by admin | Jun 28, 2012 | Fernie TransRockies
Fernie will again play host to the start and first three days of the TransRockies from July 28th to 30th! The TransRockies Challenge is one of the most recognized and revered mountain bike stage races in the world. Part of what makes this event so special is Fernie being the cornerstone. Being home to the best mountain bike trail network in the Rockies is only part of why Fernie has hosted all 11 TransRockies, support from local riders, spectators, businesses and the City has grown the event to three stages.
Stage One features the traditional time trial stage of past years with a start and finish on Victoria Ave in Historic Downtown Fernie. In the time trial, riders start in one-minute intervals and finish throughout the day creating endless entertainment. Bleachers and patios will be available to watch the action.
Stage Two offers a great addition with a new and exciting route from the Downtown to Fernie Alpine Resort with a Griz party and finish in the village plaza. This stage is also the introduction of the TransFondo Fernie.
The TransFondo Fernie is a single stage tour that will offer a ‘taste’ of the TransRockies experience. Limited to 100 spots, this non-competitive ride is designed to introduce new racers to the TransRockies experience.
In Stage Three riders will complete their legendary Fernie experience with a challenging climb of FAR’s Lungbuster before heading to Island Lake Lodge’s Mount Baldy and a rewarding descent into the lap of luxury. The Lodge will play host to an outdoor TR3 awards ceremony, post race party and rider accommodation.
Spectators and fans are welcome to join the festivities at all venues. Space is still available across all events including the TransFondo Fernie.
The Blackstone Kids’ Bike Rally has become a big part of the TransRockies experience and this is the 6th year of hosting the event in Fernie’s downtown! Following the Stage Two start on Sunday July 29th at 9:30am, kids’ aged 3 to 9 will be facing a fun and educational bike rally around Fernie’s downtown. The event is free and is limited to the first 100 kids to register. Registration is at Straightline Bikes in Downtown Fernie.
Without our 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.
For more information or to volunteer please contact Dan Savage at 250-531-0230 or transrockies@fernie.com
by admin | Apr 27, 2012 | Fernie TransRockies
Big news from the team at TransRockies! In the style and spirit of the Gran Fondo road cycling tours, the team at TransRockies Events is excited to present a unique mountain bike experience: TransRockies Challenge TransFondo Fernie.
For 2012 the TransRockies Challenge will feature a single stage tour in Fernie that will offer you the opportunity to experience the TransRockies Challenge in a non-competitive format. If you’ve ever wondered if the TRC is for you, or if you just want to come back for a day, the TransFondo Fernie stage tour will give you a ‘taste’ of what the TRC is all about: exceptional single track riding in the heart of Fernie.
Limited to only 100 riders, this is the first time it will be possible to ride an awesome TRC stages in a single day format. The TRC TransFondo seeks to emulate the experience of the grand tours of Italy and the Gran Fondo Highwood Pass. Instead of taking to the open road, we invite you to explore the trails of Fernie. You will be treated to a glimpse of the TransRockies Challenge experience in a relaxed and non-competitive format. Starting 5 minutes after the main field you can ride as hard and fast or easy and relaxed as you like and enjoy the exceptional surroundings and interesting company. In addition to spectacular riding, unparalleled organization and a well marked course, your entry includes two stocked checkpoints, medical support, a delicious post stage dinner with slideshow and a TRC Louis Garneau bike jersey (Retail $90).
TransFondo Fernie – On July 29th, TransFondo Fernie will feature the course offered on stage 2 of the TransRockies Challenge. The tour will highlight some of the best riding on the north side of Fernie, including trails such as Mad Cow, Swine Flu, and Dem Bones. With a projected distance of 30km of primarily singletrack, this stage will challenge and thrill riders of all ability levels. The stage will finish at Fernie Alpine Resort.
Registration for Fernie is set to open May 1st with Early Bird pricing of $149.00 in effect until June 1st. Pricing after June 1st will be $169.00. Register here now!
by admin | Aug 13, 2011 | Fernie TransRockies
Fernie celebrates 10 years of hosting the TranRockies with TR7 ( seven day team) victories in both men’s and women’s open classes.
Martin Vale and Carter Hovey battled trough mechanical issues to win three stages and finish on top. They started stage seven two minutes behind and rode hard to win the final stage.
