Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic: MTB Stage Racing Arrives on the East Coast

written by: Karen Potter
This May will be the first opportunity for many east coast racers to experience the newest and most exciting trend in U.S. mountain bike racing, a stage race. No doubt many east coasters are grinning from ear to ear, at the prospect of their first 7-day stage race, with, perhaps, a hint of grimacing at the thought of 7 days of grueling east coast singletrack. The Trans-Sylvania Epic will be a first for east coasters and the east coast alike. A 7-day mountain bike stage race has never been tried east of the Rocky Mountains. The Trans-Sylvania Epic takes place May 30 – June 5th. The race is bound to put Pennsylvania on the map as a mountain biking destination.

Race Director Mike Kuhn surveys the Trans-Sylvania trails

Race directors Mike Kuhn and Ray Adams are experienced at promoting and organizing races that are fun, accessible to all levels of racers, and usually include a twist, like the well-known Iron Cross event that Mike originated which, includes the infamous “Spiral of Death.” They also have ample experience as pro mountain bike racers and as directors of one of the most successful amateur mountain bike teams, visitPA.com (now PAValleys.com). Drawing on their vast knowledge and experience the race directors feel confident they know how to tackle an Epic race.

When asked what he felt would be biggest draw for this race, Mike Kuhn emphatically responded, “the Trails!” The Trans-Sylvania epic will be staged just outside Stage College, Pennsylvania, which is set in a spectacularly beautiful mountainous region. Anyone who has raced the Wilderness 101, which is 45 minutes east of State College, knows there are plenty of hills in central Pennsylvania. Both lowlanders and highlanders will be on equal footing given State College’s elevation of 1150 feet above sea level. The Wilderness 101 features trails that are extremely technical, even for the hardest east coasters. The trails are certain to challenge the abilities of all riders…but Kuhn assures there is plenty of mix to appease a wide range of trail appetites.

Wooded Pennsylvania singletrack, a sight riders will get accustomed to

The seven days of racing will include stages with technical riding, smooth twisting roller coaster/pump track like riding, climbing, ridge riding, and flat open rolling sections that will take riders through historic train tunnels and the amazing Amish countryside. The stages will be 25-45 miles with exception of first day’s 11-mile time trial. And the “twist” for this race comes on Day 5 with a Super D stage broken down into 4-5 mass start Super D events with cumulative time counting for the day. So, really, this is a stage race accessible to all riders of all abilities, whether you’re a climber, a descender or a technical aficionado. The organizers along with Frank Maguire, State College's own Mid-Atlantic IMBA rep, have made creating a course that is all about fun and leaving people with a good taste of Pennsylvania’s vast trail offerings the number one priority of Trans-Sylvania! In addition, the race will primarily be staged out of the campground race headquarters, so there’s no packing up and settling in each night.

The Scout Camp Dining Hall will be a popular place during 7 days of mountain bike racing

Another strong appeal to this race is the location. It’s within a days drive from, well, a huge chunk of the country. That’s certainly appealing to many riders who have experienced the difficulties and expense of flying with one’s bike. Simply put, it’s not fun. It’s much easier to pack everything in the car and go on a fun journey. But for those who need to fly, Kuhn and Adams have partnered with Bikeflights.com – a new company that specializes in bike related trips and happens to be based in Stage College. Kuhn pointed out that “anyone booking travel through Bikeflights.com will not only receive pricing that is typically better than what you’ll find on other travel sites, but also bike shipping services and trip insurance that can cover the entire cost of the travel and entry fee.” And with a hometown race with a hometown company, they’re likely to be taking personal care of race participants.

After researching the Trans-Sylvania Epic I am left to wonder - is it May yet? The Trans-Sylvania Epic is sure to be an exciting and unique event. It’s also one of the most affordable seven-day stage races, costing roughly $1,200 including food and lodging. Check it out at www.transylvaniaepic.com.

photos courtesy of: Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic

Alpine Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race, NZ – Day One

Hogg and Williams Victorious After Tough First Day

Navigation errors and misfortune thrive during the first day of the 2010 Alpine Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race yesterday with Tony Hogg and Mark Williams taking two stage wins from defending champions Kashi Leuchs and Marcus Roy.

Leaders: The three lead teams – Team R&R Sport (Mark Williams and Tony Hogg), Team Yeti NZ (Marcus Roy and Kashi Leuchs) and Property Syndication (Ollie Whalley and Brent Miller) pass a high country hut on Inverary Station during stage one of the 2010 Alpine Epic Multi-Stage Mountain Bike Race (Photo: Derek Morrison Photography)

The wins, on sub-alpine routes that travelled from Mt Somers to Rangitata Gorge, came as a surprise to the R&R Sport team of Hogg and Williams.

"We were behind two teams coming into the last dash to the Rangitata River, but we got there and there was no one else there," Williams, of Queenstown, said.

Hogg and Williams finished the first stage in a time of 3:32:18.

Roy and Leuchs, of Team Yeti NZ, were slowed by a poor navigation choice that left them languishing in a swamp while the third lead team – Property Syndication – saw its riders, Ollie Whalley and Brent Miller marred by a string of misfortune.

"I realised we were lost coming into the Rangitata River, then I blew my tyre out and my drink bottle disappeared when I crashed so I had no water," Miller explains.

