Actif Epica

With the global pandemic on our minds, we have been thinking it over and working on a plan to host the 2021 edition of Actif Epica. Without question it will be different from past iterations as we adhere to public health guidelines for sporting events to ensure we put on a safe event for all involved. That being said, we feel confident that it is still possible and are doing our best to make it happen. We plan to open registration in the fall and additional details about the event can be found on our website (https://actifepi.ca). More updates will be coming soon!

Thanks to all that joined us last weekend for the 2020 edition of Actif Epica. We had a great time and hope you did too! Final results are posted on our website (https://actifepi.ca/portfolio/919/). If you would like to provide feedback on the new format/route or any aspect of our event, please reach out and let us know what you thought, we would love to hear from you ([email protected]).

In case you were wondering about cutoff times for the checkpoints, there is a spreadsheet for that and you can find it here: https://docs.google.com//1XgpELO_0uaWoXSxtB3yEBUMg0q/edit

Returning again this year, we have our race mechanic, Daniel Friesen. He will be helping us out from 3-6pm on Friday at gear check to assist you with any last minute bike issues should anything happen to your bike in transit or if you need some last minute tweaking done to get everything in order before the start. He will also be available on Saturday morning at the start/finish from 8-9:30am.

Time for another update from Race HQ; there are a few more details that we wanted to update you on. First, a reminder that a registration system email went out this past Saturday to all registrants. In case you are registered but did not receive it, we asked if any of you need a parking pass to leave your car at The Forks while you are out on course. Passes are $10/calendar day so you may need to estimate how long you will be on course. As a reminder, we need to know by tomor...row night, so if you haven't already done so, please let us know if you need a parking pass and for how many days (contact us at: [email protected]). After tomorrow, you will have to arrange long term parking on your own if you want to leave a vehicle at the start/finish (note our passes are discounted by about 50% of standard parking fees). Next, a quick report on course conditions. As of this past weekend we have scouted the entire route and the general consensus is that course conditions are mostly firm and fast. Since then we have had a little more snow but it also warmed up and melted. Conditions are cooling off as of tonight so the original prediction of a fast and firm course is what you are likely going to find on race day. There are a few areas of note that had conditions we wanted to mention: 1. The Forks start/finish is different this year. The river trails are closed so we are going over Main street at the cross-walk. The start of each event will begin with a neutral start to get everyone across together safely. 2. The area near the first checkpoint on Fraser Rd is icy. We would recommend staying near the edge of the road where snow has collected for improved traction. There are some other icy sections on gravel roads as well so please be aware and exercise caution. 3. For those that are taking on the 160km run or 200km bike, the river section South of Crystal Spring has had traffic on it so there are tracks to follow (sled/quad) they are a bit chunky but the surface will likely be firm due to the cooler weather on its way. There was a section with a bit of overflow on the river from one of the local farms, but with cooler temps this will have frozen solid and could potentially be icy but will otherwise be no problem to navigate (we rode it this past week and it was solid). One more thing to note: we had a last minute re-route due to an ongoing major construction project. The GPX files have been updated and the links on our website in the race bible will provide you with the updated route. If you had already downloaded the route GPX file, please replace it with the new one as of today. The cue sheets have been updated and are going through the final revision stage at the moment. They will be posted by tomorrow at the latest. Hope your final preparations are going well, there will be one more pre-race communication coming with details for the race day schedule.

Just an FYI, the course maps (GPX files) are available to download (they are provided as links to RideWithGPS from our race bible: https://actifepi.ca/portfolio/race-bible/). The cue sheets are almost ready and will be posted shortly. In addition there are some changes to the race rules this year, including mandatory gear (also found in the race bible). Note that since we are starting and finishing at The Forks we will not be loading/transporting bikes on Friday so no need to bring your bike to gear check. That being said, please bring ALL mandatory gear to gear check. In addition, please familiarize yourself with the race bible, there are important details about checkpoint amenities and a bit more about what you can expect for the event this year. More details to follow...