by admin | Aug 14, 2009 | Fernie TransRockies
Stage 5: Whiteswan Lake – Elkford
87.5km/ 2254m climbing/ 2115m descending
After four straight years with almost unbroken sunshine, it was inevitable that the Rocky Mountains would demand a little payback from the TransRockies. The riders of the 2009 have been hit with three straight days of unseasonably cold and wet weather that has added an extra level of epic effort to each long day in the mountains.
On Stage 5, the TransRockies field rolled out of Whiteswan Lake deep in the wilderness with the mountain town of Elkford in their sights. As they have since the first year of the TransRockies, one of the friendliest and most enthusiastic groups of locals anywhere would welcome them with hot showers, dry clothes and ample snacks to recharge. With the basics of life like high-speed internet and cell phone reception, riders were anxious to get back in touch with family and share stories of the 2009 race so far.
With tough conditions on the menu and two major passes to cross, the leading groups of riders stayed together early on in the 87.5km stage sharing the work before splits began to appear as tired legs needed to take a rest. As they have since the start, Marty Lazarski and Stefan Widmer from Rocky Mountain bikes were again the strongest as they rode away from the group and rolling into Elkford solo. Testament to the tough conditions was that fact that their finishing time of 4:36:07 was just 8 minutes faster than the day before despite a route 20km shorter.
In the Open Women’s division, the VeloBella/Vanderkitten duo of Erika Krumpelman and Shannon Holden took advantage of the burly conditions to grab their second stage win of 2009 with a 13 minute gap over Magi and Kate Scallion of Team Nipika who retain their overall first place position with two days to go.
A number of overseas teams are battling for podium spots despite the tough and complete foreign conditions. Team Cox (Hans-Tore Steen and his partner Gisele Langslet) from Norway have a 23-minute lead in the 100+ Category, while the Czech Republic Czechmasters, who again finshed second overall on the stage, have nearly an hour on their closest competitors, Team Breck Epic. The Flemish Belgian contingent from Team Detrog Granville occupies 2nd and a close 4th in Open Mixed and were also in 2nd in 80+ Mixed until hypothermia problems dropped them to 4th after Stage 5.
Every team, whether local or from across the World had to battle through some tough riding throughout Stage 5. The last descent became as much of a survival course as the climbs as the steep and sketchy Rock Garden descent from top of Crossing Creek pass was slick and scary-a huge opportunity to open up time gaps for the technically adept teams and an exercise in care for those not comfortable with 3 km of vertical rock field.
Despite the conditions, only a few teams failed to make the finish cut off time of 10 hours, which was extended by a few minutes in light of the conditions. With hot showers, dry clothes and a town-run barbeque at the finish, riders were restored to wellness quickly and were left to tell war stories as the mechanics braced themselves for another night of bike repair which would require headlamps and ample caffeine to make sure that hundreds of cables, chains, brakes and shocks would be buffed and ready for another 101km and 2600m of climbing across the Continental Divide and into the Crowsnest Pass region of Alberta
by admin | Aug 13, 2009 | Fernie TransRockies
Stage 4 Nipika to White Swan Lake 108km
With the competitors from the TR3 leaving camp for home this morning, it was down to business for the TransRockies teams who had a huge 107km day ahead of them on the middle day of this year’s seven-day epic. This stage, which started under low cloud at Nipika Mountain Resort, was going to be a long haul through some high and remote Rocky Mountain backcountry to the wilderness campground at Whiteswan Lake.
The new stage 5 routing omitted a major climb and instead took the field through roughly 30km of reclaimed singletrack to the base of the day’s major climb, Lodgepole Pass. By the time the riders reached the base of the climb, the morning cloud had turned into pounding rain and the visibility dropped down to mere metres as riders slogged through the ruts at the top of the climb. While they might not have enjoyed the pass, they probably came out of it in better shape than the TransRockies race partner whose brand new pickup truck lost both bumpers in the deep mud.
A change of tempo from the singletrack to more open riding meant that new teams surged to the front of the pack. First-placed Masters Men (80+) the Czechmasters Milan Spolic and Martin Horak made an early bid for glory with an attack after the first feed zone that dropped the second-placed overall Team Amarante but not the overall leaders, Rocky Mountain Factory Team who responded in kind and left the Czechmasters behind on the way to their fourth straight stage victory.
