The 8th edition of the OneUp Squamish Enduro presented by Tantalus Bike Shop went down this past weekend with over 500 riders, including an all-star field of World Cup pros battling it out in Squamish’s coast mountain rainforest. After two damp days of practice the weather turned around as riders pushed off the start line, with sunny skies above the track and perfect temps for racing. Short course riders took on a 30km loop of four stages on some absolute classic high-speed Squamish trails, while full course riders smashed through just over 50km on five physically and mentally demanding stages – maybe the hardest course the Squamish Enduro has ever pieced together.
That sunny weather brought the crowds out in droves, and the course was lined with applauding (and heckling) fans. Four stages of the full course were released two days in advance, leaving riders to speculate what the fifth “blind” stage would be, only to find it on race day as a nearly 30 year old, newly resurrected Middle Powersmart. Stage one saw riders tackle a new variation of an annual classic on Somewhere Over There, with stage two taking riders to the top of the Valleycliff zone to link-up a mix of slabs, jumps, drops, and old skool jank on some unorthodox and unsuspecting trails from the early 90’s. For the third year running, it was the monstrous fifth stage that riders looked to as the difference maker in the final standings, but it would be stage four that had most racers wondering… WTF?!? Starting on Entrails and moving its way through a buffed up Room with a View, stage four culminated on the very “unique” Dirk’s Diggler, built by the late great Dave Reid. Dave was a force in the evolution of the Squamish Enduro, and was always one of our greatest supporters. As the sun beamed down on the fans and racers ripping through the spine on Dirk’s, Dave was there too. Stage four was weird, and it was tough – Dave would have been proud.
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As with last year, the stage I was least excited about turned out to be one of the more fun ones of the day. It was tech, and hard, but once I got into the flow of it I was having a lot of fun. Plus the crowd at the bottom was sweet! |
An absolutely stacked field of Canadien pro’s from the World Cup EDR circuit duked it out on Sunday, but in the end it would be a commanding repeat win by Andreane Lanthier Nadeau on the women’s side. Reigning world champ Jesse Melamed laid down some mind boggling times on stage four and five, but the hometown hero Rhys Verner kept it consistent and pulled through for his third Squamish Enduro title. Notable mention to U21 Elite riders Wei Tien Ho and Dane Jewett who both would have made podium in pro – it’s safe to say Canadian enduro has a very bright future.
Verner holds it together.. barely.
Rhys & Lily. photo: Natalie Kate @nkatephotography
All together over $15,000 went back into the trails in 2023 from Squamish Enduro. We Are One, Giro, Tantalus Bike Shop, and OneUp stepped up huge to donate to the raffle that raised nearly $3k. Thanks to everyone who donated.
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Squamish is such a special place to ride. Slabs, tech, features, high speed; it’s got it all. This year we had a challenging course made even more tech with the rain leading up to the race. It was a balance of who could be fast and precise enough. Definitely a little different than what we have to do on the EDR circuit, so it was my goal to change that mindset and manage the long tough day! I’m grateful to Squamish Enduro, SORCA, and all the volunteers for giving us a race here as guests on the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw territory. |
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Amazing day of racing for this years Squamish Enduro! Even growing up in Squamish I had still never ridden 3 out of the 5 stages – super impressed they were able to include such a variety of trails! The most consistently challenging course yet, with very few spots to just passively ride. The stages were tough, and the day was long but it was an awesome event and I had a great day! |
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