Fernie 3 contributes to trails

Fernie 3 contributes to trails

The 2014 Fernie 3 was a success on many fronts. Over 300 riders participated and the event raised monies for trails. The organizers carefully reviewed the participant survey feedback and the 2015 Fernie 3, a 3 day XC stage race, is scheduled for June 27 to 29, 2015–early bird registration is open!

A total of $6085 in cheques was presented to the following trail organizations for user trail fees and volunteer support as follows:

Fernie Trails and Ski Touring Club, Ian Stokie: $2000
Fernie Trails Alliance, Pat Gilmar: $2085
Fernie Mountain Bike Club, Martin Spencer: $2000

Ian Stokie, Pat Gilmar, Dan Savage and Martin Spencer

Ian Stokie, PAt Gilmar, Dan Savage and Martin Spencer

The Fernie Mountain Bike Club also sold $530 worth of Raffle tickets and another $2000 in Memberships and T-shirts! Andrew Brown from Calgary won the Intense Tracer 275 frame, hand made at the Intense factory in Southern California. Andrew said, “I love riding in Fernie and look forward to returning to ride my new Intense!”

Dan Savage and Andrew Brown

Dan Savage and Andrew Brown

Registration for the 2015 is open and riders can take advantage of the fantastic early bird pricing!

Intense Fernie 3 Thank you!

Intense Fernie 3 Thank you!

The Intense Fernie 3 would like to extend a huge thank you to all the participants, sponsors and volunteers that made the event possible and a success. Over 300 participants braved the spring weather and rode their best in and around Fernie. Our sponsors were a collection of the best that engaged the event and made it spectacular. And the volunteers were there every day with a commitment that was admirable.

A special thanks to our title sponsor, iconic American mountain bike brand Intense Cycles USA (through their Canadian distributor, Outdoor Gear Canada), for their generous support. Intense Cycles USA demoed a fleet of bikes, provided excellent prizing and donated a Tracer 275 bike frame that was raffled off to a lucky winner by the Fernie Mountain Bike Club. Andrew Robinson from Calgary took home the prize and was ecstatic he had won – “This gives me a good excuse to come back and ride in Fernie! I really enjoyed the race, had a great time.”

Intense LR
Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

Extended gratitude to: Montane Fernie – building local trails and community, and Smith Sport Optics – continuing to set the standard for high performance optics. These sponsors contributed significantly to the success of the event.

Montane barn LR
Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

TinHorn Creek Winery, Fernie Brewing Company and Camelbak are to thank for their contributions to prizing for the fastest racers. The top three participants in each category took home a Camelbak each, a bottle of fine TinHorn Creek Merlot or Pinot Grigio, and a six-pack of FBC’s popular Project 9 Pils. The top two contestants each took home a pair of Smith Optics Overdrive or V2 sunglasses.

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Day 1 prizes

Teck Coal Ltd supported the U16 and U13 XC race, the first in Fernie, and it was an epic success. All the participants went home wearing a Fernie 3 jersey and a new Camelbak.

U16 startLR

Straight Line Bicycle, the Fernie Chamber, the Fernie Fire Hall and the Fernie Heritage Library were key to The Kids Bike Rally; a massive success which had 150 participants. The young cyclists were supplied with Teck packs that included a t-shirt, bike safety guide and light-up spoke decals.

kids' rally low res

Hammer Nutrition fueled riders throughout the weekend with its diverse line of products. Everything from Heed sports drink, energy bars, gel packets to recoverite were provided to keep energy high and assist participants to perform their best.

Thanks to sponsors The Fernie Hotel, The Bridge Bistro, Extra Foods, The Free Press, and the Fernie Heritage Library for their roles in the event.

Much appreciation to the lodging companies that ensured all riders had a comfortable stay and experienced true Fernie Hospitality. Included were Park Place Lodge, the Griz Inn, Stanford Inn & Resorts, Red Tree Lodge and Fernie Central Reservations.

Partnerships with the City of Fernie, Tourism Fernie, Fernie Alpine Resort, Fernie Trails Alliance and Island Lake Lodge were greatly appreciated and ensured the events success.

Planning is already underway for next year, feel welcome to contact the organizers if you would like to participate. fts@fernie.com

Raven Eye Photography took rider pictures on all stages and to view them click here. Enter your plate number to locate photos directly.

Also there is a gallery of “unknown racer” photos where the plate number was not visible, to search the unknown gallery click here.

See you next year!