Krista Turcasso and Angie Brynes blew the women’s field away with 6 stage wins and a margin well over an hour. They finished second on stage 7 due to minor injuries and mechanical issues however were the fastest women’s team by far.
Fernie has had many teams participate over the ten years however none have stood on top of the podium. The only Fernie team to take a title was in 2008 when Angie Bryans and teammate won silver in the women’s open.
Fernie is the only community to have hosted all ten TransRockies and it is very rewarding to have such strong finishes this year!
Here are the generous sponsors who are responsible for Fernie’s success with the transrockies:
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.
Other official sponsors of the Blackstone Fernie TransRockies include Fernie Real Estate, Tinhorn Creek Winery, 901 Fernie, Straightline Skis & Bikes, Fernie Brewing Co., Overwaitea Foods, Fernie Free Press, Fernie Fix, Fernie Getaways, Lizard Creek Lodge, Stanford Hotels & Resorts, Best Western Fernie Mountain Lodge, Red Tree Lodge, Fernie Alpine Resort, The Fernie Lodging Company and The Raging Elk.
by admin | Aug 13, 2011 | Fernie TransRockies
Water? Check. Food? Check. Tube, tools, rain jacket? Check. Bear spray? Bear spray! There aren’t many bike races which list bear spray as mandatory equipment but the TransRockies route travels through some very active bear country and route changes due to wildlife are part of the TransRockies.
After conservation authorities contacted TR organizers during the week to let them know that there was a grizzly bear mother and cubs on the trails of Stage 6, a new stage finale was quickly implemented which would see racers finishing at Stoney Nakoda Resort rather than at Rafter Six Ranch, the traditional last night stopover of the TransRockies.
If a small route change counts as a hiccup, it was the only one on a day which was as perfect as the TransRockies has ever seen. Riders and crew woke up to a clear mountain morning and the temperatures rose quickly before the 9am rollout under the . The weather held, temperatures stayed moderate, the winds never picked up and the field was able to enjoy the Queen Stage of 2011 in pristine Rocky Mountain weather. Three times they ascended trails to above 2000m metres where the rode in jaw-dropping panoramas of the rugged front ranges of the Rockies and three times they rode down legendary descents. On the day riders would accumulate a mile and a half of descending.
If it was a beautiful ride, it was also a long a tough one, and winning times for the pros were again close to 4 hours. After two straight TR4 wins, Barry Wicks took second place behind his teammate Kris Sneddon. After two trying days in the bad weather, the teammates called a truce and rode the day together with Sneddon taking the win as they rolled across the finish line together in the same time of 3:42:52. Behind them David Gonda finsihed a clear third to grab the final overall podium spot. Marty Lazarski, his closest competition suffered a number of mechanicals on the day, losing over a half hour and slipping to fourth overall.
Mechanicals blew apart the Men’s 40+ podium race as former TR7 winner Jeff Neilson suffered a double tire cut while in the lead. After a long repair process he knew top spot had slipped away and showed epic mountain bike spirit, stopping to help Marty Lazarski with his mechanical problems. Neilson’s bad luck was Simon Pulfrey’s fortune as he rolls into the last day with an almost-insurmountable 26 minute lead.
The women’s TR4 race has been a one-rider show with Kira McClellan winning all three stages but behind her, Cassandra Stamm and Pam Pearson are separated by only 40 seconds so the ride into Canmore will be anything but ceremonial.
The Open Men’s category of the TR7 event has produced some the best racing of the week with four fast teams battling for the podium spots all week. Stage 6 produced another battle which was eventually decided by the fickle hand of mechanical fate. The leading team from Switzerland, Team Zaboo, has had a relatively mechanical-free week but their luck changed on Stage 6 when both Mat Haussener and Damian Perrin broke their saddles but they managed to stay with the other teams and lost only 1:27 to second placed Team Fernie who worked with eventual stage winners Team Honey Stinger to paceline the last few KM of the rerouted course to increase the gap.
Team Fernie who have lost almost 20 minutes during the week to mechanical issues have cut Team Zaboo’s lead down to a mere 2:16 with one stage to go. The former World Cup racers Marty Vale and Carter Hovey of Team Fernie have promised to come out guns firing on Stage 7 in an effort to overcome the gap and win the overall.
