Battle Creek Showdown to blast off Aug. 26 at Elkwater

By Peggy Revell on August 8, 2017.

It’s all about the bikes, beats and brews as the Battle Creek Showdown Mountain Bike Race and Festival returns to the Elkwater side of the Cypress Hills this Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“It’s the atmosphere. One hundred per cent the atmosphere,” said Ben Roscoe, the showdown’s coordinator, about why people keep returning to participate in the race and festival.

Now in its fifth year, the race takes place over four hours, with participants attempting to make as many laps around the course as possible.

It’s a “tight little course,” said Roscoe, adding that people can participate as an individual or team of two.

Accompanying the race will be a DJ pumping music, and after the race everyone will come together at the Camp Cookhouse for awards, entertainment, food and drinks.

“Every year it keeps growing. We cap it at bigger numbers each year,” said Roscoe, adding that this year they’ve capped the number of participants at 100 riders. As of the end of July, just over 50 people had registered, but they expect to hit the 100 mark.

Participants have come from as far away as Calgary, Edmonton and even Mexico for the showdown, said Roscoe. Another part of the draw for the showdown is that it isn’t a sanctioned points event — those are usually earlier on in the year — so it just makes for a fun family time, with many participants camping with their family at Elkwater for the weekend.

An event like this is also a testament to the work that the 670 Collective Mountain Bike Club has done with the Cypress Hills to develop trails.

There are 150 members in the club, said Roscoe, and they’ve been working to develop Elkwater and Redcliff by Medicine Hat with these trails, which have drawn in many people to visit the area.

For more information about this year’s showdown, visit http://www.670collective.ca.