IM Canada 1998 was in Penticton, just across the US Border. The race location is on a beautiful lake and the bike takes you out through orchards and challenging hills. Before the race, everyone hangs out at the Hogs Breath Cafe ñ everyone eventually goes by the "bistro" and it's a great place to met and make friends. The bike course is beautiful and demands your attention with itís steepness AND it vistas; at one point, the Forest Service had to chase off a bear that was sitting on the side of the road, perhaps waiting for a slow cyclist. Like all IM race, IMC is tough to get into; it usually fills for the next year within hours of registration's opening.