‘It was pretty unreal’: A journey from shredding BC trails to competing in Spain

In what started as a way to pass the time in his small BC town of Logan Lake, Boston Montgomery recently went overseas to represent Canada on the international stage of enduro racing.

“Well, truthfully, there's just not a whole lot going on in Logan Lake,” Montgomery told NowMedia on one of the reasons why he got into the sport.

“It was just a good means of keeping busy and staying (out of) trouble. And growing up, my dad was into it, and it was just really something to do after school, on the weekends and kept me busy.”

With his mom and dad by his side and the rest of the Canadian squad, Montgomery travelled to Spain to compete in the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) competition this past October.

“It was really cool – my dad – I don't believe he's ever been, other than the US, outside the country, so it was cool to be able to drag him along for a trip like that,” Montgomery added.

“And overall, it was just really cool to share that experience with the two of them.”

The experience was an eye-opener for Montgomery, who has competed plenty of times, but not on the international stage and not in the presence of some of the top riders on the planet.

“The level that the top guys are at is on another world…the Americans are really good, all the Europeans are really good, but to see it firsthand – is really cool…and it's really motivating to try and be one of those guys,” he explained.

While there were plenty of new faces throughout the six days of competition, there were also some familiar ones.

Racing alongside Montgomery on the junior Canadian squad was Owen McKill from Vernon and Gavin Shackelly of Merritt, which helped with some of the nerves that came with representing Canada for the first time.

“When you know your people close to you, (it) definitely makes it all easier when you're a little bit familiar with everyone.”

For six days Montgomery raced on a handful of courses, spending around eight hours a day on his motorbike.

“I've never been so sore and exhausted in my life,” he said with a chuckle.

And while it was exhausting, one highlight for Montgomery was meeting a plethora of other riders, many of whom spoke different languages.

“Everybody shares the same passion. Everybody's super friendly, super nice,” Montgomery added.

“They'll all help you out and look out for you and that part was really cool – meeting guys that you don't even speak the same language – but they'll help you out. That was really cool.”

Montgomery is now back home with the season wrapped up, but the experience overseas is still fresh.

“It was a pretty unreal experience…I don't know if it's really fully set in yet," he said.

The 22-year-old hopes to begin the new season in February with some competitions in the US before “hopefully” getting to represent Canada at the 2025 ISDE event, which Montgomery said will be held in Italy.