The riders queued Monday morning for the final stage of the Fernie 3 with a nice overcast sky, a near perfect temperature and a very fun route. The extreme heat and big climbs they endured on stage 1 and 2 were clearly past as stage 3 offered a 33 km course with 1048 meters of smaller climbs. The main route features were the new Montane Trail and a selection of Ridgemont classics.
Local racer Carter Nieuwesteeg topped the day with his first stage victory. Event leader and yellow jersey rider Shane Keyser commented, “Carter came out of nowhere near the end of the stage and pressed hard”. Sandra Walter, Canada’s #3 ranked XC rider, took the women’s stage for the third consecutive day. Full day 3 results here.
The results of the three stages were combined to determine the podium finishers and there were few surprises. Details here.
Sandra Walter from Coquitlam BC and riding for Liv Canada / Pedal Mag took top spot on the podium in women’s open
with Trish Grajczyk and Shauna Bygrave–both from Calgary, Alberta and riding for Deadgoat Racing–took second and third spots.
In men’s open top Shayne Keyser from Bragg Creek took the top spot on the podium with Ben Parsons–from Kalispell and riding for the Sportsman Ski Haus Cycling–taking second and Steve Devantier of Pitt Meadows and riding for Team Giant Vancouver taking third.
The final banquet was held at the Castle on 1st, a yoga studio with workshops, and special event and vacation rentals. The Bridge Bistro catered an amazing feast and event prizing was presented by the Gear Hub, Rocky Mountain bikes and TinHorn Creek Winery.
Over $8500 was raised for local trail organizations and the volunteer support was outstanding. A big thank you to all participants, volunteers and sponsors.
Sponsors include: The City of Fernie, Rocky Mountain Bicycles, GearHub Sports, Hammer Nutrition, Jakroo Canada, Fernie Real Estate, Fernie Brewing Company, Tinhorn Creek Winery, The Cedars, Teck, The Bridge Bistro, Park Place Lodge, The Griz Inn, Fernie Central Reservations, Stanford Inn, Red Tree Lodge, Tourism Fernie Assoc, Happy Cow, Montane Fernie and Island Lake Lodge.
