Fall Fifteener

Join us Sunday, October 24 from 10am-1pm at Hartland Bike Park for the SIMBS Fall Fifteener, a chart-your-own-adventure mountain bike event that challenges participants to navigate through a series of checkpoints via their own plotted route. The catch? Location of the checkpoints, dotted throughout the Hartland trail network, won’t be revealed until the day-of, just before “3-2-1-go”! Don’t worry…we’ll give you a map 😉

As an individual or team of up to four, choose from either the “Adventure” or “Challenge” course categories - details below. Approach it as a race for time or simple completion exercise, selecting a route that includes sanctioned trails within your abilities and level of experience. Expect that some hike-a-biking may be required - and that’s okay! 

All ages and levels of experience welcome, with experience riding at Hartland highly recommended. SIMBS membership and full vaccination against COVID-19 required. Memberships may be renewed or purchased at https://simbs.com/membership/. Registration opens October 15 and closes October 21; capped at 100.

Why Fall “Fifteener”? Because it’s only $15 per person to participate! And registration includes a delicious post-race smokie or veggie dog courtesy of Red Barn Markets.

Course Categories

Adventure - Suitable for beginner to intermediate riders, expect approximately 5km of distance and 250m of climbing to collect the 4 checkpoints included in this course. 

Challenge - Including 8 checkpoints, expect approximately 14km of distance and 400m of climbing for this course, suitable for intermediate to advanced riders.

Event Schedule

Starts will be staggered to allow for greater physical distancing within all event areas. The start schedule, to be created at random, will be emailed to participants by 12pm the day prior to the event.

On race day, participants may pick up their race plates and course maps no more than 20 minutes before their scheduled start time. Ooooo!

Did someone say barbecue? Following your race, swing by Red Barn Market West Saanich for a complementary smokie or veggie dog! The grills will be hot until 2:30pm.

SIMBS Membership Required

For insurance reasons, all participants must hold a SIMBS membership, valid on race day. Memberships will be checked at sign-in. If your membership, or that of any teammate, has expired, it must be renewed before race day. https://simbs.com/join/

Racing as a Team?

If racing as a team, you must remain within eyesight of your teammates while on-course. You will not be permitted to depart a checkpoint until all teammates have arrived and must cross the finish line together. 

Route Selection

When selecting your route, only sanctioned, official trails are permitted; no bushwhacking or trail braiding out of respect to the park and trail builders. Select trails that are within the abilities and level of experience of all team members. That may mean taking less direct routes between checkpoints! Remember to look before you leap and don’t be afraid to hike-a-bike if needed.

Unsupported Race & First Aid Information

Expect to be self-sufficient - prepared with your own nutrition, hydration and tools in the event of a mechanical. No on-course mechanical support or aid stations will be provided. First aid will be available at a few points throughout the course but, like any prepared outdoors person, bringing a few of your own bandaids or other supplies just in case certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Parking

Event parking will be available within the main Hartland lots and roadside alongside Hartland Avenue, with tires off pavement and clear of residential driveways. To reduce vehicle volume, please consider safely carpooling or choosing an active mode of transportation to/from the event. Reminder that race plates and course maps may be picked up from the Technical Training Area no more than 20 minutes before your scheduled start. 

Event Accessibility & Spectator Information

The start/finish will be stationed within the Technical Training Area (TTA), 100m from the parking lots. Unfortunately, access to this area can only be achieved via rocky, gravel path ranging in steepness from 2-10% grade. 

Spectators are welcome to hike or ride to areas of the course to cheer racers on. Please stick to sanctioned, established trails if doing so; being respectful and aware of other park users, along with the delicate flora and fauna.

Portable, single stall toilets will be available for racers and spectators within the TTA. Accessible washroom facilities are available within Hartland’s north parking lot if needed.

Refund Policy

Registration fees are non-refundable. In the event you or a member of your team cannot race due to illness or injury, registration may be transferred to another racer upon request. Requests must be submitted at least 24-hours before the race and may be sent to events@simbs.com. No day-of transfers will be accommodated. 

Communicable Disease Safety Measures

All participants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccine passports will be checked at sign-in. Masks will be required of racers at sign-in and within the start/finish zone while waiting for call-up. Masks are recommended for all attendees in situations in which at least 2 meters of physical distance cannot be maintained from those outside one’s household (excluding while actively racing). Event attendees are not welcome if: 

  • symptomatic of a communicable disease;
  • currently under mandate to self-isolate as per BC Ministry of Health guidelines; or 
  • living at home, or having come in close contact with, someone with a confirmed case of a communicable disease. 

Hand sanitizer will be made available at race sign-in and portable toilets. Tables and shared equipment will be sanitized before and after use. Shared equipment will be limited to only that necessary for event function.

Registration opens October 15 and closes October 21. 

And a *Special Thanks* to…!

Victoria Orienteering Club for kindly lending the flags and punches used at each checkpoint.

Red Barn Markets for hosting a post event barbecue! They’re treating all racers to a delicious smokie or veggie dog, and donating net proceeds from other food and drink sales to SIMBS. Swing by Red Barn West Saanich from 12-3pm. Grills will be hot until 2:30pm.

Hullabaloo will also be treating all racers to a complimentary ice cream or drink.

Volunteer Opportunities

Interested in being involved but, not as a racer? Volunteer! These opportunities don’t come with remuneration but, we’ll buy you a post-event smokie or veggie dog in thanks. All volunteers must be at least 15 years of age and fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Please email questions or expressions of interest to events@simbs.com. Opportunities are first come, first served. 

Course Marshal - Expect to be stationed at a checkpoint and responsible for set up and take down of it, plus checking off and cheering on racers as they pass through. Must be comfortable hiking or biking, using personal bike, to/from the assigned point. Points will be of varied difficulty to access. Stationing at a point with easier access can be arranged upon request in advance. 

First Aid - At a minimum, must be certified in Emergency or Standard First Aid with CPR-C. Expect to be stationed at a course checkpoint and to be called upon for first aid assistance as needed. To ensure timely response, these volunteers must come prepared with a mountain bike and backpack, and be comfortable riding most Hartland terrain. A first aid kit will be provided. 

Racer/Team Sign-In - Assist with the check-in of racers, checking of vaccination passports, distribution of course maps and race plates, answering of general event questions and other miscellaneous event to-dos. Based at Technical Training Area.

Start/Finish Official - Assist with the “3-2-1-go!” of racers and teams (starts will be staggered), recording of start/finish times and other miscellaneous event to-dos. Based at Technical Training Area. 

Photographer - Looking for a couple talented photographers to capture the action on-course. Cheese!

We acknowledge with gratitude that we live and enjoy recreation on the unceded territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ People.⁠

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