Vancouver Island Nationals

Palmer and Tougas are the future of Canadian BMX.

That may be the case for the local residents, but for the diehard BMX racers who visited Vancouver Island, it may be a different story. They came for a purpose. They came to race hard and bring home some hardware, NAG points, and memories of the fun times with their BMX friends.

Located at the Juan de Fuca Rec Center near Victoria BC, this track was home to the UCI World Championships back in 2007. With two pro sections for the riders to wow the crowd with, skying across big gaps, the track recently received an upgrade that kept the riders on their toes. The new technical sections were tough, and well received by visitors. A lot of praise was overheard of how fun the track is to ride, and how “it’s been a while since I raced a track this fun!”

Kudos to Victoria BMX for a fantastic facility! It’s been a few years since there was a Pro Womens class at a Canadan National but this weekend was the exception. Stepping up to the plate was Kamloop’s Destinee Botcher, who made the move to join the ranks with Daylight Cycle’s Cayleigh Vanstaalduin, Supercamp’s Cassidy Monahan, and GHP Canada’s Erin Kinne, to form the Women’s Pro class. Botcher did great in her debut, placing a respectable third all weekend long. Things can only get better for her as she progresses through the series.