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Meet Andy King, one of the wily veterans of the Test of Metal. King moved to Squamish from England a number of years ago and quickly fell in love with racing.听
A hardcore road cyclist at heart, King has recently returned from riding in Italy with some other Squamish folks, which he hopes will have laid the groundwork for his best ride ever on Saturday (June 14).听
If you have never met King face to face, you might have seen him on the roads 鈥� he鈥檚 the guy out on his road bike rain or shine on the Sea to Sky Highway and the valleys.听
It may be pouring outside, but he鈥檒l be out there because he actually loves riding in weather like that 鈥� because he usually has the roads to himself. His training consists of regular rides to Vancouver and back for coffee, plus the occasional ride to Lillooet via the Duffey Lake Road.听
Yes, King rides to Lillooet on his bicycle for fun.
Historically, King has participated in five Test of Metal races. He made his debut in 2005 and placed 735th with a time of 6:15:06. He then returned in 2007 and shaved more than an hour and a half off his time in 2005 by completing the race in 4:43:27 and finished 454th.
King took on the Test again in 2008 and bested his time in 2007 by seven minutes and placed 448th. The 40-something rider posted his best-ever Test time in 2009 (4:16:49) but fell to 568th overall.
In 2010, he was a little slower (4:35:00) but moved up to 559th overall. After a DNS in 2011 and taking a year off in 2012, King returned last year and finished 604th with a time of 4:48:01.
This year will mark his sixth Test of Metal and he thinks it could be his best.
鈥滿y nemesis is the Plunge. I haven鈥檛 beaten it yet but I think this might be the year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have a few friends in town that usually catch me in Dead End Loop, but last year I held them off until the Plunge, so I know I鈥檓 getting fitter each year.鈥�
What keeps him coming back is the spirit of the event.听
鈥淓very year I crest the final little climb in Roller Coaster and can hear all the cheering fans. I get goose bumps,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to catch up with people at the finish line that I might not see all year except at the Test.鈥澨�
鈥⑩赌⑩赌�
Brandon Thompson may be a Test first-timer and new resident of Squamish, but the race has already struck a chord with him.听
鈥淩acing the Test is a rite of passage for any Squamish mountain biker. You鈥檝e got to try it at least once鈥� he said.听
Making the move here from Vancouver has allowed Brandon the opportunity to get back into mountain biking with all the great variety of trails right out his front door. This spring he has been focusing on longer mountain bike rides and familiarizing himself with the trails that make up the race.听
鈥淚鈥檝e been trying to mountain bike as much as possible and am loving getting out there,鈥� he said.听
Most Test rookies might fear climbing Nine Mile or making it down the Plunge, but Brandon鈥檚 mind is focused on a sometimes-overlooked part of the race 鈥� the start.听
鈥淚鈥檝e got to get a good start and then try to settle into a pace that I can maintain for the entire race and if I can do that, I think I will be OK,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I also have heard something about people cramping the second time through the feed zone, which I hope to avoid.鈥�
With all the training and riding Brandon has put into preparing for the Test, he鈥檚 set himself up well for his next challenge a few weeks later 鈥� the seven-day 小蓝视频 Bike Race stage race, which runs from June 28 to July 5.
鈥淚鈥檝e ridden a lot to get ready for the Test and I wanted to take advantage of my fitness and give the 小蓝视频BR a try,鈥� he said.
Both riders differ in their approach to preparing for the Test of Metal, but each shares the common thread that connects bikers who choose to line up each year 鈥� they all just love riding their bikes.
