March 12/20 18:33 pm - Bear Mountain Canada Cup Postponed

Posted by Editor on 03/12/20
 

The Bear Mountain Bike Festival has announced the postponement of the annual event in the City of Langford BC originally scheduled for March 28-29. The festival was to headline the UCI C1 Bear Mountain Canada Cup on March 28th, as well as the Rocky Mountain Enduro on March 29th. The Westshore Kids Bike Day was also scheduled during this time in addition to a Bike Expo, Food Court, and a Beer Garden.

[Editor's Note: We had already made the decision not to attend this event, since it is not socially responsible to travel or participate in large gatherings of people in the current situation]

"This was not an easy decision as the situation has been moving very fast," said Event Director Jon Watkin. "We have been very aware of the COVID-19 situation both domestically and around the world and have provided information to the public through our website and social media on the situation based on all available information. We have been closely monitoring information from the City of Langford, Vancouver Island Health Authority, the BC Centre for Disease Control, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. We have also been paying very close attention to the status of other major cycling events, sports gatherings and conferences in our area and abroad."

"In only the last few days, there has been a noted increase in overall reported cases, including a confirmed case here in Victoria recently," continues Jon. "Overall, the situation appears to be accelerating, which raises serious concerns as to what the situation may look like in 17 days in the Greater Victoria Area when we were scheduled to host our Bear Mountain Bike Festival. We are getting emails and messages from parents and participants who are concerned about their safety and health. In recognition of the seriousness of the situation we feel that this is the most prudent course of action to take to ensure the safety and health of participants, spectators, volunteers, and to maintain the integrity of all partners and stakeholders."

The Bear Mountain Bike Festival management team will be working with the Host Venue, City of Langford, Provincial, National, and International Sports Organizations to determine if a new date may be found and will be making a decision and public announcement by April 6th. Participants are asked to maintain their registration of the event until this time. If for various reasons, participants would like to cancel their entry fee registration, requests for refunds can be made at info@bearmountainbikefest.com.