GRAND DÉPART. COMOX, BC
AUG 15, 2026, 0700 hr.
BC's Most Remote
Bikepacking Race
Distance
1,350km
Elevation
19,400m
Checkpoints
24+
Time Bonus
17hrs
The Route
Remote, Rugged,
Unforgettable.
A unique 1,350-kilometre odyssey of self-supported suffering through some of the most remote and spectacular wilderness on Vancouver Island North. Bring your legs and your camera as 24 mandatory photo checkpoints stand between you and an official finish, each one a place the Island insists you stop and explore. Extra photo assignments will turn back the clock. The weather will test you. The terrain will humble you. The experience will change you. Worth every brutal, beautiful kilometre.
REGISTER FOR ADVENTURE
The weather will test you.The Island will humble you.Worth every f#@$ing kilometre.
THE RESULTS
Every Attempt Counts. Period.
Rider
Could Be You!
Time
Party Pace Still Wins.
Year
Is This Your Year?
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Register for Caves & Coves
Join BC's most remote bikepacking race. 1,350 km through North Vancouver Island wilderness.
Select your category: Male, Female, or Nonbinary
Choose your start type: Grand Départ or Individual Time Trial (ITT)
Select your racing class: Geared, Single Speed, Tandem, or Group
Provide your details: First name, last name, email, Instagram handle, hometown, and bike information
Accept the waiver of liability and provide your digital signature to complete registration
Why Caves & Coves?
I'm Robert Biron, a former photojournalist, art director, and current owner of a beard that's earned every grey hair along the way. Many know me as Salty Beard, my nickname persona seen on YouTube, where you'll find me talking to myself, passing along wisdom from the road.
I know the backroads of BC better than my own knees. Caves & Coves is 1,350 kilometres of that knowledge, turned into something for others to explore, enjoy, and suffer through.
To make you look at the place
Vancouver Island North quietly sits back behind the limelight of the world-famous Pacific Rim National Park. Rugged, remote and quiet. This route guides people through the parts of the map that don't show up on tourist postcards.
To break a few rules
Bikepacking dogma says unsupported means 100% alone, 100% your gear counted down to the last tool and tube. Caves & Coves lets pairs and groups pool their gear. You still navigate, still suffer, and still bonk like everyone else. Just less tools.
To force a stop
Photo checkpoints are a leash, not a gimmick. They rein in those following a line on a computer. Get off the bike. Explore the cave. Walk the beach. Enjoy the view you just rode two hours to reach.
To reward the ones who take their time
Bonus photos stack time credits onto your result. The riders who catch the right light end up racing smarter, not just faster. Quick is easy. Paying attention is hard.