the end of August. Locally, he’ll also get the chance to hone his skills in the C.O.B. Piperfest races this coming weekend, and the McBike Huckin’ Eh Downhill race in September.