Guided tour of the wilds of British Columbia takes BMW GS riders to new heights.
Thirty-one riders tackled nearly 1,900 kilometres of winding roads, logging roads, creeks, drops and cow paths during six days of guided fun, which allowed this group of BMW GS riders to hone their off-road skills during six days under near-perfect skies.
The numbers added up to a spectacular first-ever Motorrad ADV-X backroad adventure in the wilds surrounding the Sun Peaks ski, golf and mountain biking resort near Kamloops, B.C. in mid-September of last year. BMW partnered with Enduro Park Canada, an off-road rider training company near Victoria, B.C., to organize the event.
The riders for this GS-only event came from across Canada and ranged from off-road newbies to advanced bushwhackers.
One of the relative newcomers was Tanya Cassells, who came with her husband Cameron Cassells from nearby Coldstream, B.C., for the ride. Although Tanya had ridden a small dirt bike as a kid in Alberta, she said she didn’t return to motorcycling until she turned 50 and did so because it is an activity she and Cameron could share.
She bought her first 1250 GS last year, and said she came to this event in part to overcome the intimidation she felt at muscling the massive 249-kilogram BMW. She and GS instructor Caroline Stevenson were the only women riders at the ADV-X event.
“The guys have been very supportive,” said Tanya, who kept pace with the male riders in her group, much to the delight of her husband.
“I’m super proud of her,” said Cameron.
LET THE RIDE BEGIN
Each day’s ride started from the Sun Peaks Resort and headed in a variety of directions on some of B.C.’s extensive logging roads. The day-long rides included technically challenging climbs up rocky and rutted gravel paths with tight switchbacks, speedy stand-up rips along narrow mountain roads, a seven-metre drop down a steep incline and a challenging splash through a creek and up a steep embankment.
There were frequent stops to take in gobsmacking views of the Cantilever and Lillooet Mountain ranges, which surround the resort. Although getting lost was not officially part of the program, each of the three riding groups made several wrong turns through the week — and saw each “mistake” as an opportunity.
BEING LOST IS PART OF IT
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