While Squamish鈥檚 Quinn Moberg had ridden in the Test of Metal several times, he had never won the race 鈥� until Saturday.
Moberg had been near the front of the pack for much of the race but managed to pull ahead in the home stretch, as his knowledge of all the trails on the course played to his advantage, especially as the course got muddier.
鈥淚t was getting a bit slick near the end,鈥� he said.
Afterward, Moberg thanked his family, friends, girlfriend and sponsors for all playing a role in helping him with the race.
鈥淭oday was really a team effort,鈥� he said.
He finished with a time of the 2:37:56.5, just ahead of Craig Richey of Smithers, who finished at 2:38:07.2.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to lose by such a short margin,鈥� Richey told the crowd.
Prior to the Test, Moberg directed a lot of his attention on this last chance to win the Test, even foregoing a couple of Canada Cup events to get ready for the hometown race.
鈥淚 decided not to go to those to be prepared for this,鈥� he said.
The win marked his third win in a row this year for the Test series, after winning both OreCrusher and GearJammer earlier in the spring. He was greeted by fellow riders with hugs and hand shakes following the race.
Another local rider, Jamie Sparling, finished in third spot at 2:40:10.1.
While the rain held off at the start, the course eventually slowed down from the muck, as many riders looked like they were wearing eyeliner from all the dirt by the time they crossed the finish line.
Coquitlam鈥檚 Sandra Walter came in with the best time among the women at 3:03:17.2. She started strong and was ahead at every leg.
鈥淚 tried to start with the front guys,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey always set a good pace.鈥�
The victory marked her third victory at Test of Metal, winning first in 2007, then again in 2013.
For Walter, the race means a chance to come to 麻豆社国产and race with friends.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a fixture in my mountain biking career and my life,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always something to look forward to.鈥�
Walter finished more than five minutes ahead of Valemount鈥檚 Jean Ann Birkenpass and eight ahead of Nanaimo鈥檚 Carey Mark. The fastest local rider among the women was Brandi Heisterman, who came in fifth spot.
The event began with founder Cliff Miller, donning psychedelic colours and Converse runners, leading the pack on an electric bike with which he had been presented the previous night. In fact, the bike was his old frame that had been retrofitted.
Just prior to the start, Miller thanked everyone in the crowd for their support over the decades.
鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for you, we wouldn鈥檛 be doing this,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great 21 years.鈥�
As he led the way on the final ride, Miller was accompanied by a few longtime riders and supporters 鈥� Paul Craig, Stewart Kerr, Glen Illingworth and Sean Daly 鈥� at the start of the race, and for the first few turns the rest of the pack held back to let the Test veterans savour the moment.
By the time the race hit Garibaldi Highlands, the elite riders were pulling ahead, as race watchers lined the streets, held up signs and rang cowbells. Some had even written messages to riders in chalk on the road.
Later, Miller said that he used about half of the bike鈥檚 electrical charge getting up the hill.
鈥淚 would鈥檝e died without that bike,鈥� he said.
The weather provided a bit of wrinkle for the final Test, but Miller said things otherwise went pretty much as planned.
鈥淎side from the emotion, it was business as usual,鈥� he said.
He added the famed green 鈥淲hambulance鈥� and other Test infrastructure will now be in the care of the local Lions Club.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a community asset, and we want to leave it in the community,鈥� he said.
Miller hopes other event organizers will contact the Lions about using it, as it has become a fixture in 麻豆社国产over the years.
鈥淚鈥檇 love to see it out every weekend,鈥� he said.