"I went through a dark patch for about an hour – I had no food, no water and I was bleeding."

Crossing the Rangitata: Riders are ferried across the Rangitata River on Wednesday after stage one of the five-stage 2010 Alpine Epic Multi-Stage Mountain Bike Race (Photo: Derek Morrison Photography)

After leading the end of the stage Miller and Whalley lost at least an hour looking for water and the waiting raft at the finish of stage one.

"I thought the raft was to the left and I was loving the tailwind we had – until I realised we should have gone upstream, and so we had to ride all the way back into the wind," Whalley laughs.

In the following stage Miller and Whalley broke a chain and flatted at the same time.

"Someone didn't want us to win today – then my chain breaker needed a 4mm Allen key, which we didn't have with us," Miller adds.

About midway through the first stage Hogg stopped the lead riders in their tracks when he came off at speed in a rut and was thrown several metres down a bank.

All three teams rallied around what they suspected might be a serious injury, but Hogg soon remounted and was able to continue the race with a couple of gashes to his left knee and a hematoma on his left hip.

"Everyone came back to help me out – that's just what mountain bikers do," Hogg laughed.

"I thought we were going to be calling the helicopter in for him," Roy said.

We went from a bad incident, to just trying to limit our loss, to actually winning it, Hogg said.

Poor luck: Team Property Syndication Ollie Whalley (left), of Dunedin and Brent Miller, of Christchurch reflect on a day of poor luck – they went from leading stage one to a series of misfortunes that left them more than an hour and a half behind after the first two stages (Photo: Derek Morrison Photography)

Hogg and Williams won the time trial – an 18km sprint in a time of 43:18.

Leuchs was not concerned by the time he and Roy lost in the first stage.

"There are four big days in this race and a lot can happen – we saw that with Ollie's team today," he said.

The field of almost 80 riders will embark on stage three at 8am on Thursday morning, which will take them around Mt Peel and finish in Ashwick Flat 78km later.

For full results and info. visit www.alpineepic.co.nz

Stage 1: ABSA Cape Epic - South Africa

Kevin Evans and Alban Lakata of team MTN Quebeka win stage one of the 2010 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Diemersfontein Wine estate, Wellington, to Ceres in the Western Cape, South Africa on the 21 March 2010
Photo by Nick Muzik/SPORTZPICS

Burry Stander of team Songo Info during stage one of the 2010 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Diemersfontein Wine estate, Wellington, to Ceres in the Western Cape, South Africa on the 21 March 2010
Photo by Ron Gaunt/SPORTZPICS

Stage winner Kevin Evans leads through a water crossing in the Watervalberg area during stage one of the 2010 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Diemersfontein Wine estate, Wellington, to Ceres in the Western Cape, South Africa on the 21 March 2010
Photo by Gary Perkin/SPORTZPICS

The lead bunch climb towards Watervalberg during stage one of the 2010 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Diemersfontein Wine estate, Wellington, to Ceres in the Western Cape, South Africa on the 21 March 2010
Photo by Gary Perkin/SPORTZPICS

The lead bunch descend the Bain's Kloof pass during stage one of the 2010 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Diemersfontein Wine estate, Wellington, to Ceres in the Western Cape, South Africa on the 21 March 2010
Photo by Gary Perkin/SPORTZPICS

Alpine Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race, NZ – Day Four (Final)

Whalley and Miller win stage, Williams and Hogg take the title

Capping off four days of tough racing, Team R&R Sport riders Tony Hogg and Mark Williams sealed the victory at the 2010 Alpine Epic, but not without a big final stage fight from the Property Syndication riders Ollie Whalley and Brent Miller, both of Christchurch, who won Stage 6.

Big Mountain Riders: Team R&R Sports riders Tony Hogg and Mark Williams ride toward New Zealand's highest mountain, Mt. Cook (3700m)

“Brent was on fire today and totally smashed the climb up the Irishman,” his teammate Whalley said.

“I just wanted to be the first one to the top to see the view of Mt Cook,” Miller laughed.

“We tried to attack off the start, got a bit lost and then had to find our way to the front again and just pulled away after the climb,” Whalley said.

Near the end of the 74km stage Whalley, of Christchurch, thought his race might be over when it felt as though he had stripped a cog off his bike's cassette, but it was later that he realised he had actually stripped the spline off the freehub. He managed to preserve the bike to the end and win the stage in a time of 3:22:03 and secure second position overall.

“The event has been lots of fun and I will definitely do it again – but maybe with tougher tyres next time,” Miller said.

“Willie and Tony are a very tough team to beat,” Whalley said.

Champions: Team R&R Sport's Tony Hogg and Mark Williams celebrate winning the 2010 Alpine Epic multi-stage mountain bike race

Williams, of Queenstown, and Hogg, of Dunedin, overcame a tough start in Stage 6 after Williams struggled on the ascent up the Irishman – a climb that took riders to 1300m above sea level and a panoramic view of the Southern Alps on the clear, hot, windless final day of racing on Saturday.

“I was in the box today and Tony had to pull me through. I lost a bit of traction up the climb and then the gap just grew,” Williams conceded.

“I knew we had a big lead going into this stage so it was just a case of managing that lead – maintaining a good pace without blowing ourselves to pieces,” he said.

“You can’t take any lead for granted – anything could happen,” Hogg said.

