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Steamboat Springs — It wasn't hard to get Steamboat's Amy Harris to talk glowingly about the British Columbia Bike Race, a seven-day mountain bike stage race from Victoria to Whistler, B.C.

Despite the physical toll - Harris said Wednesday was the first day she felt good after spending four days in bed - the ride was something she's glad she did.

"It's the biggest physical challenge in my life," Harris said. "I was riding and I kept thinking, 'This is like four or five Town Challenge races a day for seven days.' But it is by far the coolest race I've ever done and the most challenging."

The race paired teams for an intense seven days of riding through some of Canada's best singletrack and most scenic areas. Team members had to stay within two minutes of each other for the entire 370-mile race or face penalties and possible removal from the race.

Harris and fellow local Katie Lindquist finished third in the women's open division. Other local competitors included Mark Cox, who finished 10th in the two-person 100-plus division with Canadian partner Guy Dutil. Local Kent Eriksen and Toledo, Ohio, resident Andy Klumb finished second in the two-person 100-plus division, while locals Grant Fenton and Chris Voyvodic finished 33rd in the two-person 80-plus division.

"For those of us who don't do that thing that often, it was crazy," Fenton said. "It was long miles and long days. But the last two days were just magnificent singletrack, some of the best I've ever seen."

Most of the race days began between 8 and 9 a.m. Some days racers would have to wake up by 4 a.m. to catch a ferry to the starting line.

Riders would be on their bikes between three and seven hours a day. For the more competitive riders such as Eriksen, Lindquist and Harris, that meant full-on racing from the beginning to the end of each stage.

"The thing about that kind of riding is you have to be a really good all-around rider," Lindquist said, noting the area had some of the highest temperatures in history. "You have to have endurance, be able to ride in a pack and have to be able to endure heat and humidity."

For more information about the race, visit www.bcbikerace.com. For a blog of Lindquist and Harris' journey, visit www.kenteriksen.com.

-To reach Luke Graham, call 871-4229 or e-mail lgraham@steamboatpilot.com