Top Kiwi veteran mountain biker Kath Kelly (above, centre) finally got her wish to fly to Canada and race in the BC Bike race in July, where she triumphed in her age-group (50+) and finished 12th female overall against the elites and professionals.
The 'Original Ultimate Singletrack Experience' is a full-throttle 7-day stage race over challenging terrain in the wilds of British Columbia, also known as the 'mecca' of mountain bike racing.
Covering 25-50km within a certain time frame every day, Kath performed strongly throughout the event, saying: "The riding was mainly really physical and technical single track riding with some sections of steep fire road hill climbs.
"One morning started with a 9.5km gravel road section where my road biking skills came into play. Because I do all types of riding from road, cyclocross, enduro down hill and cross country it played into my skill set quite well.