“It’s good to see those guys win a stage today – they’ve raced bloody hard and had a lot of bad luck, so they really deserved the win today,” Williams said.

Williams and Hogg rode bikes equipped with 29-inch diameter wheels [standard is 26-inch] and they both admitted that this had a hand in their success at this year’s Alpine Epic.

“Stage racing and getting used to the whole team dynamic has been great fun and we were quite evenly matched and didn’t abuse each other too much,” Hogg laughed, vowing to return again in 2011.

“The camaraderie of this event is the best bit for me – getting your tents up, sitting around and having a laugh and hearing all the stories from the day and just eating as much as possible,” Williams said.

The Team Yeti NZ pairing of Kashi Leuchs, of Dunedin, and Marcus Roy, of Invercargill, finished third.

Fast Women: Kath Kelly (left) and Erin Greene, take a swim in Lake Tekapo after winning the women's title at the 2010 Alpine Epic

The lead three women's teams continued their tussle during the final stage with Athena Girls Bec Rae and Jo Turnbull, both of Christchurch, pulling away to a strong lead to the top of the Irishman, ahead of Team Outside Sports, Floortje Draisma and Jo Williams, both of Wanaka, and Team R&R Whippets, Erin Greene and Kath Kelly, both of Dunedin.

However, Greene and Kelly, recovering from a series of bad luck in the preceding stages, determined to build on their lead and applied the pressure through the gravel road section and made it into first place on the second climb and went on to win the final stage and the women’s title.

"We probably worked together better as a team and every night we made a plan about how we would apply the pressure and attack things," Greene said.

"Erin made me hurt," Kelly said.

"Erin came back down on the big climb when I was hurting and she carried my bike up – she's been an awesome teammate."

Greene and Kelly made their move on the second climb and never looked back – literally.

"Erin kept telling me that the other team was right on us, but she wouldn't let me look back at them," laughs Kelly.

Greene and Kelly could not relax to enjoy their final moments in the stage until they had the finishline in sight, they said.

"This has been one of the best races I have ever done," Kelly said.

"The atmosphere at nights is unreal and the food is fantastic ... and as for the weather – four days of perfect conditions – I'd hate to do that in the rain!"

Having two strong women's teams around them throughout the four day journey made it "scary, but made us work harder", admitted Kelly.

Greene and Kelly completed the four-day, six-stage race in 21:18:17, and placed sixth overall.

The race for second was won by Draisma and Williams, who finished Stage 6 three minutes ahead of their rivals, Rae and Turnbull, and in doing so stretched their overall advantage to 8 minutes. Draisma and Williams finished on 21:49:50 for ninth overall with Rae and Turnbull on 21:57:02 and in 11th position overall.

Event co-organiser Nick Ross said the event had surpassed his expectations this year with stunning weather adding to the ocassion.

"You couldn't ask for better – stunning views up the lake to Mt Cook today and for the last two days we've had views right up the Aoraki range – it has been good," Ross said.

"It has been a tough event, the second day in particular, but riders are coming in stoked with a real sense of achievement that they have completed it, which is brilliant."

Stage Winners: Property Syndication team members Brent Miller and Ollie Whalley led the final stage and secured second place in the overall competition

Ross admits that he thought he may have made Day 2 a bit hard at one point.

"The stage across Coal Hill and then on to Clayton Station is a critical part of the race, but we started to worry when we were looking at our watches and no one had come in after five hours," he laughed.

Organisers expect the event to grow and would like to lift the entry numbers to help "streamline some areas of the operation".

"It's great to see some international riders here and we would like to see more coming to take part and to grow the event," Ross said.

Next year's race would maintain the intensity of the 2010 course, but Ross said it might include some new trails and hinted at the possibility of a fifth day being added.

He also suggested that alternate loops would be created for those who want to complete the event, but will be challenged on the longer days.

"That way top riders could have bigger days and less experienced riders would still get to ride most of the course," he said.

Ross was quick to acknowledge that both winning teams in mens and womens were R&R Sport teams – something that fits well with the event sponsor.

"They came on board from the beginning and have been really supportive throughout the race, so it was good to see they also fielded such strong teams," Ross said.

Click Here for full results

Alpine Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race, New Zealand – Day Three

Leuchs and Roy win Stage 4, Williams and Hogg extend lead

With Day 3 split into two stages overnight, for logistical reasons, the fields had two chances to win a stage on Friday and for Kashi Leuchs and Marcus Roy, the technical Stage 4 played right into their hands at the 2010 Alpine Epic in New Zealand.

Photography by: Derek Morrison

Deep Water: Competitors cross the Tekapo River on Stage 5 of the Alpine Epic

The Team Yeti NZ pairing of Leuchs, of Dunedin, and Roy, of Invercargill, won the 32km technical stage from Lake Opuha to Burkes Pass in a time of 1:45:32, 2mins30secs ahead of second – Team R&R Sport's Mark Williams, of Queenstown, and Tony Hogg, of Dunedin, who are the overall race leaders.

"We had fresh legs after yesterday's nice cruise in the mountains," Leuchs states.

"Marcus put down the hammer quite early in the river section and I just followed. We had one rider from each of the other teams with us after the river and Marcus just led the way."

"It was a fun stage – we liked the gully and real mountain biking terrain of this stage," he said.

