Records shattered against the North Shore Credit Union Test of Metal anvil as Max Plaxton and Wendy Simms improved the best men's and women's times by a whopping 18 minutes collectively.Perhaps surprised by Plaxton's early arrival at the finish area, spectators rushed the line to see the 23-year-old Victoria rider finish with a time of 2:31:46 - more than five minutes faster than the previous record of 2:37:24 set by Chad Miles in 2000.Plaxton attributed his speed to the superior course conditions and his peaking fitness level."The track was in super good condition, which made the race super fun," said Plaxton, whose favourite sections are the more technical Powerhouse Plunge and Rollercoaster trails. "I just stuck to my plan, just went hard up the road and took that first prime and got in with a selection of the top guys and then eased off a bit, recovered, and then rode my own race."Plaxton was grouped with fellow Rocky Mountain Bicycles riders Martin Lazarski (second) and Stefan Widmer (third) through the first half but was able to pull away on Nine Mile Hill, said Lazarski."A lot happened there and it went from bad to good but that was definitely the hardest part. When Max pulled away I was at my limit," he said.Plaxton said the 67-kilometre race under sunny skies was a great warm-up for the 2008 World Championships, which he'll be competing in on Sunday (June 22) in Val di Sole, Italy. He's gunning for a top-16 finish.Finishing at 2:56:35, Nanaimo's Wendy Simms (Kona Factory Team) ripped more than 13 minutes off the previous record of 3:10:13 set by Alison Sydor in 2005. Simms said she had to bounce back from a difficult start where she lost the first prime to second place female finisher Jean Ann McKirdy, who also beat the previous record with a time of 3:03:08 in front of third place finisher Joanna Harrington. "I didn't feel great up the first climb and then I rested up through Alice Lake where there was a good group of guys there and I recovered and felt pretty good after that," she said.Simms is returning to Squamish to race in Stage 6 of the BC Bike Race, which incorporates Test of Metal and Gear Jammer trails. She'll be teaming up with her husband Norm Thibault, who also raced the Test of Metal."He told me he was going to beat me today so I had to pass him," she said, nudging Thibault with a laugh.Simms and Plaxton both earned $250 for their wins. Simms added $900 in primes winnings while Plaxton earned $700 in primes.Race director Cliff Miller said he was once again blown away by how the community rallied together to pull off another successful Test of Metal with 300 volunteers and over 800 riders."Without the support of the community the event wouldn't be where it's at," he said, adding that the record times testified to pristine course conditions. "We've had hundreds of hours of volunteer and paid work done on the course this year. I think the results speak for themselves. It was worth the effort." And just as the Pre-Test Festival's pump track and funny bike relay races kicked the party off on Friday (June 13), Corsa Cycles' Mini Metal and Tantalus Bike Shop's Rock Star Downhill Invitational closed the bike celebrations on Sunday (June 15).
