by admin | Jul 1, 2019 | Fernie TransRockies
The TransRockies Classic is returning to Fernie as the premier summer biking event! For the 13th time Fernie will host the Classic—there has never been a Classic without Fernie.
The TransRockies Classic represents the return of one of the world’s most rugged and spectacular cycling events. Crossing the continental divide while traversing from Panorama Mountain Resort to Fernie, British Columbia, the TransRockies Classic is an epic point-to-point 500+km journey for hardy riders.
Fernie has has its share of riders participating in past years and this year will be no different. You can expect to see Fernie’s top XC racers in the cast.
“I rode for sometimes eight hours. I was challenged for seven days. But the experience, friendship and memories will last a lifetime. Thank-you to the organizers and support for your determination to make the TransRockies challenge so successful.” — Pepper Couelle-
On Sunday, July 28 the riders will roll into Downtown Fernie to complete Stage 7 — Crowsnest Start to Fernie Finish. This final stage is the queen stage and the riders will most certainly have earned their voyage having completed this epic day. The big drop is Porky Blue!
The 13th Kids’ Bike Rally is also being staged again at the TransRockies classic finish. When 100+ riders roll into the finish line for the Transrockies Classic Finish, 100+ kids’ aged 3 – 9 will be enjoying a fun bike rally. Read more and register here.
To catch all the action see the details and get your Fernie accommodations here.
With the legendary 2019 TransRockies Classic just over a month out, the TransRockies team has already laid the groundwork for their next Fernie visit, which is already less than a year out. The Singletrack 6 version of the TransRockies Mountain Bike Stage Race will return in 2020 with a new earlier date: June 8-13! While TransRockies Classic is a remote and epic journey through the Canadian Rockies, covering over 500km, the Singletrack 6 version dials down the distance and ramps up the percentage of hand-crafted singletrack trails in authentic BC mountain biking communities.
The TransRockies SIngletrack 6 has become a legend in its own right over the past 5 years, and while we’ve taken a year off from the format in 2019 to bring back the epic goodness of the Classic, ST6 is back in 2020 with a great new route, more timed descents and some of our favourite mountain bike communities! The 2020 TransRockies Singletrack 6 will feature two days each in Fernie, Kimberley and Rossland. Each stage will include some of the best singletrack mountain bike trails in each community, followed by evening socials and dining in these vibrant communities.
The TransRockies has been a large part of shaping Fernie’s mountain bike scene and it will continue to do so.
A big thanks to our sponsors who help make this event happen, including: Gearhub Sports, Teck, Park Place Lodge, Red Tree Lodge, The Raging Elk, Fernie RV Resort, Fernie Slopeside Lodge, Lizard Creek Lodge, Fernie Lodging Company, Snow Valley Lodging, Fernie Central Reservations and Happy Cow Ice Cream.
by admin | Jun 28, 2015 | Fernie TransRockies
The Fernie 3 was busy today with 120+ riders racing Castle Mountain, Ridgemont and the Coal Discovery Trail. The weather was less punishing today and the riders enjoyed a brief cloud coverage as they climbed Castle Mountain shortly after nine. The riders enjoyed the flow of day 2 following the intense heat and brutal climbs of day 1.
Shane Keyser of Bragg Creek retained the yellow jersey however couldn’t shake Ban Parsons of Kallispel MT and the pair crossed the finish line together with a time of 205.17. The fastest women was Sandra Walter of Coquitlam with a time of 2:15.33. Full results can be found here.
The highlight of the day was the Kids Bike Rally as 150+ plus 3 to 9 year olds’ enjoyed a swag stop at Gear Hub, bike decorations, Happy Cow Ice Cream, Ballon Tom and the water park at the Aquatic Centre.
The final day starts tomorrow at 9am at the Fernie Aquatic Centre with a 32km course with slightly less climbing. With less climbing the racers will have faster times with the fastest riders finishing around 10:30am. Drop by to catch the excitement!
by admin | Jul 28, 2013 | Fernie TransRockies
The 12th, and final edition, of the TransRockies Challenge kicked off this morning in fantastic Fernie! 300 mountain bikers lined up for the start of the TR3 and TR7 events on what would be an exceptionally fast stage covering 33km and 1600m of elevation gain.
The format of Stage One has traditionally been a time trial. This year organizers decided to ‘mix things up’ by redesigning this stage and moving to a mass start format. The ride would begin with a road climb before leading the riders onto their first stretch of singletrack, and first of two climbs, up the legendary Hyperventilation trail.
In years past, Stage One often served as an opportunity for the elite in the field to stretch out their legs and size up the competition. The dry and dusty trails set up nicely for a very fast stage and it became apparent early on that there would be no warm-up stage this year. From the starting gun, a strong Euro contingent demonstrated they came to Canada to compete. In the TR7 Solo Men’s category, Oliver Zurbruegg of Switzerland set the pace with a time of 1:52:17 followed by Swede Calle Friberg and Paul Remy of France. 2012 TR3 champion Mical Dyck came through as the ladies TR7 Solo leader with a time of 2:16:03. Leighton Poidevin was first across the line in the 40+ Men with Pedro Vieira of Portugal taking the 50+ Men’s Stage One win.