Two punctures kept the Property Syndication team of Ollie Whalley and Brent Miller, both of Dunedin, out of the front running in Stage 4, finishing almost 20 minutes adrift of the leaders.

Team R&R Whippets, Erin Greene and Kath Kelly, both of Dunedin, extended their lead winning the women's Stage 4 race from Athena Girls, Bec Rae and Jo Turnbull, both of Christchurch, and Team Outside Sports, Floortje Draisma and Jo Williams, both of Wanaka.

The women continue to keep the intensity in the race – finishing within five minutes of each other in Stage 4, despite Draisma and Williams suffering mechanical problems in the stage.

Stage 5 saw competitors leave Burkes Pass on a 43km route that finished in Windy Ridges, 20km southwest of Tekapo and included a series of climbs above Burkes Pass and a desert traverse through a section of the Mackenzie Basin.

Williams and Hogg controlled the race after Whalley and Miller flatted twice. Roy and Leuchs punctured after a climb early in the stage and never rejoined the front teams.

Big Climb: Mark Williams of Team R&R leads his teammate Tony Hogg and members of the Property Syndication team up a climb above Burkes Pass

"Ollie and Brent were going pretty hard and so we went with them and then they punctured," Williams said.

"Some of the views today were magnificent. Mt Cook looked stunning and clear – as if you could touch it," he said.

Williams said the desert crossing was a tough one because of the rough ground.

Team R&R Sport won the stage in 2:17:03 with the Property Syndication team chasing hard to close the gap to just nine minutes.

"We had four punctures today – two in each stage," Whalley said.

But he admits he enjoyed the variety of the day.

"The desert stage was surreal – you were just riding forever and it was tough going with lots of small bumps," he said.

"We were trying very hard to catch up – we were smashing it, but couldn't claw the leaders back."

In the women's race in Stage 5 Rae and Turnbull turned up the intensity and led the women's race from early on. Draisma and Williams found their form, but were unable to rejoin the leading girls who won the stage in 2:46:41 – making up valuable time in the overall standings.

"We felt good after the break between stages and just pushed hard up a couple of hills, but the R&R girls were right on us," Rae explained.

"We didn't talk as much today so maybe that helped."

"I found the desert really hard – my hardtail wasn't the ideal bike for that," she said.

"But we are happy we won today – we can't let the R&R girls win every stage."

R&R Whippets made a navigation error in Stage 5 that saw them ride 3km down the wrong trail turning their 43km stage into a 49km struggle and relinquishing 18 minutes to the leaders of the stage.

As the race draws into its final day, Williams and Hogg have a comfortable lead sitting on 13:36:05 going into the final 70km stage with almost an hour buffer from Whalley and Miller.

Greene and Kelly are also in a commanding position in the women's at 17:16:34 – 30 minutes ahead of Draisma and Williams and 34 minutes up on Rae and Turnbull.

"We'd like to try to sneak our way into second, but we are still paying for our nine flat tyres on day one," Rae said.

Embarking on the 2010 Alpine Epic are two riders from San Luis Obisto, Calfornia, who have used the race as a catalyst to relocate their lives to New Zealand.

Epic Attractions: Sarah Ledger and Zeph Wadsworth of San Luis Obispo, California, made the Alpine Epic their deadline to relocate to New Zealand

Sarah Hedger and Zeph Wadsworth have embraced the ride and been wowed by the scenery.

"We heard about the great trails here and the New Zealand way of life is a better alignment to our values – it's a better quality of life for us here," Hedger said.

"We booked onto the race and used it as a deadline to get us here – a set event that we had to be at," Wadsworth said.

They sold their belongings and jumped on a plane with four bikes and all their possessions.

"We are just going to travel around and see the country and figure out where we want to be,"

"The race has been much harder than we thought with bigger hills than we expected and crossing the rivers is like something out of Lord of the Rings," Hedger said.

The couple has clocked up 23:19:14 in their first three days on the event.

Saturday's final leg will traverse the mountain tops to the west of Lake Tekapo before finishing in the Tekapo township.

Alpine Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race, New Zealand – Day Two

Women's teams rise to the challenge on tough Coal Hill stage

Photography by: Derek Morrison

Three women's teams stole the show during Stage 3 of the 2010 Alpine Epic Mountain Bike Stage race held between Rangitata River and Lake Opuha, near Fairlie, on Thursday.

Team Work: Wanaka residents Jo Williams, formerly of Ireland, and Floortje Draisma, formerly of the Netherlands, ride past Mt. Peel in Stage 3

Led by the R&R Whippets team of Erin Greene and Kath Kelly, both of Dunedin, a trio of women's teams reached the Coal Hill ridgeline within whispering distance of each other after an arduous morning climb.

"It was a very tough day – I think we did 3400m of climbing in about 83km," Kelly said.

Race Leaders: Team R&R Sport riders Erin Greene (left) and Kath Kelley, both of Dundin, lead the women's event after Stage 3

Greene and Kelly were the fourth team to arrive overall and were closely followed by Team Outside Sports' Jo Williams and Floortje Draisma, both of Wanaka and Athena Girls riders Becs Rae and Jo Turnbull, both of Christchurch.

"We were tussling with Jo and Floortje," Kelly said.

"They caught us on the ridgeline and were very fast on the descent," Greene said.

"We had girls in front and girls behind us at the top of Coal Hill and we could hear them chatting away – it was a bit of a battle," Williams laughed.

