Locals defended home turf well at this year's Squamish Enduro, with Jesse Melamed, Lily Boucher, Wei Tien Ho, Mateo Quist, Ruby Wells and Rebecca Beaton seizing victory in their respective age and gender categories.
Melamed overcame some adversity to reach the line in 16 minutes and 23.351 seconds, dethroning previous champ Rhys Verner who finished second (16:34.802). Third went to Melamed's Canyon CLLCTV teammate Jack Menzies (16:53.953).
"So stoked with the level of competition we have here at home," said Melamed on his Instagram account. "The crash was at the bottom of the longest and roughest stage: six minutes of hectic riding and multiple climbs and I was giving it everything. I scared myself more than a few times. Cleaned it up and ended up edging ahead for the win. The feelings are there...can’t wait for the big show in a few weeks."
Boucher claimed her U21 crown with the second-fastest time among all ladies (21:17.73) as fellow Squamolian Elly Hoskin grabbed silver (21:35.79) and Geza Rodgers received bronze (21:39.18).
"Felt good to get back to some enduro this weekend!" Boucher wrote on social media. "The Squamish Enduro put on a good one, as always. Thanks to everyone who came out and brought all the good vibes. Racing with friends at home is pretty special."
Ho won the men's U21 race (17:52.57) ahead of Noah Rubuliak (18:00.43) and Jacob Quist (18:10.55) in that order.
Gold in the boys' U17 went to Mateo Quist (18:05.71) who bested Nolan Weiss (18:14.03) and Nash Jamieson (19:10.74).
Wells prevailed in a two-athlete race for the girls' U17 title (22:59.11), while Beaton took the U21 by default (26:43.41) after Sianna Roka failed to register a result.
'It's just my time'
Miranda Miller hasn't participated in the Squamish Enduro since 2014. The veteran still has gas left in the tank, as evidenced by her two medals from Crankworx Whistler (enduro silver and downhill bronze) last July. She couldn't stop Emmy Lan of Comox from winning the women's pro event (20:56.76), but managed to lock down the runner-up position with a respectable time (21:27.942).
Trouble in the early going prevented Andréane Lanthier Nadeau from defending her 2023 title. Fortunately, she rallied with wins in stage 3 and 4 to preserve a third-place outing (21:29.403).
"Had a strange feeling all week that something bad was going to happen…the first time I had this feeling I broke my leg, the second time, my arm. But I survived and nothing bad happened," mused Miller on Instagram. "Tried to play it safe, but not go too slow or stare at my front wheel. Wrapped up the day in second but got smoked again by the kids, which is fine. It’s just my time and also confirms my life choices.
"Last time I raced the Squamish Enduro was 10 years ago...and it’s so impressive to see how the event has grown! Incredible work and thank you for having me."
Adds Lanthier Nadeau: "Some really good riding and some decently bad riding from me in Squamish. Still stoked and proud of where I’m at! Grateful to iron out the kinks before shipping off to Europe."
Full results are available at https://www.rootsandrain.com/event13109/2024-apr-21-squamish-enduro-squamish-enduro-squamish-bc/results/.
