Dean Payne

President

“I love mountain biking, and I love our backyard trails here on the coast of BC. All I have ever wanted to do is share it with the rest of the world!”

Andreas Hestler - Dre

Director of Marketing

Taking Canada to the Olympic debut of Mountain Biking in Atlanta (1996) ranks very high as an achievement, as does representing Canada as the National Champion (x5); but building the BC Bike Race from the ground up holds a special spot in Dre’s heart as it is sharing his passion for mountain biking with the world.
“Transitioning 20 years of marketing an athlete to marketing an event was natural, while the goal to be the ‘best bike race in the world’ was also natural. Creating this event from the ground up with our combined experience has been a privilege and a passion. Getting all the cycling world to come here and allow us to guide them around on a sweet BC singletrack adventure has been a true joy and a privilege.”

Karen Stark

Marketing Communications & Retail Manager

Karen was brought up in the world of biking with a brother who raced on the circuit for years. Karen started at BC Bike Race in 2011 after 5 years of running her own clothing line. She has a Marketing Communications diploma from BCIT and 15 years of experience in the Tourism, Sports & Retail Marketing Sectors. When she’s not looking after her 3 kids you can find her riding her bike or running on the North Shore trails.

Lisa Au

Business Manager & HR Director

Lisa’s diverse background in event management, tourism and recreation and non-profit fundraising makes her an ideal fit for the BC Bike Race. She was bought onboard in 2009 and has continued to be the “calm and collected” positive smiley face of race week. When she is done trying on all the hats that come with her multifaceted role on the BCBR team, she works with other events and slides into her role as mother of two beautiful girls.

Jeff Stromgren

Director of Course Management

Jeff is a school teacher by trade and works year round developing social wellness programs and healthy living initiatives for children and families. Adding to his workload is a passion for organizing and managing adventure sport tourism events. Enthusiastic about making sure participants experience the thrills of adventure in a well designed and safe environment, Jeff assures in his work for BCBR the deliverance of consistent quality racing for our wide range of riders. He loves mountain biking with friends, food and wine, travel and adventure, and cherishes time with his family of four and two dogs.

John Kearns

Senior Business Advisor & The Warehouse Manager

John assumes an ‘All Mountain’ role with BCBR. On top of his love for mountain biking and skiing, he’s spent over 30+ years administering and managing live events. He cut his teeth with a degree in music, but he’s also a master wood finisher/restorer, & stained glass artist. Having served 2 years on the board of the North Shore Mountain Bike Association, he joined BCBR as a day vollie in 2012 then as a full-pull team member a year later and joined the core admin team in 2017.

Matt Oviatt

Production Manager

Matt has been working in and around production of live events and festivals for over 15 years, with his first major “gig” working on the Okanagan Rotary Children’s festival. This multi stage, multi-site festival sparked an interest in continuing to find, support, and work with some of the most logistically complicated outdoor events you can imagine. BCBR and its expanding umbrella of events fits the bill quite nicely, and has the added bonus of introducing him to new mountain biking trails, shops, and communities. When he’s not busy with BCBR, look for him buried in production of other outdoor events in BC, or on the trails.

Dave Silver

Photographer

Dave has been documenting and working with the BC Bike Race since the inaugural event back in 2007 producing stunning photographs of the scenery and riders. He is passionate about both mountain biking and photography and enjoys the challenge of hauling his camera
gear around the terrain looking for creative and engaging images. While he’s working his photo magic, you may ride right by him without even knowing it, so don’t be surprised.

Moniera Khan

Race Relations Manager

Moniera’s been involved with the BC Bike Race for the last 5 years trying out a number of roles before settling into the Racer Relations position. She loves outside better than inside and spends as much of her time on the trails in Squamish where she now lives. Her corporate experience in business development and client relations gives her a solid background for her Racer Relations role where her mission is to ensure race week is the best week of your life.

Corey Brennan

Marketing

Corey is a part of the BCBR marketing team. He moved from Calgary, Alberta to the North Shore in 2017. He spends as much time on his bike as possible (Favourite trail: Oil Can on Fromme). For the past two years he has been a North Shore Mountain Bike Association board member. Corey's experience in branding and design has helped him create memorable experiences for the BC Bike Race.