"We got to the descent first, but lost a bit of time on the gravel at the bottom."

The top three women's teams traded the lead across the ridgeline and held the race intensity right to the end of the six and a-half hour stage. Greene and Kelly finished in fourth overall and won the women's stage in 6:27:48 with Williams and Floortje arriving at camp in sixth place overall in a time of 6:34:50 and Rae and Turnbull finishing in ninth overall in 6:42:43 for third in the women.

"I think this is one of the toughest races I have done and that's including the Goldrush and Coast to Coast," Kelly said.

"We didn't expect to finish fourth overall," Greene admitted.

"I was surprised that we were so close to Marcus and Kashi."

Big Challenge: Wanaka residents Jo Williams and Floortje Draisma are among three women's teams vying for the top spot

Williams and Draisma got lost in a bog near Lake Opuha that cost them about 20 minutes they said.

Team R&R Sports riders Mark Williams, of Queenstown, and Tony Hogg, of Dunedin, won the men's stage on a gruelling route across the top of Coal Hill and down into the Hewson River in a time of 5:15:20.

But their race was not without hardship – Williams crashed hard on the first big descent grazing his shoulder, smashing a spoke and ripping the bottom jockey wheel off his rear deraileur.

"That made things a bit interesting for the rest of the race – every now and then the chain would get stuck in between the cassette and the spokes, but it wasn't major," Williams laughed.

"We were fortunate to get through the final half of the day with that kind of mechanical," he conceded.

With them the whole way were the Property Syndication team members, Ollie Whalley and Brent Miller, both of Christchurch after dropping the third member of the front group – Team Yeti NZ's Kashi Leuchs and Marcus Roy on the first climb of the day.

"Brent was battling a bit today – he only had three bottles of water for five and a quarter hours – he suffered from a bit of dehydration," Whalley said of his team member.

Race Leaders: Leading the climb up Coal Hill on Stage 3

"We used lots of tactics today – we had to get between Tony and Willy [Williams] up the hills and slow them down a bit and on the downhills we had to try to slow them up so Brent could stay in touch."

Kashi was just cruising today – he was just out to enjoy a good day in the mountains, Whalley said.

After more than 80km the two lead teams got lost in the final run into camp at Lake Opuha, and finished within seconds of each other.

Team Yeti NZ riders Leuchs and Roy finished in third place more than an hour later with a time of 6:19:49 after what they described as "a fun day in the mountains".

TransRockies adds UCI points and More Prize Money in 2010

photos by: Dan Hudson

In the same year that the TransRockies returns to the majestic Alberta Rockies, it has been granted UCI status—only the second North American stage race to do so--and will offer the most international ranking points in addition to the best-organized and most epic stage race in North America.



In addition, the 2010 TransRockies, will offer even more prize money to elite teams, the prize purses for the top teams in the 7-day 2-person team TransRockies and the 3-day solo TR3 will be over $30,000 cash.

“2010 is a very important year for TransRockies,” said Event Director Aaron McConnell. “We are returning to our roots in Alberta with an awesome new course that’s more fun, rideable and challenging than ever before. And, given that our team has organized numerous World Cups, applying for UCI Sanctioning seemed like a natural next step in the race’s evolution.”

With the points chase for the 2012 Olympic spots about to kick off in earnest, the opportunity to earn some of the over 2500 UCI points on offer should attract some of the top riders in North America to the start line in Fernie, BC. “Having TransRockies become part of the national calendar along side the other exciting events in Canada this summer, will help to solidify Canada as one of the strongest mountain bike nations in the world!” said Nicholas Vipond, Mountain Bike and BMX coordinator for the Canadian Cycling Association.



The TransRockies brought the concept of mountain bike stage racing to North America and continues to push the format forward, offering the best experience for riders of all levels with a combination of seamless complete support, epic singletrack and real Wild West hospitality.

“While we’re looking forward to a deep and competitive elite field, we’re still completely focussed on making sure that we offer all of our riders the adventure of their lives,” said McConnell. “We’re hoping that the presence of more pro riders just adds to the excitement for our recreational riders. We’re confident that we’re going to set a new benchmark again in 2010.”



The 2010 TransRockies starts August 8th in Fernie and finishes 7 days later in Canmore, Alberta on the edge of legendary Banff National Park. The TR3 runs concurrently with the first three stages of the TransRockies finishing August 10th. For more information on the 2010 TR and TR3, visit www.transrockies.com.

With the scarcity of UCI sanctioned mountain bike races in the United States and close proximity of the Transrockies you can expect many top U.S. racers will be traveling up north. Top riders who have raced Transrockies in the past include Barry Wicks, Kris Sneddon, and Katerina Nash. Don't be surprised to see some big names from the United States racing in Canada this summer.

Ruta De Los Conquistadors Stage #3: Esquivel and Louis Kobin take the stage win

Team tactics take over on stage three but Deiber Esquivel holds them all off for the stage win. The Monavie trio of Ben Sonntag, Alex Grant, and Jeremiah Bishop cross the line within seconds of each other followed by the Sho-Air/Specialized team of Manuel Prado and Ben Bostrom.

Previous La Ruta race winner Deiber Esquivel is charging his way toward the race lead after a disastrous stage one. He has won the past two stages but he remains 26 minutes behind Sho-Air endurance specialist Manny Prado.

