SR Suntours 38th Special Vancouver Island Tour – with Kurtis Downs, Mark Matthews and Dylan Crane – Mountain Bike Blog Post
Words by Mark Matthews
What happens when you gather a group of freeriders, unleash them on Vancouver Island, and add a dash of SR Suntours 38 forks to the mix? You’ll experience a week full of ridiculous moments, laughter and epic rides. I had the unique opportunity to organize an unreal week of riding with my SR Suntour teammates and a hand-picked selection of local riders who keep the Vancouver Island freeride scene going.
Everyone had to be ready to face the gnarliest things this island has to offer. I was joined by my teammates Kurtis Downs and Dylan Crane, as well as local talents Andrew Giesbrecht, August Nesbitt and Tor Cameron, who added a special touch to the experience. This trio of up-and-coming freeriders have crafted crazy, progressive lines deep in the woods, keeping Vancouver Island’s rugged AF spirit alive.
Our week began at “Mount Steve” near Victoria, named after its private landowner Steve. This spot is a freerider’s dream, offering a mix of chunky, steep rock riding, old-fashioned ladder bridges, big drops and tricky transmitters. We warmed up with an airy trick jump and in no time our crash reel was started for the trip. Yes, you read that right, within the first hour!
Next we ventured to August’s unique zone in Cowichan. Here we discovered extensive freeride routes in a gravel pit on a mountain peak. The session included some personal firsts, like Kurti’s front flip with a drop and August getting there harder than ever! The most outstanding feature, however, was a long transfer gap over a mini-ravine with an impressively narrow and soft landing zone. I’m pretty sure at least two of us ended up down in the trees… more than once!
Unfortunately, Tor staggered too much when he fell and suffered a bad fall, breaking his wrist. Still, he remained in high spirits throughout the week. “My bike and I went off the same cliff; I was rushed to the hospital but the RUX 38 came out without a scratch.” – Tor Cameron
The highlight of our trip for me was visiting my own hiking trail in the Comox Valley, known as “Sharknado.” This trail consists of 12 consecutive hits (many of which are shark fins), each large and technical, with extremely short gaps in between. The remarkable “Stump Gap” features a very tight curve that turns into a steep jump over a 12-foot tree stump. We saw some tricks that didn’t seem possible before!
Despite the super dry conditions, the crew rose to the challenge and Kurtis and Dylan completed full runs from top to bottom. Before that day, no one but me had ever made it past jump #2. Kurtis was the first person other than me to complete a full run, and it was a surreal feeling to see the pure excitement on his face when he made it to the bottom with me for the first time.
I was blown away by how everyone rode that day and how they tackled the features. Building Sharknado was a gradual learning process for me, step by step. However, these guys were faced with the challenge of completing everything in just a few hours! By the time we wrapped up our whirlwind week, we were physically and mentally exhausted.
Our final day took us to my other trail, “Moon Boot,” where we encountered more great features. August was taking a well-deserved break, Tor was on the sidelines and the rest of us were just exhausted. But the trail has a super flowy vibe, highlighted by an aesthetic step-up jump in a mossy ravine that is definitely one of my favorite jumps of all time. It’s incredible to see other people there having the same feeling.
And so the week came to an end, leaving us with a lot of incredible memories. I would like to sincerely thank SR Suntour for giving me the freedom to organize this unforgettable trip. We brought our team together, built new friendships and kept the freeride spirit alive while putting the 38 forks to the test.
“I liked how hassle-free the fork was. Maintenance is a breeze and is rarely needed, meaning I can spend more time on the bike and less time working on my and my friends’ bikes!” – Andreas Giesbrecht”
Video by Scott Bell Visuals, photos by Hoshi Yoshida, words by Mark Matthews
