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.
Fernie women athletes dominated the Fernie Ultra and Enduro on July 29th and 30th, and the men didn’t fare that badly!
Saturday kicked off with the Ultra, a 84km trail run, and to say the least, everybody was impressed. The runners pushed through the heat conquering what may quickly become known as one of the most challenging Ultra routes around. Over 3000 metres of climbing led to a long day for many with the final finisher crossing the line just before midnight. Andy Reed of Canmore clocked the fastest time of the day, 9:20:08, overtaking Mike Moore of Fernie in the last km to win by a mere 37 seconds. Bob Maudie of Fernie came third with a time of 9:44:40. The fastest lady of the day was Fernie’s Terry Paterson with a 10 hour and 22 minute effort. Lucy Eykamp of Fernie came in third, 39:23 behind Terry and Heather Mong came 6th with a time of 14:06:17. In the women’s relay category Fernie’s Valley Vixens and Happy Feet came 1st and ins with times of 9:26:54 and 9:28:34. (All results at bottom of post)
On Sunday a field of 170 mountain bikers lined up at FAR for the Fernie Enduro, composed of four timed descents. There’s nothing like cruising to the top of a climb with your buddies, bombing down, and seeing who has earned bragging rights for the riding the fastest line. If the number of grinning riders at the bottom of each descent were any indication, the downhills were thoroughly enjoyed by all. In the Open Men category, David Harder of Calgary had the quickest cumulative time on the descents with a time of 19 minutes and 16 seconds. Lucie Richer of Fernie, 40+ Women, clocked the fastest female time of the day in 24:30.9. Chris George of Fernie came out on top among the 40+ men with a time of 21:39.3. Other Fernie riders included Luke Nelson, Ross Roseingrave and Conrad Spring coming 5th, 6th and 7th in men’s open and Marty Hafke came 3rd in men’s 40+.
Not to be forgotten were the riders red lining it from start to finish. The cross country field flew up the climbs in addition to navigating the descents as quickly and safely as possible. Congrats to Devin Erfle (Open Men), Kate Aardal (Open Women), Geoff Clarke (40+ Men), and Pam Pearson (40+ Women) for reaching the top spot on the podium. Angela Etheridge came 2nd in women’s open, Heidi Berry came 9th and Scott Gerecke came 3rd in mens 40+.
A portion of each entry and a fee for volunteering support went to the Fernie Trail Alliance. The 2013 event raised over $4500 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 possibe: City of Fernie, Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Lodge, Fernie Getaways, Red Tree Lodge, Stanford Resorts, Raging Elk Hostel, Fernie Central Reservations, The Fernie Hotel and Pub, Fernie Slopeside Hotel, and Fernie Brewing.
Fernie has been home to the TransRockies Challenge for 12 years so its no surprise that the Calgary based events organization is hosting new events in Fernie. This June 29 and 30th they will be hosting the 1st Annual Fernie Ultra and Enduro!
The Fernie Ultra is a solo and relay trail run. It is being held on June 29th and is bringing the Ultra format of trail running to Fernie. It will treat runners to a challenging and beautiful route, covering approximately 80km with 3000m of climbing to spectacular alpine vistas. Look for the inclusion of Sherwoody, Tamarack, Verboten, Mushroom Head, Hyperventilation trails with Transition Areas at Island Lake Lodge, Fernie’s Annex Park, Coal Creek and Ridgemont.
Local runners that will be participating include: Bob Maudie, Heather Mong, Min Merrett, Kim Shopland, Francesca Ter Poorten
The Fernie Enduro, Sunday, June 30th, will feature a pure format enduro, 39 km route with four timed technical descents. Riders will be ranked in the enduro results – with only the descents timed, and in the cross country results – with a time for the entire 38.7km course. With four descents totaling 1,822m, the Fernie Enduro will offer a World Class Enduro experience. The route will feature four epic Fernie descents:
Enduro is the hottest new format in mountain biking, combining the fitness of getting yourself to the top of the mountain in a fun and friendly non-competitive atmosphere, with a timed competitive descent ranking based on the rider’s combined time over the designated downhill portions. The format is appealing because it exemplifies the mountain biking experience, fostering camaraderie on the climbs and adrenaline and friendly competition on the descents. Several top cross-country mountain bike pros are switching to racing enduro for the 2013 season. Local riders can be expected to place well. Luke Nelson, Marty Hafke, Henry Bartlett, Angela Ethridge and others will be rippin’ down their backyard trails!
