The trails of Brackendale will again give birth to a new local mountain biking season with the sixth annual Orecrusher race on May 11.
Orecrusher has undergone some major changes the past two years and after positive feedback from competitors, it looks like the changes are here to stay.
Race director Armand Hurford saw fit to require every racer to do a total of three laps on the approximately 20-kilometre loop through the Cheekeye Fan trails in Brackendale. In previous years, riders had to do different numbers of laps based on their division and skill level.
Another big change was moving from a Le Mans-style start to the more crowd friendly marathon start. Last year saw the Orecrusher kick off at Republic Bikes in Brackendale in front of a large throng of cheering fans.
A total of 182 riders took part in the 2012 race, up from 144 in 2011 and the ultimate goal for organizers is 200 a goal that may be accomplished in this year's race.
Last year saw Squamish's Neal Kindree win his second consecutive Orecrusher after a back-and-forth battle with Sechelt's Kris Sneddon for most of the race. Coquitlam's Sandra Walter, who made her Orecrusher debut at the 2012 race, captured the women's crown.
Registration is still open and more information to do so can be found at www.testofmetal.com/pages/orecrusher.php. Race organizers are also looking for volunteers to help out with race set-up on May 10 and on race day. Send Hurford an email at [email protected] for more details on how to help out.
The Orecrusher also marks the start of the Test of Metal group of race, with the series' namesake race taking place on June 15, the Gearjammer on July 20 and the JABR on Aug. 17. Visit www.testofmetal.com for more details on all of the events.
Check out the race -
