鈥淧lease don鈥檛 rain... please don鈥檛 rain鈥� dreamed every racer the night before the Gearjammer.
First thing on the morning of the Gearjammer on Saturday (July 19), more than 200 people woke up, looked outside and thought the exact same thing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 raining鈥� hard. Ugh. Well, hopefully it will stop before breakfast.鈥澛�
It didn鈥檛鈥� stop.
鈥淢aybe it will stop by the time I get to the shuttle.鈥�
It didn鈥檛 stop.
鈥淢aybe it will stop by the time the race starts.鈥�
It didn鈥檛 stop.
Maybe鈥� oh who cares, we鈥檙e riding now.
So then it stopped.
In a word, the 2014 Gearjammer was 鈥渟loggy.鈥�
Thankfully the rain did stop after the first hour or so and as the sun shone, the water falling down was replaced by mud falling up as it was flung from tires to faces at a rapid rate. Now, while some just read that as a bad thing, it was actually a great day for a ride and the best part of a super muddy race are the beaming white smiles. And there were plenty of smiles.
The Gearjammer has always been an event focused on cramming as much singletrack into a race as possible. This year saw a new course and by all accounts it鈥檚 the best yet. Many were quick to comment how this showcased some of the best trails in town. 聽
New features this year was of course the family favourite 鈥淢an Boobs,鈥� which were very slippery but still fun. Then 鈥淩upert,鈥� with its slick-tastickness, provided lots of hoots and hollers from those both riding successfully, and not.聽
But the cherry on this epic cake are the volunteers who make it all happen.
One highlight from the race was Squamish鈥檚 own Tina Plumb Rocking the Rupert slabs while people timidly tried to walk the 鈥渆asy-when-it鈥檚-dry-not-when-wet-line.鈥� Otherwise everyone can agree after a ride like that, the best highlight was the wonderful men and women of the Lions Club serving up hot dogs and chips from Nesters.聽
Again, monster props must be bestowed upon each and everyone making the race a success from Director Curtis Roberts and his band of merry Gearheads, to the volunteers who come out every year to make this one of the jewels in our community鈥檚 outdoor recreation crown.
Already can鈥檛 wait for next year.聽