The finish is being celebrated at the Fernie Hotel and Pub in the heart of Downtown Fernie. A bbq and beer gardens will be happening and open to the public. Come out and enjoy the fun!!
Saturday June 29 – Fernie Ultra Trail Run
8am – Start at FAR Plaza
12pm to 10pm – Finish at CP Station Square/ Fernie Hotel
1pm to 10pm – Food and beverage gardens at Fernie Hotel
Sunday June 30 Fernie Enduro Mountain Bike
9am – Start at FAR Plaza
12pm to 5pm – Finish at CP Station Square/ Fernie Hotel
1pm to 10pm – Food and beverage gardens at Fernie Hotel
Thanks to organizations like the Fernie Trails Alliance, the Fernie trail system rivals the best in the world. This is why Fernie is the only community to have hosted all twelve of the TransRockies Challenge’s!
A big thanks to our partners who make these events possibe: City of Fernie, Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Lodge, Fernie Getaways, Red Tree Lodge, Stanford Resorts, Raging Elk Hostel, Fernie Central Reservations, The Fernie Hotel and Pub, Fernie Slopeside Hotel, Fernie Brewing
Just when you thought your 2013 trail running calendar was filled to the max with dirty fun…
Introducing a new ultra and relay trail run in fantastic Fernie, BC. This event is tentatively scheduled for June, 2013 and will feature the exceptional trail system in and around Fernie. The projected 6 legs, ranging in length from 10-20km and totaling 80-100km over 4000+ metres of elevation gain, will provide runners with the option of running solo or building a team of 2-6 athletes and covering the course in a relay.
Given the extensive trail system built, in large part, with the support of the Fernie Trails Alliance, this event will offer up some of the best and most challenging trail running around. For those unaccustomed to Fernie, the views in this part of Rockies are unparalleled. Legs of the run will feature stretches through beautiful old growth forests, climbs to high alpine vistas and speedy descents with stops at Fernie Alpine Resort and Island Lake Lodge. All this and the comforts of a worldclass resort town and exceptional course support courtesy of the crew at TransRockies Events.
Registration is set to open early 2013 so stayed tuned for more information!
The TransRockies riders came, the weather was perfect, the trails were ready and everybody had a great time! Fernie hosted the TR3 and TR7 riders in the 11th TransRockies event held in Fernie, the only community to host all 11 TransRockies.
The TR3, a three day solo event held in Fernie, included a Time Trial on Castle Mountain and Ridgemont, a Mount Fernie to Fernie Alpine Resort stage, and a FAR to Island Lake Lodge stage. Stage 2 was voted as the riders choice. The TR7 is a seven day team race and these riders enjoyed three days Fernie and then headed off to the Kananaskis for four days and will finish in Canmore.
The top Fernie Finishers were Krista Turcaso finishing 4th in the women’s open—she was in 2nd until a problematic flat dropped her back on the final day, and John O’Shannassy finished 3rd in mens 40+. Other Fernie riders included Jesse Mong, Rob Hewett, Tom Ryan, Ange Krasnay and Angela Ethbridge. Overall Fernie had a very good showing as a host community and the Fernie riders were top-notch!
On Sunday the 6th annual Blackstone Kids’ Bike Rally took to Fernie Downtown. The free and fun educational stage rally for kids’ aged three to nine began at Freshies where event plated, streamers and bells adorned all bikes. From there they headed to the Fernie Heritage Library where another layer of decoration was applied. Next stop was at the Fernie Firehall where a riding skills development course was waiting along with stickers and real firemen with firetrucks! From there they headed to Overwiatea for fuel and then to Freshies for face painting and a bouncy tent. For many riders this event has become the highlight of the TransRockies!
We look forward to hosting the 12th TransRockies and welcome the inclusion of the new 7-day solo category.
Without great supporters this event would not be possible, we offer them a huge thanks for their ongoing commitment.
The official sponsors of the Blackstone Fernie TransRockies include Blackstone, Fernie Real Estate, Parastone Development, Straightline Skis & Bikes, Overwaitea Foods, Island Lake Lodge, Fernie Alpine Resort, Fernie Fix, Fernie Free Press, Fernie Getaways, Lizard Creek Lodge, Stanford Hotels & Resorts, Best Western Fernie Mountain Lodge, Red Tree Lodge, The Fernie Lodging Company and The Raging Elk.
Blackstone is an environmentally sensitive master plan mountain community that is currently completing its planning and approvals stage. It will feature an 18-hole championship golf course designed by David McLay Kidd.
