The Haulback taps into Squamish’s long history of XC marathon racing

For 21 years, Test of Metal brought the best mountain bikers from Canada and beyond to Squamish, B.C. Bringing over a thousand racers to town, including Olympians like Geoff Kabush and Catharine Pendrel, helped establish Squamish as a mountain biking destination. While Test last ran in 2016, The Haulback is trying to tap into that legacy for the first year of its new mass-start XC marathon event.

When it comes to bringing back the spirit of an event like the Test of Metal, the Haulback’s organizing team couldn’t be more qualified. The four main organizers, Greg Day, Terry Evans and their wives, with help from Quinn Moberg, are all veterans of the Sea-to-Sky race community. Day raced with the Rocky Mountain Factory Team and now runs Day Time Cycling in Squamish. Evans and his wife were part of the team behind the iconic NIMBY50 in Pemberton, B.C. Moberg is a life-long Squamish local, firmer pro racer and the winner of the final Test of Metal in 2016.

Canadian MTB: You grew up racing events like Test of Metal and that series. What did having those races in town mean to you? 

Quinn Moberg: Growing up in Squamish those races meant the world to me. Watching my idols race in town was a huge inspiration for my racing career. I feel very satisfied stepping away from racing a few years having gone on to win them.

What do you think went missing when those races stopped? 

I don’t know if anything is missing per say; however, there were definitely a few transition years. I feel that a proper community bike event still exists with what Dylan has built with the Squamish Enduro, where the whole town is out watching and all the local world cup racers are taking part. Of course, it’s not a cross-country race, but things change over time and I’m happy for that evolution.

Squamish is now a mountain bike destination with international recognition. But when Test of Metal started, things were very different. Where in today’s Squamish do you still see that event’s influence? 

No doubt Squamish has changed over the years. Largely for the better, but it’s hard not to look back and miss the days when things were a little rougher, a little more grassroots, and a little less crowded. To see our tribute to Squamish’s history, all you have to do is look at our name, logo, and prizing – the winners of the Open Men and Women races will be taking home a custom Axe.

Anyone who raced Test of Metal over the decades it ran will instantly recognize that race’s influence in The Haulback course, above.

For a few years now, all the media talk’s focused on either gravel racing or enduro. Are you seeing more technical XCM races starting to make a comeback?

Who knows! The three of us love technical cross-country racing and see a place for it in the sport. We want to offer an interesting course that rewards different skill sets and bike set ups.

There’s obviously still local – and very fast – XC racing happening in Squamish, with the Fiver series. Why did you want to bring back a big XCM event? 

There are certainly world class cross-country riders around the Sea to Sky, as well as locals who want to push themselves and ride against the clock. We want to offer all these people an arena to throw down and let it all out.

At its peak, Test of Metal was around a thousand riders. For this first year, Haulback’s limited to 200. Are you aiming to start ‘small’ and grow the event or are you looking for a different sort of experience? 

Exactly, being a new event we have a limited capacity due to logistical constraints. We would love to grow over the years to come!

The Haulback runs through Squamish’s iconic trail system for the first time on June 22, 2024. Registration is open now and capped at 200 riders. Full course info and registration is at TheHaulback.com