In the women's race, American Louise (La Ruta Lou) Kobin lost 10 minutes on stage one but has won the past two stages over current race leader Adriana Rojas. Rojas is clinging to her shrinking lead which now stands at just over 4 minutes.

La Ruta Stage 4

While tomorrow's final stage to Playa Bonita offers plenty of climbing early in the day it will be tough to create large gaps as the riders will finish with 75 kilometers of downhill and flats as the riders leave the Costa Rican interior and head for the coast. Expect plenty of team racing once again as Monavie tried to use their superior numbers to create an advantage over race leader Prado.

Team tactics won't factor in the women's race as Louise Kobin tries to solo her way to another La Ruta win.

Open Men

1, Deiber Esquivel 3.53.01
2, Benjamin Sonntag (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 4.01.33
3, Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 4.01.34
4, Jeremiah Bishop (Monavie-Cannondale.com) 4.01.4
5, Manuel Prado (Sho-Air/Specialized) 4.02.54
6, Marc Traiter 4.02.54
7, Juan Ignacio Mendez 4.19.10
8, Cory Wallace (Kona) 4.21.49
9, Carlos Abellan Ossenbach 4.23.10
10, Alfredo Acosta Gonzalez 4.29.57

Open Women

1, Louise Kobin 4.58.30
2, Adriana Rojas 5.01.50
3, Emma Smith (Trek) 6.11.12
4, Heidi Jo Clayton 6.29.49
5, Yessennia Villalta Coto 6.33.40

GC

Open Men

1, Manuel Prado 13.32.27
2, Marc Traiter 13.39.16
3, Alex Grant 13.54.50
4, Jeremiah Bishop 13.55.01
5, Deiber Esquivel 13.59.24

Open Women

1, Adriana Rojas 17.04.05
2, Louise Kobin 17.08.58
3, Emma Smith 20.58.40
4, Yessennia Villalta Coto 22.08.36
5, Heidi Jo Clayton 23.12.38

Transrockies Stage 7: Crowsnest Pass- Fernie, Full Report and Results

The Epic Comes to a Close

Crowsnest Pass-Fernie
74.8km/ 1293m climbing/ 1633m descending

After four consecutive days of unseasonable cold and rain, riders left Blairmore, Alberta for the final stage of 2009 with the finish line in Fernie squarely in their sights. The euphoria of completion added an extra level of excitement to the morning, as did an extra hour’s sleep with a later start made possible by slightly shorter and flatter route than the previous three days which had seen most riders on course for at least 7 hours a day in tough conditions.

At 75 km long with 1300 metres of climbing, Stage 7 looked like a mere blip compared to the 300km and 6700 metres of climbing they’d overcome in the previous three stages. It would still mean nearly four hours on course for the winners and much longer for most of the field thanks to course conditions which remained slick after the wettest edition yet in eight years of TransRockies riding.

The leading group of riders stayed together through the first two feed stations before the leading Rocky Mountain Factory Team duo of Stefan Widmer and Marty Lazarski dropped the hammer, determined to celebrate their GC win with a solo ride down Victoria St. in Fernie. They had been the fastest team on the singletrack all week and again, they were able to open a sizeable lead on the technical sections and rolled into the finish alone for another impressive stage win.

Next across the line was PeteTurnbull of the UK, who has been riding solo since his partner was forced to pull out on day 1 with a serious virus. Though only teams are eligible for prizing, Pete has been in the action all week pushing the leaders and being one of the top finishers every day.

Even though the GC gaps were often very big, riders did not treat this as a ceremonial ride to the finish. Pushing for a podium finish on the last day, the Bow Cycles/Specialized duo of Ryan Correy and Brian Bain overcame a broken chain in singletrack. Correy used his elite running skills to get to the bottom then Bain took over towing his chainless teammate to the line to hold onto third place on the day as Team visitPA.com breathed down their necks.

In the Mixed 80+ category, Pat Doyle and Trish Grajczyk of Team Deadgoat took the suspense out of things early with a dominant ride and a sweep of all seven stages. Doyle was one of two competitors who was completing their fifth TransRockies and was honoured with a commemorative belt buckle that will go nicely with the pile of leaders’ jerseys he’s got. The other 5 TransRockies finisher was Dean Irvine of North Vancouver who finished third in the Open Mixed division.

Team Cox of Norway held on to their gap to win the 100+ division while the Czechmasters in 80+ and Team Terrascape/Trek Toronto Open Mixed, both of whom had diced with the leading teams all week, won their respective categories. Finally, event host Nipika Mountain Resort also put their name on top of the standings as their Open Women’s team of Magi and Kate Scallion held off a hard challenge from the Velobella/Vanderkitten team to win the gold.

In every category and from front to back, riders made heroic and repeated efforts to get to the end of each stage. The TransRockies is considered to be the most difficult and epic mountain bike stage race and this was the most difficult edition of the TransRockies yet. The machined aluminum finisher medals will be only the smallest part of the reward that the competitors take home after overcoming the worst that the Rockies could throw at them over seven days, 532km and 14300 metres of climbing.