Fernie 3: Third Day Recap

Fernie 3: Third Day Recap

Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

The final leg of the Intense Fernie 3 wrapped up with the warmest day yet. Racers took their post once again for the 9am start, this time in the plaza of Fernie Alpine Resort. Being the opening weekend of the resort, the location brought in a large quantity of people to enjoy a variety of biking activities. Participants proved their commitment to the race, giving it their all in the last segment of the long weekend.

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Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

Unfortunately due to marking confusion, riders were led astray and the standings were thus discarded in the final counts. Ultimately, the day turned into a bonus ride per-say, still a great ride with ultimate sunny weather. To view the results for stage 3 vists Stage 3 Results. The Kelsey’s patio provided sunny post-ride refreshments, allowing riders and their families to take in the on-going excitement of the day.

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Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

The weekend concluded with a delicious banquet and an awards ceremony at Corner Pocket. Here, particpants were able to relax and recount highlights of the weekend. Prizes were awarded to the race’s top participants in each category. Colin Kerr had the top overall time of the weekend while Shane Keyser came first in Men’s 30-39, Doug Krumpelman in 40-49 and Tim Brezsnyak in 50+. Sandra Walter was the fastest female participant and Kate Aardal was first in the women’s 40+ category. Fernie local success story, 17 year old Carter Niewesteeg, placed second in the 16-29 category and an astounding 20th overall. For a complete list of the standings click Fernie 3 Overall Standings or Fernie 3 Overall Category Results

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Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

The Intense Fernie 3 would like to thank our sponsors including Intense Cycles USA who is the title sponsor of the Fernie 3. Both Fernie and Intense are legendary mountain brands with deep roots in pedal powered mountain endurance sports. Other sponsors include Montane Fernie, Smith Optics, Hammer Nutrition, Camelbak, Fernie Brewing Company, TinHorn Creek Winery, Parastone Developments, The Bridge Bistro, The Griz Inn, Park Place Lodge, Fernie Central Reservations, The Cedars, Stanford Inn, Red Tree Lodge, The Free Press, the Fernie Heritage Library, Extra Foods, The Fernie Hotel, and Fernie.com. Our event partners include the Fernie Trails Alliance, Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Lodge, Tourism Fernie Association, Fernie Flyers Cycling and the City of Fernie.

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Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

To the outstanding medical team, all the amazing volunteers and of course, all the racers, thank you for contributing to a great weekend, hope to see you all next year for the two day event!

Fernie 3: Second Day Recap

Fernie 3: Second Day Recap

Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

Blue skies and sunshine welcomed racers to the Stage 2 race this morning. With ideal riding weather, spirits seemed rejuvenated and the energy was high leaving the start line. The race began with a slow, controlled start behind the old Fernie fire truck then proceeded with a climb up Roots and Hyperventilation.

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Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

Jack Viney provides a recap of the ride:

“The beginning climb would be the last of the drier riding for the day as racers picked lines through the tricky steeps back down the other side. The wet weather riders stood out from the pack, putting time on others who we more cautious or bruised from a fall on stage one.

Although muddy, the first decent was still fast and fun, with plenty of sections to open up and really dig into the decent. An open road climb followed and the front pack settled into a fast rhythm which carried them to the top of another technical decent and through to the Ridgemont singletrack.

Another long climb faced the racers, however, this one allowed for some time to spin the legs with multiple switchbacks. Great trail design meant elevation was gained more easily than first climb. As the front end of the group pushed further away from the main field, racers enjoyed more of Ridgemont’s finest. Wet and rooted in sections meant everyone had to be on their game.

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Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

To close out the middle section of Stage Two, riders were tasked with the rolling and tight trail called Kush, one of many local’s favorites. Once out of the forest and onto some more open double track it was time to spin the legs out and hammer down to the start of Coal Discovery Trail. The trail head was the spin around point, flowy and fast at first, then more technical and wooded. Some riders used this long last section of the stage to gain time on rivals or at least blew up trying!”

Standings remained relatively consistent from the first day with Colin Kerr of Bowen Island once again taking the lead at 2:10:23 and Sandra Walter finishing first in the women’s category again at 2:20:56. Doug Krumpelman from Hayden, ID (4th yesterday) came in second overall at 2:12:27 while Shane Keyser from Calgary (2nd yesterday) came third at 2:12:47. Fernie local Carter Niewesteeg came second in his category at 2:25:26. Times took a wider spread today with a more challenging track, wrapping up around 2:30pm. For a complete list of standings, click Stage Two Results

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Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

The 8th Annual Kids Bike Rally, a town favourite, also commenced this morning shortly after the Stage 2 race. The sport’s littlest riders could be seen pedalling their hearts out downtown, in tow with fluorescent swag back packs and balloons attached to their bikes. Each participant received a race plate and report card to get stamped at several checkpoints. This year reached an incredible turn-out rate of over 100 kids. Bouncy castles and a clown were also present to cater to kid’s entertainment.

kids bike race

Riders will be resting up for tomorrow’s race at the ski hill which is said to be the “gnarly-ist” yet most thrilling ride of the set. Stage 3 commences at 9am from the plaza at Fernie Alpine Resort.

