As the saying goes, all good things must end. After 21 years, more than 20,000 riders, an army of volunteers and unwavering community support, Squamish’s signature cycling event, the Test of Metal, will pedal into the sunset this coming June.
We know that in 1994, Cliff Miller, founder of the Squamish Off Road Cycling Association (SORCA), and his colleague, mountain bike and rock climbing guidebook author Kevin McLane, met in a pub and mapped out the proposed 67-kilometre race course on the back of a coaster.
Last October, Miller was inducted into the B.C. Cycling Hall of Fame at the Cycling B.C. Awards Ceremony in Burnaby.
SORCA president Jeff Cooke says, “Cliff is the Test of Metal. His generosity and commitment have been extraordinary. It would be great to see it continue, but I’m not sure anyone will be able to fill his shoes.”
Two years ago, Pedal magazine named Squamish the best place to ride in Canada, in no small part due to the popularity of the Test of Metal. In recent years the crown jewel of the Squamish riding season always sold out shortly after registration opened. According to Pinkbike, the popular online mountain biking newsmagazine, proceeds from the test help to fund the Squamish trails society and its programs.
The annual cycling ritual has become the stuff of legend and a showcase for budding young local athletes. The event website declares, “For those in the saddle, it is in every way a test of mettle. The unrelenting course will take the fastest about 2-1/2 hours, the average competitor about 4 hours and the humans 5 to 6 hours.”
In 2006 two Squamish riders, Neal Kindree and his sister Meghan, won the men’s and women’s categories. World champions and Olympic athletes have leveraged the off-road cycling challenge to advance their careers. Brett Wolfe from Seattle, who lost a limb in a car accident, finished the race on one leg in just over four hours. Another participant, Brennan Covey, tied his foot to his broken pedal with a spare inner tube and still placed among the top 25 men.
A commenter posting on the Pinkbike website wrote the best part about the test was “the endless lines of vollies and spectators screaming out encouragement from the trailside – sometimes at locations that were deep, deep into the woods.”
One of the most fitting statements of appreciation was posted by a reader on The Squamish Chief online comments pages: “Cliff and his crew have done amazing things for this town. ‘Thank you’ hardly suffices. There is no scotch fine enough to express this gratitude.”