Final GC

Open Men
1, Stefan Widmer/ Marty Lazarski (Rocky Mountain) 29.01.02
2, Porto Jao Marinho/ Jose Silva (Team Aramante Bike Zone) 30.15.15
3, Ray Adams/Ryan Leech (VisitPA.com) 32.37.02

Open Women
1, Magi Scallion/ Kate Scallion (Team Nipika) 42.15.17
2, Erika Krumpelman/ Shannon Holden (VeloBella/Vanderkitten) 44.20.59

Open Mixed
1, Jeff Neilson/ Mical Dyck (Terrascape Trek Toronto) 32.49.05
2, Xavier Varemeeren/ Meike Deroo (Team Detrog) 34.57.16
3, Dean Irvine/ Alena Irvine (Steed Cycles) 36.20.02

80+ Men
1, Milan Spolc/ Martin Horak (Czechmasters) 30.41.10
2, Thane Wright/ Dax Massey (Breck Epic) 32.43.09
3, Sergio Vairetto/Ettore Bollati (Dream Team) 34.26.19

80+ Mixed
1, Pat Doyle/ Trish Grajczyk (Deadgoat Racing) 36.58.42
2, Margo Downey/ Craig Gillett (Hartland Hammers) 45.16.04
3, Tanya Martin/ Ray Vermette (Team Loupgarou) 49.57.33

Transrockies Stage 6: Elkford - Crowsnest Pass, Full Report and Results

Across the Continental Divide and into the Storm

Stage 6: Elkford – Crowsnest Pass, AB
101km/ 2467m climbing/ 2419m descending

There are days in endurance racing when many riders would turn back if it weren’t for the responsibility to their teammates and the support from other riders in the midst of the same test. Stage 6 of the 2009 TransRockies was one such day. An already long day turned crushingly hard with another day of rain and trails that had turned soft and rutted over the previous 48 hours. Despite the test, teams continued to press forward to the finish, most with smiles and good cheer in the face of the struggle.

Instead of the estimated finish time of 4 ½ hours, the winning Czechmasters duo of Martin Horak and Milan Spolc rolled into Crowsnest Pass, Alberta with a finishing time of 5:38:48. They were followed closely by Team Amarante BikeZone-Onbike (Joao Marinho and Jose Silva), who finally got the better of Stefan Widmer and Marty Lazarski from the Rocky Mountain Factory Team in the Open Men’s category. The first three teams who had agreed to ride most of the day together as a measure of safety in the cold conditions and the Czech duo were able to maintain enough energy to burst free for the win near the end. Behind, teams drifted in one at a time looking spent but glad to know that just one day remained in perhaps the hardest mountain bike stage race ever held.

It was a huge effort for all at the front of the field and Team Amarante in particular dug impossibly deep to snag their first category win. Joao Marinho was holding onto his partner Jose Silva down the last metres of the finish chute as Silva was too spent to even lift his head up. This was the rare day when many slower teams looked better at the finish than the winners—they were probably better prepared for the cold conditions at the top of the climbs with extra clothes and jackets than the winners went out with the bare minimum of cover.

The day had started in Elkford with hope of improving weather. There was low-lying fog but the patches of blue indicated that there might be a break in the rain that had soaked riders during the previous stages. The residents of Elkford had demonstrated the kind of hospitality and warmth that has made it a favourite stop at the TransRockies, spontaneously billeting riders in spare rooms and taking loads of dirty laundry home to be returned in the morning to riders emerging from another great breakfast—this morning breakfast burritos and pancakes were on the menu.

Hopes of a brighter day soon ended in chilling rain and thunder that hit the field before checkpoint 1 at the base of the climb up and over Deadman’s Pass and the Continental Divide. With 70km of riding still left, conservation of energy was the order of the day for most riders rather than straight competition. As riders rode down Main Street in Crowsnest Pass, the locals looked at the riders as though they were aliens, soaking wet and coated head to toe in mud.

Despite the day’s drama, there was little GC movement in the field as the Rocky Mountain Factory Team held their overall lead. The Scallion sisters, racing for stage host Nipika Mountain Resort, won their fourth stage and holding onto the overall lead in the Open Women’s category. National team rider Mical Dyck and her partner Craig Neilson continued their clean sweep of the Open Mixed division with a top-5 overall ride and another dominant performance.

Tomorrow is the home stretch to the finish line in Fernie and the party which the town has lined up for the riders. Fernie has been a part of the TransRockies since it began in 2002, and the town understands well the sacrifices that are made to get to finish the hardest mountain bike stage race in the World. The wild and unseasonable weather has made 2009 perhaps been the most challenging edition of the TransRockies in half a decade so the celebrations will be that much more intense for the teams who reach Fernie and earn the toughest t-shirt in mountain biking.

GC

Open Men
1, Stefan Widmer/ Marty Lazarski (Rocky Mountain) 25.13.25
2, Porto Jao Marinho/ Jose Silva (Team Aramante Bike Zone) 26.18.12
3, Ray Adams/Ryan Leech (VisitPA.com) 28.25.35

Open Women
1, Magi Scallion/ Kate Scallion (Team Nipika) 36.48.41
2, Erika Krumpelman/ Shannon Holden (VeloBella/Vanderkitten) 38.35.28

Open Mixed
1, Jeff Neilson/ Mical Dyck (Terrascape Trek Toronto) 28.36.00
2, Xavier Varemeeren/ Meike Deroo (Team Detrog) 30.36.20
3, Dean Irvine/ Alena Irvine (Steed Cycles) 31.37.10

80+ Men
1, Milan Spolc/ Martin Horak (Czechmasters) 26.34.12
2, Thane Wright/ Dax Massey (Breck Epic) 28.16.42
3, Sergio Vairetto/Ettore Bollati (Dream Team) 30.15.29

80+ Mixed
1, Pat Doyle/ Trish Grajczyk (Deadgoat Racing) 32.02.45
2, Margo Downey/ Craig Gillett (Hartland Hammers) 39.15.22
3, Tanya Martin/ Ray Vermette (Team Loupgarou) 43.34.02

Transrockies Stage 5: Whiteswan Lake- Elkford, Report and Results

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.