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Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

Stay tuned tomorrow for further recap and more pictures of Day 3.

The Intense Fernie 3 would like to thank our sponsors including Intense Cycles USA who is the title sponsor of the Fernie 3. Both Fernie and Intense are legendary mountain brands with deep roots in pedal powered mountain endurance sports. Other sponsors include Montane Fernie, Smith Optics, Hammer Nutrition, Camelbak, Fernie Brewing Company, TinHorn Creek Winery, Parastone Developments, The Bridge Bistro, The Griz Inn, Park Place Lodge, Fernie Central Reservations, The Cedars, Stanford Inn, Red Tree Lodge, The Free Press, the Fernie Heritage Library, Extra Foods, The Fernie Hotel, and Fernie.com. Our event partners include the Fernie Trails Alliance, Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Lodge, Tourism Fernie Association, Fernie Flyers Cycling and the City of Fernie.

Fernie 3: First Day Recap

Fernie 3: First Day Recap

Photo credit: Raven Eye Photography

Stage 1 of the Fernie Intense 3 kicked off the summer bike season this morning. Starting downtown at 9am, participants set off for the morning through Ridgemont, beginning with a single track technical climb. Despite the impending rain, the weather amounted to a pleasantly cool morning with some relatively tough conditions. The muddy track proved tricky for the course, however, the hardy riders all pushed through with smiles on their faces at the result.

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Photo Credit: Tourism Fernie

Jack Viney provides a recap of the ride:
“A slippery and challenging Ridgemont loop was followed by the long classic grind that is Hyperventilation / South Castle to Southern Comfort. With great drainage and quality local trail building the second half of stage 1 rode well and allowed for the climbers to peg back a few minutes on others who got caught out with heavy legs due to the tough elevation gain.

Reaching the top of Southern Comfort brought a sense of relief to riders as a long and fast singletrack decent awaited however many let their guard down and came unstuck on the slippery off camber bridges in the top section, resulting in some grazed legs and bruised egos.

The epic decent was a highlight of the stage, finishing it off with a spin back to town to help flush the legs for day two.”

stage 1
Photo credit: Raven Eye Photography

Colin Kerr from Bowen Island achieved the fastest time of the day at an astounding 1:38:07, followed closely by Shane Keyser from Calgary at 1:39:28 and Ben Parsons at 1:40:05. Sandra Walter was the fastest female competitor at 1:46:09 followed closely by Mical Dyck from Victoria and Kate Aardal from Calgary, both at 1:48:02. Local Fernie competitor Jack Viney came 2nd in his category at 1:47:49. For a list of results by category click Stage One Results.

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Photo Credit: Raven Eye Photography

The first U16/U13 race proceeded the race featuring young up-and-coming bike enthusiasts age 8 – 15. It seemed the only people more excited than the riders were the spectators in an event that extended the biking spirit to the younger generation. Marshals guided both divisions through a challenging Ridgemont course, which was followed by a rewarding BBQ and prizes for all contestants. For results click Kids Race Results

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Photo Credit: Tourism Fernie

Beer gardens and live acoustic music including the amazing local talent of the Hark Raving Sirens and Michelle Powers provided a pleasant wind down for racers before gearing up for Stage Two tomorrow.

Stay tuned tomorrow for further recap and more pictures of Day 2.

The Intense Fernie 3 is pleased to thank our sponsors for making this event possible, including Intense Cycles USA who is the title sponsor of the Fernie 3. Both Fernie and Intense are legendary mountain brands with deep roots in pedal powered mountain endurance sports. Other sponsors include Montane Fernie, Smith Optics, Hammer Nutrition, Camelbak, Fernie Brewing Company, TinHorn Creek Winery, Parastone Developments, The Bridge Bistro, The Griz Inn, Park Place Lodge, Fernie Central Reservations, The Cedars, Stanford Inn, Red Tree Lodge, The Free Press, the Fernie Heritage Library, Extra Foods, The Fernie Hotel, and Fernie.com. Our event partners include the Fernie Trails Alliance, Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Lodge, Tourism Fernie Association, Fernie Flyers Cycling and the City of Fernie.