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An honourable end to the Seven Samurai

49 riders take part in three-day epic
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Whistler’s toughest race has now reached legendary status, as mountain bikers took part in the seventh of seven Samurai of Singletrack rides this past weekend. Only 49 of the original 100 riders made it through all seven years of an event that has been characterized by its epic and technical courses, as well as the toughness of the people who make it to the finish.

The last ride was as tough as they come, with riders covering over 144 km of mountain trails in three days in an area two hours north of Whistler. The ride was less technical than some events held in the Whistler area, but had lots of steep climbs and descents in rocky terrain to keep riders on their toes.

“The first day was long, and nobody had done the complete ride before so that was pretty cool,” said Tony Horn, who organized the Samurai series along with Ru Mehta.

“The second day you could say was the easiest day, but then my group had a big mechanical so we were still out there five or six hours — we converted someone from Sram to Shimano in the high alpine with everybody chipping in parts and pieces.

“The last day was pretty tough, mostly because people partied pretty hard on Sunday night.”

Horn and Mehta created the Samurai as an alternative to racing, designed for mountain bikers that enjoy long rides, technical trails, and usually ride bigger bikes. Some participants chose to race the courses, but for most participants it was just about making it to the finish.

Each year the ride was limited to just 100 riders, give or take, and riders from the past year’s event were always given first crack at registration. The seventh ride of the series was different, however, with spots always reserved for the riders who finished all six previous Samurais.

For Horn, the last event of the season was bittersweet.

“In a way it’s a relief because organizing the Samurai every year was a pretty big thing to do, but it was also one of the more rewarding things ever to happen in my life,” he said. “Part of that was just getting to know all the people. Like Ru said, of the 49 riders that rode last weekend, he said he only knew three of them before and now we know everybody pretty well.

“I know the last couple of kilometres were kind of weird, just because it was all over. It was sad in a way, and I think everybody felt that a little bit, but it was a good way to go out.”

Anne Kennedy rode the Samurai because she doesn’t like racing, and came back year after year for the experience of hanging out with all the other riders. In her first year of racing, Kennedy broke her bike on Kill Me Thrill Me, walked out to the highway to hitchhike back into town, borrowed another bike and had a friend drive her back to the spot she stopped.

She agrees with Horn’s assessment that this year’s ride was a good way to finish.

“It’s sad but it’s a relief at the same time. It’s sad because we were with all our friends and it was so amazing every year to do these crazy rides, but it will be good to do other stuff and pursue other interests. It totally overwhelms you, just getting ready for the race, talking about the course. I work in a bike shop, and it’s all anybody has talked about for three months so it’s always on your mind.”

Kennedy’s low point this year came on the second day when she ran out of food. The high point was the weather on Sunday night — unlike Whistler the rain held out where the Samurai took place. “It was a beautiful, starry evening and we had a band there — it was totally surreal,” she said. “I think we all paid for it the next day, but it was such a fun party. Ru is one of the best break dancers I’ve ever seen.”

Dave Burch said the format of the final race was a lot easier, with riders breaking into groups to tackle the course.

“In past years I’d just have my head down and I’d be hammering the whole day, but this time you actually had a chance to look around and enjoy being in one of the most beautiful places in the world as well as one of the top places to mountain bike,” he said. “It really was more of a celebration than a race.”

Burch had a lot of help getting through this year’s event after he snapped an aluminum bar on his rear triangle. It happened at the top of a long descent, with an 18 km ride along a road at the bottom to get back to camp.

“It was a potential weekend-wrecking frame breakage, but we MacGuyver’ed a fix to keep the chainstay together for the rest of the ride, then cannibalized some parts from (my wife’s) bike so I could finish the last day,” he said. “We used an allen key, some duct tape, zap straps and bailing wire, and it took about seven Samurais to make it work.”

It has become a Samurai tradition to start each day with a kind of mountain bike prayer, and Burch had the honour of saying a few words on the second morning of riding.

“I just noted the fact that seven years is a long time for anything in life. High school is just five years,” he said. “We all started the Samurai at a certain age — now we’re all seven years older, and a lot of things change in that time. Some of us are married, have kids, new careers, or retired. It’s amazing that so many people finished all seven years, and it’s a testament to the strength of will in the riders and the fact that it’s a pretty amazing event.”

Horn talked about one Samurai who has been married, has two kids, and has moved from Whistler to Pemberton to Squamish in the past seven years.

Paul “Rolo” Rawlinson said he got a little choked up during the prayers, thinking back on the last seven years.

“They definitely got the emotion going in me, just remembering the people we’ve lost in the seven years and all the trials and tribulations of the whole thing. With everybody together, it was pretty emotional,” he said.

“It was a really good experience. It really bonded a lot of bikers in town, but I have to say riding the last few kilometres was a bit of a relief. As Tony (Horn) said, there were mixed emotions, good and bad. We’re glad it’s over, and sad that it’s come to an end.”

Rolo said the last three-day epic was a fitting finish for the series.

“It was definitely a true challenge, a test of navigation, and a test of physical and mental ability for sure. It was a true Samurai,” he said.

“July and August were all focused on the Samurai, going for long rides and big climbs like I always do, and this year hiking was good training. We figure we did about 18,000 feet of climbing in the 140 kilometres, and probably 9,000 feet of that was walking.”

It’s also become a tradition for Horn and Mehta to recognize seven Samurais in different categories each year, but this year they only presented one award for strongest Samurai on behalf of Chris “Beeker” Romeskie — a Samurai who was killed while ski touring in 2004. The winners this year were Kevin Phelps, who rode two days with a badly swollen ankle, and Rena Worden, in recognition of her efforts the last seven years.

None of the riders or groups were timed this year.