For the first time in the 10-year history of Fernie hosting the TransRockies, a stage finish will be hosted at Island Lake Lodge. Fernie is the only community to have hosted each of the TransRockies events. Stage 3, which will start in downtown Fernie on Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 – will highlight many of the most popular trails in and around Fernie. Passing through Mount Fernie Provincial Park, the race will finish at the spectacular Island Lake Lodge – home to Island Lake Catskiing in winter.
Island Lake Lodge is situated in the Lizard Range of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, 10 km from Fernie, BC and has twice been named one of the Best Hotels in Canada by National Geographic Traveler Magazine. The property boasts 7,000 acres of catskiing in the winter and in the summer is open daily for hiking, spa and fine dining. “We’re looking forward to hosting TransRockies for the first time,” said Doug Feely, CEO of Island Lake Resorts. “Having such a prestigious event at the Lodge is a great way to showcase our facilities and the incredible recreational opportunities that we offer.”
TransRockies – North America’s original epic mountain-bike stage race and Canada’s best mountain bike adventure, runs from Fernie to Canmore over 7 days through the spectacular Canadian Rockies. While Fernie has long been either a start or finish host community for TransRockies, 2011 will be the first time the event made a stop at Island Lake. The spectacular stage 3 finish will be a highlight for all riders, especially those completing the 3-day solo TR3 on stage 3. “We are thrilled to be finishing stage 3 at Island Lake,” said Aaron McConnell, president of TransRockies Inc. “The spectacular setting at Island Lake epitomizes TransRockies – complete participant support in the midst of a beautiful natural setting.”
The stage finish will be positioned directly in front of the lodges at Island Lake and supported by two full-service restaurants, accommodation and spa packages. TransRockies participants, friends and family can stay in luxury at Island Lake Lodge any time from August 7-10 for a special price of $129 per night. Spa packages (reservations required) are the perfect way to relax after three epic days of mountain biking. For accommodation or spa reservations, call 1-(250)-423-3700 or email info@islandlakeresorts.com. Parking is limited on-site, and shuttles from lower parking lots will be in place when the lodge parking is full.
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:
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?”
