Gearjammer weekend is upon us and with it comes the second annual Flow downhill race.
Flow race director Dave Gillie made some minor tweaks to the event and hopes to build on what was a decent debut for the race last year.
"Things are looking pretty good," he said. "The trails are in great shape but now we just need summer to show up."
The event, which takes place on Sunday (July 24), encourages racers to rip down the relatively new Half Nelson trail in one-minute intervals. Last year's race was open to 120 competitors but Gillie said only about 30 showed up. He said that switching the day of the race from a Friday night to the Sunday, and limiting the number of total entrants to 60 should bring the numbers up.
"It was our first year and we had a smaller turnout," he said. "We wanted to create some more excitement and try to fill the 60 for this year. We did it the night before the Gearjammer last year and people were saying that they didn't want to jeopardize the race on Saturday with the Friday night ride so that's why this year we moved it to Sunday."
Despite the lower than hoped for numbers of last year, Gillie said that those who took part in the Flow seemed to have a good time.
"We got great reaction from last year," he said. "It's a longer trail than everyone thinks and pretty well anyone can ride it. Everyone seemed to love it last year and there was a lot of excitement about it being the brand new trail in town."
As for the trail itself, Gillie described it as challenging but enjoyable.
"It's very similar to A-Line or B-Line in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park," he said. "It's a double track trail that comes down the mountainside with tabletops and nice tight turns all the way throughout. It's fast but speed is dependant on the rider. If you're unable to judge how to jump or roll over the tabletops properly, you're going to lose a lot of speed."
Those interested in taking part in the Flow can sign up at Nesters Market beforehand at a cost of $20. There will also be race day registration starting at 10:30 a.m. at the bottom of Half Nelson for $25. The price of registration also includes prizes, awards and an after party.
Don't forget about the Gearjammer cross country race, which will kick off the weekend on Saturday (July 23). Several top local racers, including Neal Kindree, have confirmed participation in the event, which starts at 11 a.m. The 52-kilometre race is the fifth in the Hell of a Series and features the most single track riding of any race in the series.
For more information on the Gearjammer cross country or downhill races, visit www.gearjammer.ca.