The Czechmasters finished a superb second overall on the day and first in their class to extend their already impressive lead over second-placed 80+ Men Thane Wright and Dax Massey who race for Breck Epic and who always seem to find the beer at the end of every stage. They are going to be a force at the closing party on Saturday night.
An equally impressive showing was put in by the Open Mixed leaders Team Terrascape/Trek Toronto (Mical Dyck and Jeff Neilson), who surged to a fourth-place overall finish and a 20-plus minute gap over the super-strong Belgian Duo of Team Detrog-Granville (Xavier Vermeeren & Mieke Deroo) and a nearly insurmountable gap in the overall classification.
The big movers on the day were Ryan Correy and Brian Bain of Team Bow Cycles, who surged onto the podium for the first time taking back nearly half an hour on the third-placed Team visitPA.com. The boys from PA still hold their overall third place standing, but with two long stages in the next two days, Bow Cycles will have a chance to over come the remaining gap before the finish in Fernie.
By the time most riders crossed the finish line, the sun had come out again over the finish line at Whiteswan Lake giving them a chance to warm up and dry their shoes and gear on the numerous improvised clothes drying lines that staff strung up between the trees dotting the wilderness meadow. With feta and spinach stuffed chicken breast on the dinner menu and hot showers flowing from the 40-foot trailer which accompanies the event, recovery from the two rainy days could begin in preparation for the next days 87.5 km ride over two major passes into Elkford and civilization once more.
by admin | Aug 13, 2009 | Fernie TransRockies
Stage 3 Race Report:
Nipika – Nipika
Distance: 40km/ 1000m climbing/1000m descending
After two days of perfect racing weather, riders who woke during the night after the epic second stage heard the gentle patter of rain on their tents and campers. The start line at Nipika Mountain Resort is at roughly 1100 metres elevation, so rain and cloud also means cold temperatures so long sleeves and jackets were the order of the day for racers in the 9am start wave.
The weather continued to deteriorate throughout the morning prompting organizers to shorten the distance by roughly 5km-dropping the steepest and most technical sections of the course. Still, riders were faced with over 40km of wet and slippery single and doubletrack through the Nipika trail system including vertigo-inducing rides along the edge of the Kootenay River Gorge.
The racers took on the stage in three waves from slowest to fastest with the final group leaving starting at 1pm. The tension was highest for the competitors in the TR3 solo event, whose event would be complete at the end of this stage. Nipika would be their last chance to move up in the standings.
The change in conditions offered up the possibility of big changes in the standings as the relatively smaller elevation gains and constant level of technical challenge suited different skills sets than the previous two stages, likewise the mud also raised the possibility of mechanical difficulties.
With relatively small time gaps between first and third places, the TR3 Open Men’s Race was going to be dramatic and it took a turn in the first half hour when second-placed Colin Kerr inadvertently shortcut the course passing first-placed rider Cory Wallace along with the first-placed overall team Rocky Mountain. He maintained the gap to the finish but was penalized 10 minutes at the finish dropping him to third. Behind, Wallace and third-placed Roddi Lega (Team Pedal Head) were having a classic battle with Lega using his superhero singletrack skills to close in the technical sections only to have Wallace pull back out on the climbs. In the end, the final climb was enough to give Wallace a 20 second win and the overall GC as well.
In the Open Women category of the TR3, Katharina Beeler of Arizona confirmed her overall win with a third straight stage win. Craig Bartlett of Canmore won his battle extraordinaire with Calvin Zaryski with his second straight stage win in the Master Men (40+) category.
In the TransRockies team event, Stefan Widmer and Marty Lazarski continued their clean sweep of the action in the Open Men’s division with a 9-minute win over the hard-battling Portugese team of Joao Marinho and Jose Silva. Ray Adams and Ryan Leech of Team visitPA.com have been battling since the start and finished on the podium again to solidify their third-place overall standing. There were some first time stage winners in other categories as the technical mud masters got their chance to shine on a day when the sun didn’t. With 107km of climbs and wide-open riding on the way to the wilderness camping at Whiteswan Lake tomorrow, the tables will likely turn again.
