It鈥檚 the unofficial kickoff of the mountain bike season in Squamish.
The first race in the Test of Metal group of events hits the trails of Brackendale on May 9, when the eighth annual Orecrusher returns.
Last year saw a total of 277 riders compete. Sechelt鈥檚 Kris Sneddon edged out Squamish鈥檚 Quinn Moberg to take the top spot. The top female rider was Coquitlam鈥檚 Sandra Walter, who has won the last three Orecrusher races.
The course is similar to year鈥檚 past, as the race gets underway at Republic Bikes and riders make their way up Government Road before entering the trails near Don Ross Secondary School. Orecrusher is known as one of the more fan friendly races, as the competitors complete three loops and there are several opportunities to cheer racers on.
Riders complete three laps of approximately 20 kilometres for the race.
While the course may be similar, there is a brand new man in charge of the event. Darcy Reimer has moved into the role of race director, taking over for the departing Armand Hurford.
The event is looking for volunteers of all types, and everyone who volunteers gets to enjoy both a pre and post-race party. The pre-race party occurs on May 4 at The Nest Restaurant in Brackendale and the post-race party occurs at Reimer鈥檚 house on May 10. For more details on how to volunteer, contact Reimer at [email protected].
Registration for the Orecrusher is open for all competitors and there is also the 4-Pack and 3-Pack of Test of Metal group events available for riders. For more information on Orecrusher and all the other races in the series, visit www.testofmetal.com.
