Entry into the 67 kilometer Test of Metal mountain bike race in Squamish, British Columbia is not easy to come by. Although they sold 200 "locals only" entries last month, there would still be thousands of people clamoring to gain one of the 800 remaining spots when registration began tonight at 6pm PST.
I logged onto the Test of Metal website at 5:45, credit card in hand, and began punching my keyboard's F5 key with the fervor of someone going for gold in the age-old Track & Field videogame. I mashed the button continuously until finally, at 6:03, the registration site went live.
800 Spots Remaining
I clicked the link to register one person and typed like I never typed... er, since last year's TransRockies registration. My fingers danced across the keyboard like a man under deadline, but my haste did not make the proverbial waste. My eyes. They darted to and fro across the screen seeking out queries, following the cursor as I tabbed my way through the form, and even detected the potential pitfalls and Canadian traps that were laid out before me. I'll see your psychotic YYYY-MM-DD format and raise you a phone number without a country code.
I'll play your game, Canuck!
And I submitted the info.
Denied. I forgot to specify whether I'm a pro or recreational rider. I submit again.
Denied. I forgot to check the box saying I read the waiver nobody ever dares to waste time reading. I submit for good.
I'm in.
I print the receipt, close the windows, reopen Explorer and try to go back to the website to check how many spots are still available. The page doesn't load.
A few minutes later the heavy winds we've been experiencing causes the power to flicker and my computer turns off.
Bullet dodged.
I log back on at 8pm and the race is sold out. And probably was since 6:30.
June 14th. Be there.
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