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The local mountain bike racing season officially kicks off on Saturday (May 10) with the seventh annual Orecrusher.
Also known as the Republic of Brackendale Nationals, the race sees competitors do three laps totalling approximately 40 kilometres through the Cheekeye Fan trails in Brackendale.
Last year saw a record 235 riders complete the course, with Squamish鈥檚 Neal Kindree capturing his third straight Orecrusher crown with a record time of one hour, 49 minutes, 19 seconds. He edged Sechelt鈥檚 Kris Sneddon and Squamish鈥檚 Quinn Moberg for the victory.
On the women鈥檚 side, Coquitlam鈥檚 Sandra Walter picked up her second straight Orecrusher win. Walter beat out Jean Berkenpas from Maple Ridge by three minutes and 44 seconds.
Racers will gather at Republic Bikes in Brackendale for a marathon-style start on Saturday at 11 a.m., with hundreds of riders making their way up Government Road en route to the course.
Organizers are still looking for volunteers for a variety of positions for both pre-race, post-race and finish-line duties. Help is needed on the evening of May 9 to set up the finish line and on race day, organizers are seeking race course marshals, food station support, sweeps, course marking clean up and finish line tear down.听
Orecrusher will also be the first opportunity for youth athletes to accumulate points in the B.C. XC series. Points will be added up at all four Test of Metal series races in 2014. The series continues for all ages with the Test of Metal on June 14, the Gearjammer on July 19 and Just Another Bike Race (JABR) on Aug. 16.
For more info on the Orecrusher, visit www.testofmetal.com/pages/orecrusher.php.