The battle for third is just as interesting as Team Honey Stinger’s late surge has cut their gap from the overall podium from 18 minutes after Stage 3 to a hair under 4 with one day to go. Third-placed Team Bicycle Café/Gericks Cycle might have the locals advantage but Honey Stinger has seen this stage before and will be chasing the last overall podium spot along with their third stage win of 2011.
The Fernie women’s team of Krista Turcasso and Angie Bryans further increased their overall TR7 lead with a fast and consistent pace. They have time in stage 7 for almost any mechanical issue and still take the podium!
by admin | Aug 11, 2011 | Fernie TransRockies
Lance Armstrong once described the Tour de France as “3500km of pointless suffering and with few exceptions, most ultra-endurance events fit this same description. The kind of people who sign up for epic adventures and races aren’t the kind of people who go home and brag about how great the weather was and how much time they spent by the swimming pool, instead, they talk about the pain, the difficulties, and the discomfort.
For these people, Day 5 of the 2011 TransRockies was a perfect day on the bike. The first sections of the course were coated with a thick layer of hail which fell the night before making traction hard to find and good lines through the singletrack impossible. With average speeds chopped by the conditions, even the fastest riders were out on course for 4 hours in the rain and cold and the average finishing time was closer to 6 hours on this classic TransRockies day.
Rolling out from Little Elbow Campground under cloudy skies, none of the riders were taken by surprise as they had been the day before and everyone took their extra clothes out of their gear bags and were prepared for an epic day of singletrack and spectacular surroundings in the high mountains. For most, this would be a day for survival, not racing.
This has been one of the closest races ever in the Open Men’s Division of the TR7 with four teams from three countries trading the top placings on a daily basis. The battle for first place tightened up again as former Canadian National Team riders Martin Vale and Carter Hovey (Team Fernie) grabbed the stage win and took three minutes out of the overall lead of Team Zaboo cutting their gap down to less than four minutes with two stages to go. Behind them, Team Honey Stinger (Nate Bird and Dax Massey) continued their methodical ride picking up another podium finish and closing in on an overall podium spot. After a mechanical-plagued 2010, their 2011 approach has put them in striking distance of their first overall podium at the TransRockies.
On the women’s TR7 side, the Fernie team of Krista Turcasso and Angie Bryans secured another stage win and are poised to take home medals. They will be the first Fernie team to podium and Vale and Carter could join if they deliver a couple of days without mechanical problems.
While the status quo held in the other Open Divisions, the Swiss KRAFTWERK-rockthisbike.ch team of Marco Carrer and Eva Carrer-Enz found the tough conditions to their liking and grabbed their first stage win of the week. The 80+ leaders from
After the baking hot, dry conditions for the TR3, TR4 solo racers have seen the exact opposite side of the Rockies with back-to-back days of cold and stormy weather. As they had the day before, Team Kona Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon, who won TR7 as a team last year, grabbed the top two places in the TR4 Open Men’s division. Wicks again set the fastest time of the day with a scorching 3:55:49 and Sneddon was the only other athlete to finish in less than 4 hours with a 3:59:15. Another former TR7 winner, Marty Lazarski had a strong day to grab 3rd overall and move up into 3rd on GC. Kira McLellan secured her second straight win in the Women’s division to extend her GC lead.
For many riders, the commitment and sacrifice necessary to complete an event like the TransRockies is a great platform for fundraising around important causes and one team from Canmore has managed to raise over $40,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation through their riding. Team Zach Attack/Make a Wish Foundation is named for Zach Goodman, a heroic 13 year-old from Canmore who was able to take 14 of his family on a vacation to Hawaii with the help of Make-a-Wish before he died of brain tumours. Zach’s mom Dana and his aunt, Margie Smith are not only competing for a podium spot in the Open Women’s division but are close to completing a $50,000 fundraising drive for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Day 5 might have been the toughest day that many 2011 TransRockies riders have spent on a bike they came to the Rockies to test themselves against the toughest mountain bike race in North America. The thousand-yard stares at the finish were quickly replaced with war story telling around the campfire and over the endless dinner buffet and with two more tough stages to go before the finish line in Canmore including the legendary ridge rides of Stage 6, there will be more suffering and more new stories to tell at the closing banquet on Saturday night and when they get home to friends and family.
Page 18 of 34« First«...10...171819...30...»Last »