In a classic ironic turn that mountain biking seems always to offer, the sun finally broke through as the awards presentations began meaning that the riders could enjoy the pictures and video from the day’s action knowing that tomorrow would very likely be a much better day for mountain biking in the Rockies
by admin | Aug 13, 2009 | Fernie TransRockies
Stage 2 Race Report:
K2 Ranch – Nipika Mountain Resort
Stage 2 Takes Riders to Heaven and Hell, TransRockies-Style
Distance: 72.2km/ 2835m climbing/2650m descending
When riders woke up this morning at K2 Ranch, the mood was a little more serious and a lot less giddy than the day before in Panorama. The pre-race briefing the night before had laid out the scope of the challenge ahead of them: over 2800 metres of climbing including several hike-a-bike sections and some steep, technical descending on trails which had been slickened by summer showers over the previous week. Most riders were planning on spending over 7 hours in the saddle with many aware that they would be pushed hard to beat the time cut off of 10 hours for the day. Those numbers held true as less than 10 per cent of riders finished under 6 hours with the majority of the field crossing the line in 8 hours or more.
The course served up both Heaven and Hell to riders in large doses. Hell came in the form of the raw, remote and steep second pass which had been cut specifically for the event to allow riders to cross from the Columbia River Valley in to the heart of the Kootenay Rockies while the Heaven came in the form of two epic and long singletrack descents mixing dry and choppy Rocky Mountain-style challenge with steep and slick switchbacks and rooty drops which wouldn’t be out of place on Vancouver Island.
The start of the Stage was more relaxed than the previous day as riders were able to warm up with a gently rolling 15km ride along the West Side road from K2 Ranch to Fairmont Springs where the first of the day’s three major climbs would begin. Once again Cory Wallace opened up the action with an attack on the first climb and Roddi Lega went with him as the other solo riders and teams chose not to respond immediately.
While Wallace and Lega got a gap, the first-place Open Men’s team from Rocky Mountain Bikes showed their multi-time TransRockies experience, biding their time working with the Portugese newcomers, Team Amarante BikeZone-Onbike to hold the difference down. The early effort took its toll on both Lega who suffered cramps which only a large serving of Aid Station jujubes could fix, while Wallace was eventually overhauled on the third climb by the Rocky Mountain Factory Team pair of Marty Lazarski and Stefan Widmer who had dropped the Portugese duo earlier.
Wallace hung on to first place in the TR3 Open Men’s race and took the leader’s jersey off the shoulders of Colin Kerr who snuck into second place while Lega was working out the cramps. Team Amarante held onto second place in the Open Men’s category of the TransRockies 7-day race but the 22 minutes that the Rocky Mountain riders put into them on the final climb and endless last singletrack gives the boys from BC a decent gap to protect as the race moves toward the Stage 3 time trial.
Elsewhere in the field, the huge day shook up standing in a number of categories. In Open Women, Team Nipika (Magi and Kate Scallion) not only crossed their home finish line first but they put enough time into the first stage winners Team Velo Bella to grab the Overall Leaders’ jerseys. Cory Wallace grabbed the Leader’s jersey in the Open Men’s division of the TR3 and has a comfortable gap of more than 10 minutes over Colin Kerr heading into the Stage 3 Time Trial which will conclude the inaugural TR3. In the Master 40+ Men’s Division of the TR3 Craig Bartlett of Canmore turned the tables on Stage 1 winner Cal Zaryski of Calgary and will wear the Leader’s Jersey into the last stage.
There may be stages at the 2009 TransRockies which cover more distance than Stage 2 but riders will not spend more time in the saddle or climb more vertical than they did on Monday. Despite the suffering, riders buzzed after the stage and through dinner about the superb singletrack and remote wilderness riding. A shorter day on Tuesday and free time to soak in the surroundings at Nipika Mountain Resort will help riders recuperate from the efforts of the first two stages.
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by admin | Aug 13, 2009 | Fernie TransRockies
Stage 1: Panorama – K2 Ranch
Rocky Mountain Riders Grab the Early Jerseys in the TR3 and TransRockies
Distance: 45.3 km/ 2267m climbing/ 2513 m descending
The first stage of the TransRockies is always a little but different from the rest, the shorter distance, nervous adrenaline and fresh legs mean that the start and riding is much more aggressive than at any point during the rest of the week. By day two, when riders wake up with sore legs and a more realistic sense of their place in the pecking order of speed, the start is a little more orderly and most teams settle themselves down for one of the hardest weeks they’ll ever spend on a bike.
