Just Another Bike Race (JABR) is turning four years old on Saturday (Aug. 17) but the event is growing at a pace that would make a young child envious.
Event organizer Dwayne Kress told The Chief that registration has already surpassed last year's and may inch close to 300 participants by race day. Kress also said this year's race could feature the most talent in the race's history.
"There's a national-level Canada Cup final race in Whistler the Wednesday before so there's a good chance some top Canadian pros might stick around," he said. "We may have the most high-calibre athletes we've ever had at this event, which would be a great thing for us."
Kress said he's unsure about the status of 2012 JABR winner Neal Kindree for Saturday, noting he's still struggling from a nasty illness that also ended his B.C. Bike Race participation.
"His health is coming back but he was pretty sick and the strength just wasn't there," he said. "He's a question mark right now but if he's OK, I think he'll be there. But there's lots of other good local guys like Greg Day and Eric Goodwin - both of them have had great years."
The event is a labour of love for Kress, as he helped put it all together for the first year in 2010. He said JABR, along with all the other local races, have helped fill the need for high-level competition in Squamish.
"When I first moved here in 2002 everything was built around the Test of Metal," he said. "That was all we had at that point. I found that with a lot of my friends that rode that it was harder to get them on the bike after the Test. With Orecrusher, we get people on their bikes earlier and now we have Gearjammer and JABR, so it's really set up now where people start to worry less about their lawns and more about their singletrack skills.
"The bike season here is almost never ending. And the good thing is if you have to miss one for a wedding or a family reunion that it's not the end of the world because there's four big ones in town now."
Kress said JABR may not be as long as the Test but it truly challenges the riders.
"It's definitely more of a technical trail rider's course," he said. "It's very much like Gearjammer in that it really demands a lot out of the rider. It wears you down physically as opposed to the sheer distance of the Test. Just the elevation gained and lost will wear you down in this race - as well as the heat."
The 40-kilometre course starts and finishes at Quest University and has a new start time for 2013 of 10 a.m. There will also be timed uphill and downhill sections for additional prizing.
The event is still looking for volunteers and those interested can learn more by emailing Holly Schulte at [email protected]. For more information on the race, visit www.testofmetal.com/pages/jabr.php.
