With less than two months until the start of the 10th TransRockies and with the above average snowpack finally retreating to the alpine, we finally had an opportunity to ride Stage 3.
Stage 3 begins in Downtown Fernie with a mass start and quickly proceeds to North Fernie for perhaps the most grueling Fernie day in the history of the TR. Seven climbs starting on Mt Proctor, on to Mt Fernie, to the Lizard Range and back to Mt Fernie with a spectacular finish at Island Lake Lodge is the route in short. Short the stage is not and the cold beer and great food at ILL will be tasting really good after many hours of sustained single track! I should also mention the seven sweet downhills and endless single-track that will make this day extremely enjoyable!
Here is some footage taken last Saturday by Aaron McConnell:
Renowned sports protographers Blake Jorgenson and Mark Gallup are offering a mountain sports action photography clinic during the world renowned TransRockies Mountain bike race.
This workshop is for any photo enthusiast who is particularly interested in shooting outdoor and action photography. The first 2 days will be a combination of classroom instruction and on location outdoor shooting with pro mountain bikers. Both natural light and flash photography will be covered, tips, techniques and pro secret’s! Each day will be followed by an après session to unwind, talk about the day and keep the conversation rolling. For the last 2 days you will have the unique opportunity of photographing a world class mountain bike event. We will focus on assignment shooting. It’s “game on” as you cover everything from start line to finish line, high speed action, interesting characters, muddy faces, victories and defeats. It’s as real as any assignment will get! In fact, instructors will give you a mock client to shoot for and lead you through the day followed by classroom analyses and presenting your images.
Throughout the program you will also be working on your own 3 minute slide show to showcase at an awards dinner on the last evening. Lunches are included on each day plus the wind up dinner on the last evening.
All participants should love to be active and enjoy the outdoors with knowledge that changing conditions will be part of the fun! Locations will be accessed several ways including hiking, biking or 4×4. The only mode of transportation you are required to bring are your legs! A bike is optional if you desire.
A basic understanding of photography and the use of your own digital SLR camera is required. Also, a backpack is recommended for your equipment. Artificial lighting/strobe techniques will be part of the program. Your own flashes are recommended. Limited lighting equipment will be available through the instructors or for rent from The Camera Store in Calgary. Each participant should have their own laptop. Applicable software such as Adobe Light Room or Photo Shop should be installed on your computer.
At this time we are accepting reservations that can be confirmed with a $400 deposit. Upon confirmation, more information will be provided in the Welcome package including itinerary, curriculum and more details on what to bring.
Each year the TransRockies improves rider experience and major changes to the 2011 route offer more spectacular riding. However, one big route announcement has been saved until the end. We’re excited to announce that we’re spending three days on Fernie’s world-class singletrack!
Fernie is the only community to have hosted all ten TransRockies events. Each year Fernie has either been a Start or Finish stage and for the first time Fernie will host three stages. No other community has hosted more than one stage. Our hosting record clearly communicates our hospitality, community support, and great mountain biking.
Stage 1 will be the same as last year: start and finish on Victoria Avenue, with the route on Castle Mountain and Ridgemont. Stage 2 starts and finishes on Victoria Avenue, with the route on Porky Blue and the Coal Discovery trail. The brand new Stage 3 will start on Victoria Avenue and finish at Island Lake Lodge. This stage will be the longest stage as riders cross Mt. Proctor and Mt. Fernie, finishing with a ride around Island Lake with the finish line at the lodge.
The TR3, a three day solo event, will be exclusive to Fernie. UCI Olympic points are being offered again so expect a solid showing of professional riders. And the TR7, a seven day team event, will enjoy Fernie’s warmer weather before heading to the colder Alberta route finishing in Canmore.
One of the bonuses of hosting three stages is that the TransRockies will be in Fernie for at least five nights. This could be Fernie’s busiest week of the summer and local businesses will enjoy the increased traffic. Last year a Chamber of Commerce survey showed overwhelming support and increases in business.
The annual Kids’ Bike Rally will be returning for the fifth year. Kids’ aged 3 – 8 will be facing a fun and educational bike rally around Fernie’s downtown. It has been a great success in past years and will add to the festivities surrounding the TransRockies. The event is FREE and is limited to the first 100 kids to register at Straightline. Other festivities include food and beverage tents in the Downtown for Stages 1 & 2. The public is welcome to attend the Stage 3 finish at Island Lake Lodge by taking a free shuttle from the lower parking lot.