Such was the case on Day 1 of the 2009 TransRockies, when riders from over 20 countries headed out on a ceremonial lap of Panorama Mountain Village before turning and heading straight up for a climb of 1300 metres to the high point of the week at roughly 2500 metres. The ascent averaged roughly 13 per cent for the 10km with sustained pitches as steep as 20 per cent.
At the start, TransRockies staff wondered if racers competing in the inaugural TR3 would change the dynamic of the event. With only three days to race, these riders could set a tempo which might not be sustainable for a whole week. The TR3 solo racers did exactly that, as Cory Wallace of Jasper set an early pace heading out of Panorama which no-one else could follow. Closest behind him were the second and third placed TR3 riders Colin Kerr (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) and Roddi Lega who were chasing with the leading TransRockies teams, Rocky Mountain Factory Team Stefan Widmer and Marty Lazarski and Team Amarante Bike Zone Onbike (Joao Marinho and Jose Silva)
After the epic climb, the riders traversed a high and exposed ridgeline with many short sharp climbs and steep descents. On the last of these, just before the major descent of the day, disaster struck. Wallace flatted on the sharp shale and couldn’t repair the flat. First, Colin Kerr passed him, heading into the mega-steep avalanche chute and then Roddi Lega passed him as well-had a major endo and ended up taking a minute to dust himself off before starting again.
Misery loves company, though, as Widmer and Lazarski also suffered a flat at the same spot. With the flat fixed with help from passing riders, Wallace began the chase back to the front. Over the next 25km, he passed everyone except Kerr and as he neared the finish line, he got the Rocky Mountain rider in his sights. The two riders came to the line together with Kerr taking the sprint finish in 2:45:58 to win the first stage and the first leader’s jersey. Lega rolled through the finish line in third place before the Rocky Mountain Factory Team riders arrived at K2 Ranch to win the first stage in the Open Men’s category in 2:51:32 with the Team Amarante of Portugal less than a minute behind.
While the Open Men’s category offered the tightest racing of the day, there was suffering and hard racing throughout every category. In the Open Women’s category Team VeloBella/Vanderkitten (Erika Krumpelman and Shannon Holden) took first and in Open Mixed, Team Terrascape/Trek Toronto (Mical Dyck/Jeff Neilsen) grabbed the early leaders’ jerseys.
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by admin | Aug 6, 2009 | Fernie TransRockies
For the 8th TransRockies seven days of riding, 532km, and 14,300 meters of climbing awaits 120 teams. Here are the stage descriptions:
Stage 1: Panorama-K2 Ranch
45.3km/2267m climbing/2513m descending
With North America’s third-highest ski resort vertical rise, Panorama Mountain Village is poised to its annual part in the epic send-off. Maybe that should read “send up” as riders climb straight up and over a vertical mountain wall into some spectacular scenic alpine singletrack at the literal high point of the week at nearly 2,500 metres.
While there’s no easy way to get 450 riders up from 1100 to 2500 metres in the precipitous Purcell Mountain Range, this year’s route has been modified to create a more rideable ascent. From the top, it’s a fast and fun descent straight down to the Columbia Valley where riders will finish at historic K2 Ranch, the first stopover of the 2009 route.
While weather in the Rockies is wild and upredictable at any time of year, this area is particularly wild in its patterns. If riders are going to encounter any snow, wind or hail, it will likely be at the upper elevations of Stage 1.
All in all, a suitably epic way to kick off the eighth edition of the TransRockies.
Stage 2: K2 Ranch – Nipika Resort
72.2km/ 2835m climbing/ 2650m descending
From an elevated vantage point on the bench above, riders start Stage 2 soaking up views of beautiful Lake Windermere and Lake Columbia. Those with sharp eyes might even pick out a bald eagle riding the lakeside thermals nearby in search of fish on the crystal water below.
Just as all this scenery threatens to turn the ride into a postcard, the field comes face to face with the sheer western face of the Rocky Mountains. This near-impenetrable fortress has very few paths over or around, so they face the biggest day of vertical served this week with three major climbs of at least 700 metres each and a total of nearly 3000 metres on the day.
