July 4, 2004 – The province’s best mountain bikers are expected to be in
Squamish on July 24 for the first provincial cross country mountain bike
championship. The 40 km. point-to-point race is being organized by SORCA
(Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association) for Cycling BC, the governing body
of bicycle racing in BC.

“This race will take riders through some of the most demanding single-track
cross country trails in the valley,” said Race Director, Curtis Roberts.
“We’re calling it the Gearjammer as bit of a tribute to Squamish’s logging
past.”

Gary Jackson, Cycling BC’s Mountain Bike Technical Director, said that the
Provincial Championship will be a very different event from Cycling BC’s
other major race series, the SISU BC Cup, and will provide a more
technically demanding venue for riders to show their stuff. “It’s about
bragging rights,” he said. “Who are truly the fastest cross-country riders
in the province? I guess we’ll find out.” Roberts points out that unlicensed
racers (citizen categories) are encouraged to take part as well.

The race is being presented by The Test of Metal and TOM race director Cliff
Miller sees it a good fit. “The Test of Metal is so successful, and the
Gearjammer complements it nicely. We’re hoping that the enthusiasm that
surrounds the Test will spread to this race.”

Squamish locals are expected to perform well in the race especially U17
rider Neal Kindree who has a has a legitimate shot at winning. “Neal’s one
of the best young riders in the province, and he has the home course
advantage,” said Miller. “I’m sure he’ll do well against the pros that will
be here, and we’re all cheering him on.” In addition to Kindree, several
other Squamish riders are expected to perform well in their categories.
“When you’ve got some the best mountain biking in Canada, it’s natural that
you would create some of the best riders,” said Roberts of the local
contingent of competitors, “and we certainly have some of the most
enthusiastic citizen racers anywhere”

The race begins at Alice Lake Provincial Park with a 12.5 km climb of more
than 500m of elevation and then drops into almost 30 km. of gnarly Squamish
single-track. It ends in downtown Squamish at the pavilion outside the
Chamber of Commerce visitors’ centre “It’s the ideal ending to an
exceptional race course,” said Roberts. “There’s a great sprint to the
finish with a good spectator area and wonderful views all around.”

The GearJammer is also Race Number 4 in Cycling BC’s inaugural XC Marathon
Race Series, and the winners of that series will be crowned at this race.
The race will be used as a fundraiser, with proceeds going to the Squamish
Emergency Program (SEP), the group that provides search and rescue services
in the area, and SORCA. The BC Championship, a single-race event for each of
the Cross Country and Downhill mountain bike disciplines, will feature the
Sea-to-Sky corridor, with the Cross-Country held in Squamish and the
Downhill event held at Whistler Mountain as part of Whistler’s Crankworx
Gravity Series.