As the morning wore on the temperature began to rise and the field was sweating hard as they ground their way up Hyperventilation for a second time. This time, however, they would be bound for a rewarding descent down Southern Comfort and a quick spin back to town. In what may be a first in TransRockies history, a 100+ duo posted the fastest time of the day in the TR7 team event. It should come as no surprise that a team composed of a former world Mountain Bike Champion and a former Xterra World Champion would be quick. Mike Kloser and Michael Tobin posted a time of 2:04:24, one minute in front of the TR7 Open Men’s duo of Sebestien Cadieux Duval and Marc-Andre Daigle. The TR7 80+ men were lead by Geoff Clarke and Juancito Garcia Casatti with a dominating 17 minute win in 2:32:11.
The duo of Jodie Willet and Cathryn Zeglinksi, who met at the Cape Epic and reside in Australia and Canada respectively, put in a solid Stage One effort by clocking 2:37:56 for the win in the Open Women’s division of the TR7. Open mixed team of Daniela Storch and Lutz Baumgaertel from Germany recorded a time of 2:21:41 to open up a 9 minute lead over Trish Grajczyk and Steve Walsh of Canmore, Alberta’s Deadgoat Racing.
The TR3 solo side of the event is broken down into 4 categories this year: Open Men, Open Women, 40+ Men and 40+ Women. Matt Hadley of Canmore, Alberta took top spot on the Open Men’s podium in a time of 1:56:28. Xterra World Champion Melanie McQuaid opened up a one minute and 18 second lead over 2012 TR7 Champion Sandra Walter in the Women’s Open category clocking 2 hours, 13 minutes and 13 seconds. The 50+ Men were lead by Tony Routley of Team Whistler in 2:19:14.
In 2012 Jeff Neilson of Calgary placed 2nd behind Ian Auld in the 40+ Men’s division. Auld had a challenging day on the trail with a whopping 5 flats. Neilson took the stage by 4 minutes and 49 seconds ahead of Dan Peters with a time of 2:11:43. Time will tell if Auld can make up a 20 minute deficit over the final two stages.
Stage Two will again see the riders start and finish on historic Victoria Ave in Fernie. They’ll stick to the east side of Fernie with a 44.5km route featuring 1700m of elevation gain on the Porky Blue Loop.
Detailed race results can be found here.
by admin | Jul 15, 2013 | Fernie TransRockies
The Fernie TransRockies Kids’ Bike Rally is returning for its 7th year! When 350 riders from over 20 countries roll up to the start line in Fernie BC, they will be facing the beginning of a long and adventurous seven day mountain bike. At the same time 100 kids’ aged 3 to 9 will be facing a fun and educational bike rally around Fernie’s downtown.
This mini-rally has been a great success for the past six years and will again add to the festivities surrounding the TransRockies. The event is free and is limited to the first 100 kids to register. Registration is at Straightline Bikes and entry forms can downloaded here: Kids_RAlly_Reg_Form
Start times are every half hour beginning at 9:30am and ending at 11:30am. The rally route takes about one hour and kids must be accompanied by a parent.
Straightline Bikes start the kids off on their big adventure spruced up with event plates and accessories. Their mechanics also check their bike and helmets. Next stop is at Fernie Heritage Library where the kids’ decorate their bikes. Then off to the Fire Station where Brendan will challenge the young riders with an obstacle course. From there Overwaitea will hydrate and feed the kids for the last leg to Freshies where PT the Clown will paint faces and the streets came alive with chalk and water sprinklers. The Fernie Chamber girls will also be hosting a scavenger hunt.
The event is free and the highlight of the Fernie TransRockies. If you’re missing it, be sure to bring your kids next year.
The TransRockies is a fundraiser for the Fernie Trail Alliance. The 2013 events raised over $12,000 that will be invested in the maintenance of existing trails and the construction of new trails. The Fernie Trails Alliance is a registered charity and relies on fundraising, grants, and donations to help maintain the spectacular trail network in Fernie.
A big thanks to our partners who make these events possible: Parastone, Fernie Real Estate, City of Fernie, Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Lodge, Fernie Getaways, Stanford Resorts, Raging Elk Hostel, Fernie Central Reservations, Straightline Bikes Fernie Slopeside Hotel, Overwaitea Foods, The Fernie Library and the Fernie Chamber of Commerce.
by admin | Aug 9, 2011 | Fernie TransRockies
The 5th Annual Blackstone TransRockies Kids’ Bike Rally basked in perfect weather and was enjoyed by almost 100 participants. The Kids’ Bike Rally is for kids, five to nine, and is a fun and educational stage rally, themed and staged alongside the TransRockies. The TransRockies is celebrating it’s 10th year!
Straightline Bikes started the kids off on their big adventure with the help of local bike celebrity Paul Attalla. Attalla has competed the TransRockies twice and came 3rd in this years Tour Divide race. The kids bikes were spruced up with event plates and accessories.
Next stop was the Fernie Heritage Library where the kids’ decorated their bikes. Then Colin at the Fire Station enticed everyone with an rally course. From there Overwaitea hydrated and fed the kids for the last leg to Freshies where faces were painted and the streets came alive with chalk and water sprinklers.
The event is free and the highlight of the Fernie TransRockies. If you missed it, be sure to bring your kids out next year. These pictures tell the story (click for a larger rendering):
