Matthew Fairbrother is no stranger to massive missions on the bike. Known for linking together some of the most creative and mind destroying mega-missions, he came back to BC in the Summer of 2025 to complete one of the most amazing rides one could put together in the Sea to Sky Corridor.
After completing the Triple Triple Crown in 2024, he was mesmerized with the number of trails, mountains, and regions you could link together in this region. His new project, titled “Threads in the Dirt”, made in collaboration with Mons Royale, Fox, and Race Face, brings to life this massive effort. The stats, even more impressive:
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Distance: 332km
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Climb: 10,250m
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Time: 23:48 hours elapsed, 22:15 hours moving.
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Route: Sea to Sky Corridor, British Columbia (Pemberton → Whistler →Squamish → North Vancouver)
Check out the full film below and some insights from Matthew’s experience.
-The Death March begins.
There’s a moment deep into any ultra-endurance ride where things stop feeling complicated. Not because it gets easier, but because fatigue strips everything back to what actually matters. Riding the Sea to Sky corridor in a single day forced that clarity almost immediately. One day, one bike, one chance. Once I rolled out of Pemberton before dawn, there was no reset button waiting down the trail. When the stakes are high, trust becomes the most valuable thing you have.
The iconic landscapes of the Sea to Sky corridor never gets old. For Matthew, attempting this challenge in the Fall meant starting in crisp weather.
Most rides leave space for mistakes. You can take the wrong line, deal with a mechanical, or pull the pin early and still call it a good day. Ultra-endurance doesn’t work like that. The longer you’re out there, the more expensive every decision becomes. Fatigue creeps in quietly; reaction times dull and suddenly small errors carry real consequences. That’s when risk management stops being an idea and becomes the entire focus.
Preparation, repetition, route reviews, you name it – all feeds into a successful mission.
I wasn’t riding scared, but I was riding calculatedly. Every descent had been earned through hours of climbing, and every descent demanded focus. The goal wasn’t to ride on the edge for the sake of it. It was to keep moving forward without breaking my body, bike, or mindset. When you’ve got nothing in reserve, restraint becomes just as important as confidence.
What goes up must come down. A common theme for Matthew during this ride who also wasn’t letting a long ride stop him from throwing a little style.
By the time the wheels started turning, all the meaningful decisions had already been made. Ultra-endurance is about removing variables long before they have a chance to show up. I didn’t want anything that asked questions or demanded attention. When fatigue sets in, you don’t want to be thinking about equipment; you want it to disappear beneath you, letting you focus on the terrain ahead and the decisions that actually matter.
-The endless highway traverses between locations. Although Matthew spent as much time as possible on the dirt, it was inevitable that he was going to use the local highway.
As the day unfolded, fatigue did what it always does; it peeled back all of my layers. After enough hours on the bike, there’s no pretending. No ego, no overthinking, you ride instinct and feel. You choose lines that make sense, not lines that look good. You back off when backing off is the smart move, and you push only when it’s earned. The Sea to Sky has a way of demanding respect, especially when you’re tired. Pemberton’s exposure, Whistler’s raw terrain, Squamish’s precision, the North Shore’s consequences, each zone asked something different, and none of them forgave sloppy decisions.
- Feeling small yet? The magnitude of this ride is only overshadowed by the size of the BC wilderness.
Committing to using one bike for the entire day simplified everything. No swaps, no spares, no safety net. You adapt yourself to the terrain, not the other way around. That commitment forces honesty. It makes you deliberate, patient, and present. There’s no excuse to rush, no reason to gamble when the cost of a mistake grows with every kilometer. Strength is only useful if it lasts.
- The bike that carried him through the day. He put the new ERA SL wheels through the ultimate test with no issues over 10,000m of BC descents. Some other nifty features seen on his bike to tame the fatigue.
Risk management isn’t about avoiding fear. It’s about understanding the consequences. I wasn’t chasing danger, but I wasn’t avoiding it either. The Sea to Sky demands engagement it asks you to show up fully and ride with intention. That balance between confidence and caution is what carries you through rides like this. Too conservative and you stall, too aggressive and the whole thing unravels.
The best moments came when everything was aligned. Reaching the top of a climb, knowing the descent was earned. Dropping in with tired legs but a clear head. Feeling the bike track exactly how you expect it to, even when your body’s running on reserves. Those moments are rare, and they only happen when preparation, restraint, and trust intersect. That’s why I chase rides like this, not for the suffering, but for the clarity that comes with it.
- Locked in at the top and ready to drop. Matthew’s focus on keeping his head clear and focused allowed him to enjoy every descent. Even after thousands of vertical meters.
By the time I reached the final descent on the North Shore, there was a sense of certainty I don’t often feel at the end of big projects. I’d managed the risk, respected the terrain, and trusted my decisions. I’d stayed focused when it mattered and never let the size of the day dictate reckless choices. When everything is stripped back, when you’re tired, exposed, and far from an easy way out, trust is what carries you through. That’s where these rides are decided, and that’s exactly where I want to be.
- The final stretch of riding. The North Shore. In the dark.
- Death March Over.
One day, one bike, zero room for failure.
Congrats, Matthew. That was one heck of a ride.
