Section 1: Double Tech

Distance: 25.7km

Elevation Gain: 762 m

Elevation Loss: 910 m

Descents: 2 black, 1 blue

Style: Stronger tech downhill skills will pay off here, as will fitness on easy climbs.  Flojo is an easier blue, Burn and Windy is a high-speed moderate descent, and Godey is a technical river trail.  The climbs on this are mostly doubletrack, either gravel or paved.

Starting at the Coutlee parking lots, you will have an easy-angle climb up Pond Scum and Ed's way, and then drop off into Upper Flojo, a light blue old school cruisy flow trail with a few pedal strokes needed halfway down.  You'll want to come back to Merritt to finish the rest of Flojo, because for the race you will cut off at the aptly-named Cow Trail.  

From there, you'll have a slightly undulating gravel track to follow for 2.6km, with a final steep pedal to get up to the Coutlee radio tower.  The next 2.4km down the black-rated Burn and Windy is, for many, the highlight of the race.  You'll start on a narrow track flowing downhill through grasslands with a view of the city, but don't take your eyes of the trail because in short order you'll hit some tight berms and a drop into a steep sided slot canyon, carving the walls and dodging the sand and rocks.  

At the bottom of the canyon, you'll vear right, connect with Houston St to skirt around the edge of town, and then start your mostly paved 460m ascent up Fox Farm road.  The turn  onto Upper Godey can be easily missed, it will be flagged on race day but make sure you keep an eye out for it.  

As you descend upper godey and twist and turn through a much more coastal valley than you'd expect in the interior, you'll start to question the black rating of the trail.  That is, until you come out of the trees with a sharp mountain face to your right, and begin to navigate yourself through a series of tight, tech boulders and rocks, down some steep woodwork beside a waterfall, and search the trail ahead of you for short places to put in some pedal strokes to keep your speed up.  This trail finishes fast and strong, crossing a series of bridges over a small creek, and before you know it you'll be out of the trees and down at the aid station, ready to start your next leg or encourage your race partner on their way.

Section 2: Lundbom

[Updated Details Coming Soon!] Start at Aid Station 1 at the old Info Center. Take the old highway up up up to Lundbom Recreation Area. You’ll have time to take in the views as you climb way up above the Nicola Valley. Dip under the highway and continue through the rolling (bumpy)grasslands around the picturesque lakes. Watch out for cow shit!
This section is for the tough-assed grinder that knows how to navigate. 37k.
Directions to start | Directions to finish

Section 3 : Swakum

You start out at Aid Station 2 with a massive downhill on a fireroad, then head back towards town along HWY 5A. Take a right up to Swakum mountain and climb climb climb. You’ll get to the top eventually. Then you get a cruisey traverse/descent along the ridge all the way over to the other side of Merritt. The final descent is a doozey!
This section is mainly fireroad, with a bit of spice at the end. 31k.
Directions to start | Directions to finish

Section 4 : Coutlee

This section is classic Merritt. Start out at Aid Station 3 with a little skirt across the Nicola River and around town, through Collettville and up to the Coutlee Plateau via Lindley Creek Road. Take a left on Midday Valley rd., once the fire road starts heading downhill, you’ll dip off on your right and enjoy JP Cool. Sanchez and Cross Cut wind you back through the pines and up to the finish line.
This is the shortest segment. 23k.
Directions to start | Directions to finish