From the break-through on the third pass, point they descend via the technical Bear Creek trails into the Kootenay Valley where a rolling 10km push gets them to the finish line at Nipika Mountain Resort where they’ll spend the next two nights in a pristine remote setting at the intersection of the Kootenary and Cross Rivers. The ice cold swim pond will be relief to weary legs after what will no doubt be a long day in the saddle.
Stage 3: Nipika Resort – Nipika Resort
44.1km/ 1129m climbing/ 1129m descending
Last year’s debut time trial was a popular first for the TransRockies and it will again offer riders a great opportunity to recover from the big elevation of Stages 1 and 2 with a tour around the sweet singletrack system of Nipika Mountain Resort.
With start times throughout the day and no move to be made, riders get to unwind a little and cheer for their fellow riders. The teams at the front of the field get no chance to be comfortable as the close on-course proximity of their closest overall rivals will keep the intensity high during the ride around the trails.
The ride throught the Rockies backcountry includes scenic highlights like trails along the rim of the Kootenay River gorge, and though a surreal forest fire burn area on Mitchell Ridge above Nipika Mountain Resort–which underwent a prescribed burn last year as a measure of protection against the destructive Mountain Pine Beetle ravaging the area’s forests.
A day like no other during the TransRockies and a perfect set-up for the three massive days to follow.
Stage 4: Nipika Resort – Whiteswan Lake
107km/ 1980m climbing/ 1951m descending
Upon leaving Nipika Mountain Resort, the riders are faced with the longest ride of the 2009, a 107km epic through the deep wilderness of the BC Rockies. The route follows along the base of the Royal Group, with the highest peak in the Range, Mt. King George looking down on their epic ride. At just under 2000m, Lodgepole Pass is the major obstacle of the day falling just past the midway point of the stage. Though riders will lose hundreds of metres of elevation on their way to the finish line, the route is relentless in its undulation through creek and river valleys. Riders also get their feet wet with a major river crossing early in the day. This will be an epic and remote test on the hump day of the 2009.
Stage 5: Whiteswan Lake – Elkford
87.5km/ 2254m climbing/ 2115m descending
After three days deep in the Rocky Mountain wilderness with no internet or cellphone coverage, Day 5 sees the TransRockies field ride from the shores of Whiteswan Lake over two major passes into the outdoor sport destination of Elkford. Much of the route travels through the remote Bull River Drainage area before a leg-breaking final climb to 2100 metres on the Crossing Creek route. Though the course points straight down at this point, it’s no cakewalk to the finish. The top section of the 800m vertical descent into Elkford is notoriously named the Rock Garden and consists of a largely unbroken steep field of boulders that require momentum, commitment and real MTB skills to negotiate without crashing or walking.
Even with gourmet feasts every night, the normal routine in Elkford is for hundreds of riders to attack the grocery store in search of the basics of cravings like beer, pizza and chips. The reappearance of signal bars on phones offers the chance to check in with family and friends again.
Stage 6: Elkford – Crowsnest Pass, AB
101km/ 2467m climbing/ 2419m descending
There’s no easy way into stage 6 as riders, head straight up from Elkford to the rim of the Fording River Canyon and past Josephine Falls along some sweet singletrack. This is a long day in the saddle and the 1,000m vertical climb up rugged Grave Creek Canyon is gradual and unrelenting ride. From the top, the route drops steeply into Alexander Creek, but don’t get too excited by the descent – you’ll soon be climbing to the summit of Deadman’s Pass and crossing the Continental Divide into the province of Alberta. The finish rolls through some steep drainages across the face of Crowsnest Mountain and into the finish line.
Stage 7: Crowsnest Pass – Fernie, BC
74.8km/ 1293m climbing/ 1633m descending
The final stage of 2009 rolls out of the historic coal mining community of Crowsnest Pass with a full menu of Rocky Mountain singletrack fun ahead. The advantage of a high elevation start is that the climb to the Continental Divide at Tent Mountain Pass is relatively gentle. Once back in BC the course rips through former coal-mining territory ending with a rewarding descent into Fernie via a speedway of famous singletrack. You will finish on Fernie’s historic Victoria Avenue to the cheers of thousands of fans.
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