When Kat and Sara were promoting the Hot on your Heels enduro in Squamish, what I initially imagined was a bunch of hardcore women flying down challenging coastal trails. Not bacon, half naked men, and tutus…
Kat, Sara, Michelle, and I made the long drive out to Squamish, BC at the beginning of August for this incredible event. Being a newbie to the HOYH, I knew we’d be dressing up (as foxes, of course), but I didn’t really have a clue what we were in for overall. We went a week ahead of the race in order to ride all the trails and adequately scare ourselves (so many fun things to fall off of!). It was a difficult course, but rewarding. All of us managed to get a lesson or two in trailside bike repair at some point. Thanks to Mud, Sweat & Gears we had all the tools we needed to keep our bikes going!
Race day started with us showing up to a big, crazy costume party in the middle of the woods. The music was pumping and stoke levels high as we danced/waited to be sent out on course. We all successfully conquered the first, hardest stage, “2 Stroke Smoke” (some with fewer bike/gravity issues than others), and soon found ourselves at a random tiki hut party in the middle of nowhere with more music, food, and scantily clad men providing drinks and entertainment.
Somehow we pulled ourselves away from the fun to continue on to the other stages/stations. The “Republic of Bacon” station was by far the Vixen’s favorite. Need we say more? This is where we got to try “bike limbo”. The volunteers at this enduro were amazing and obviously having a great time, which made for a super fun event. Their crazy antics were entertaining and helped us (mostly) to forget our race jitters. It helped that they were in their underwear. You’re supposed to imagine people in their underwear when you’re nervous, right? Well, they saved us that step!
All the costumes were creative – the women who decided to race in their swimsuits were especially fearless. It was a great experience to ride this course as a team, and to witness camaraderie along the way. We met so many other amazing, supportive girls and guys, which is what it is all about! We’ll be back. Stay tuned for next year’s costumes.
Author: Jenna Wilkie | Photographer: Kevin Ray