Without our sponsors and Partners this event would not be possible, we offer them a huge thanks for their ongoing support.
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 Vineyards, 901 Fernie, Straightline Skis & Bikes, Fernie Brewing Co., Overwaitea Foods, Fernie Fix, Fernie Getaways, Lizard Creek Lodge, Stanford Hotels & Resorts, Best Western Fernie Mountain Lodge, Red Tree Lodge, The Fernie Lodging Company, and The Raging Elk.
Our official partners are The City of Fernie, Island Lake Lodge and TransRockies Inc.
For more information contact Dan Savage at 250-531-0230 or transrockies@fernie.com
While spring officially starts on Sunday, most bikers we know kick off riding season with the arrival of Daylight Savings Time. The extra hour of post work riding time is when saddle time starts to increase and dreams of summer riding start to get more real.
This summer the 10th edition of the TransRockies offers more riding options than ever before including the chance to ride the full 7 days solo. The TR3 offers two stages of classic Fernie singletrack, followed by an epic climb up and over the Continental Divide and down into Alberta’s Kananaskis. Then you can ride the new TR4! One thing for sure is that our new TR4 Classic Kananaskis event is turning out to be a popular one. We’re now over 50 percent sold out for the TR4 and we’re looking forward to selling out this event first time around.
2011 TransRockies packages start from $650 and are fully customizable with meal and camping or RV accommodation packages. For registration and package details and to reserve your place in 2011, visit our website.
The TransRockies team riding experience is very different from solo races but, obviously, it requires a compatible teammate. We understand that finding a teammate can often be a challenge so we have created a number of resources over the years to help riders connect and for 2011, we’re introducing a new tool “Teammate Finder”.
We successfully launched Teammate Finder during our Run event and we’re excited to introduce it this year for our bike event. Rather than have you search for a partner, we do it for you by using the information from an online form you fill out which allows you to describe your riding level and approach. We then compare the information in it to the other riders searching for partners and provide you with your closest matches.
The TransRockies is proud to introduce a new epic event for 2011, the Gran Fondo Highwood Pass. We’re extremely excited to be able to to take 600 riders up and over Canada’s highest pass this July.
Registration opens March 1st and we expect the event to sell out quickly. Be sure to sign up HERE soon to reserve your place.
TransRockies Inc., creator and organizer of the world-renowned TransRockies, an epic seven day mountain bike race that has been based in FErnie for 10 years, is proud to introduce its newest creation, Gran Fondo Highwood Pass. This 147km Italian-style road bike ride over Canada’s highest paved road will be held for the first time on Saturday, July 9th, 2011.
The Gran Fondo, which literally means “big ride”, is an Italian creation that’s sweeping North America. Like the great Marathons-New York, London, Boston–Gran Fondo rides are mass participation challenges in magnetic settings that are draw everyone from professional racers to recreational participants in costume.
Highwood PassGran Fondo Highwood Pass is a fully supported ride that rolls out from Longview and warms riders up with 30km of quiet roads through surrounding ranch lands. From there, riders pedal through the spectacular scenery of Kananaskis Country: the Highwood River Valley, the Misty Range, Opal Range, and Kananaskis Ranges. After the summit, they past past Nakiska, home of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, and then on to Stoney Nakoda Resort, home the finish line and ceremonies, located at the intersection of Highway 40 and the TransCanada Highway.
“If you want to experience the wild intimacy of the Canadian Rockies from a bicycle . . . this is the ride,” said TransRockies President, Aaron McConnell. “The route passes through one of the most spectacular areas in the Canadian Rockies. We’ve also capped entries to just 600 riders to maximize experience and support, two things we value in all of our events.”
Aerial view of Highwood Pass TransRockies is one of North America’s most experienced and creative organizers of epic events and has chosen Highwood Pass because of its scenic splendor, inherent difficulty and the achievement it offers as Canada’s highest pass. Topping out at 2206m/7238ft, Highwood Pass is sure to challenge. “We’ve used Highwood Pass in other events,” added Aaron. “There’s nothing like it in terms of beauty and scenery. Those who feel like hammering it can enter our Monarca de Montagna (Monarch of the Mountain) competition. It’s our way of making 700m of climbing in 37km fun and giving the hammerheads a way to compete with each other. We’ve even thrown in a post-fondo party and pasta-fest. Fondo, food, and fellowship…what else could you ask for in a ride?”
