The ninth annual GearJammer is mere weeks away and the fifth race in the Hell of a Series mountain bike series always proves to be a challenging ride.
The race, which takes place on July 23, will also bump back up to its original 52 kilometres after a 47-kilometre race last year. According to race organizer Jo Sykes, the GearJammer is known for its singletrack course but also for the more relaxed attitude in the race overall.
"Compared to the other races in the Hell of a Series, it's more of a singletrack race," she said. "We have the most singletrack of any of the races - it's almost like riding from point A to point B. But it's also a lot more laid back than, say, the Test of Metal."
The mass start to the race takes place at Alice Lake Provincial Park. The course winds its way through Rock n' Roll, the Mashiter, Skookum, Recycle and the Powerhouse Plunge trail before making its way onto Plateau Drive, a returning component of the route that debuted in the 2010 race.
From Plateau Drive, the course whips up to Hospital Hill, the Bluffs climber's parking lot and finishes at Rose Park.
Sykes was pleased with the work that the Dream Wizards Events group did on the recently upgraded Good Friday trail crossing.
"It's a safer entrance onto Diamond Head Road for our riders," she said. "It also makes it a lot easier for the marshals. It's also such a lovely new trail and above all it's much safer."
Ted Tempany's crew put the finishing touches on the trail about a month ago and Sykes said riders have already been raving about the upgrades.
"We're just really lucky to benefit from the hard work from Dream Wizards and SORCA," she said. "A lot of the trails are just finished after a lot of hard work in the winter and spring and it seems fresh and new on our course. It's just a very nice piece of work by those who work on the trails."
Last year's race saw 422 participants hit the trails and Sykes hopes to build on the momentum, which saw almost 300 people sign up in July alone. The race has a maximum capacity of 500 riders so Sykes recommends that those interested grab a spot as soon as possible.
She also noted that organizers are always looking for volunteers and those who donate their time on race day will not leave empty handed.
"Nobody leaves without some sort of prize," she said. "But we've been finding it a little hard to find vollies this year. I think they had the same problem with the Test. We always have a party on the Sunday for all of our volunteers and it would be great to get some more people out helping."
Those interested in volunteering can contact Danielle Raiser at [email protected] for more information.
GearJammer weekend will also feature the popular Flow downhill race, which this year takes place on July 24. Back for its second year, the ride sees 120 racers rip down the newly constructed Half Nelson trail in one-minute intervals.
"GearJammer weekend promises to be another big mountain biking weekend in Squamish," Flow race director Dave Gillie said in a statement. "And Half Nelson is just the perfect trail to have this race. We'll see some amazing speed."
The Flow will be limited to 120 riders and registration will take place the day of the race.
For more information on the GearJammer or the Flow, visit www.gearjammer.ca.