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.

GC

Open Men
1, Stefan Widmer/ Marty Lazarski (Rocky Mountain) 19.29.18
2, Porto Jao Marinho/ Jose Silva (Team Aramante Bike Zone) 20.34.49
3, Ray Adams/Ryan Leech (VisitPA.com) 22.08.46

Open Women
1, Magi Scallion/ Kate Scallion (Team Nipika) 28.49.00
2, Erika Krumpelman/ Shannon Holden (VeloBella/Vanderkitten) 30.12.09

Open Mixed
1, Jeff Neilson/ Mical Dyck 22.14.07
2, Xavier Varemeeren/ Meike Deroo 23.48.04
3, Dean Irvine/ Alena Irvine 24.54.33

80+ Men
1, Milan Spolc/ Martin Horak (Czechmasters) 20.55.24
2, Thane Wright/ Dax Massey (Breck Epic) 21.48.49
3, Jon Gould/ Pieter Van Rooyen (Elkford Bicycle Repair) 23.23.34

80+ Mixed
1, Pat Doyle/ Trish Grajczyk (Deadgoat Racing) 24.49.54
2, Margo Downey/ Craig Gillett (Hartland Hammers) 30.29.32
3, Tanya Martin/ Ray Vermette (Team Loupgarou) 33.57.03

Transrockies Stage 4: Nipika Resort - Whiteswan Lake, Report and Results

Stage 4: Nipika Resort – Whiteswan Lake

107km/ 1980m climbing/ 1951m descending
photos by: Dan Hudson


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.

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.

GC

Open Men
1, Stefan Widmer/ Marty Lazarski (Rocky Mountain) 14.53.11
2, Porto Jao Marinho/ Jose Silva (Team Aramante Bike Zone) 15.49.51
3, Ray Adams/Ryan Leech (VisitPA.com) 17.16.04

Open Women
1, Magi Scallion/ Kate Scallion (Team Nipika) 22.00.03
2, Erika Krumpelman/ Shannon Holden (VeloBella/Vanderkitten) 23.36.29

Open Mixed
1, Jeff Neilson/ Mical Dyck 17.06.07
2, Xavier Varemeeren/ Meike Deroo 18.25.35
3, Dean Irvine/ Alena Irvine 19.19.18

80+ Men
1, Milan Spolc/ Martin Horak (Czechmasters) 16.14.43
2, Thane Wright/ Dax Massey (Breck Epic) 17.02.58
3, Jon Gould/ Pieter Van Rooyen (Elkford Bicycle Repair) 17.37.51

80+ Mixed
1, Pat Doyle/ Trish Grajczyk (Deadgoat Racing) 18.46.19
2, Margo Downey/ Craig Gillett (Hartland Hammers) 22.52.48
3, Freddy Compernolle/ Lieve Durnez (Team De Trog) 23.28.10

Transrockies Stage 3: Nipika Resort Time Trial, Report and Results

Nipika - Nipika
~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.



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.



GC

Open Men
1, Stefan Widmer/ Marty Lazarski (Rocky Mountain) 10.08.13
2, Porto Jao Marinho/ Jose Silva (Team Aramante Bike Zone) 10.40.53
3, Ray Adams/Ryan Leech (VisitPA.com) 11.40.24

Open Women
1, Magi Scallion/ Kate Scallion (Team Nipika) 15.21.29
2, Erika Krumpelman/ Shannon Holden (VeloBella/Vanderkitten) 16.37.36

Open Mixed
1, Jeff Neilson/ Mical Dyck 11.57.06
2, Xavier Varemeeren/ Meike Deroo 12.53.21
3, Dean Irvine/ Alena Irvine 13.17.49

80+ Men
1, Milan Spolc/ Martin Horak (Czechmasters) 11.26.42
2, Thane Wright/ Dax Massey (Breck Epic) 11.38.36
3,Sergio Vairetto/ Ettore Bollati (Dream Team) 12.22.39

80+ Mixed
1, Pat Doyle/ Trish Grajczyk (Deadgoat Racing) 13.08.19
2, Margo Downey/ Craig Gillett (Hartland Hammers) 16.02.50
3, Freddy Compernolle/ Lieve Durnez (Team De Trog) 16.29.59

Transrockies Stage 2: K2 Ranch - Nipika Resort, Report and Results

Stage 2 Takes Riders to Heaven and Hell, TransRockies-Style

K2 Ranch - Nipika Resort

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 percent 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.


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.

GC

Open Men
1, Stefan Widmer/ Marty Lazarski (Rocky Mountain) 7.24.41
2, Porto Jao Marinho/ Jose Silva (Team Aramante Bike Zone) 7.48.07
3, Ray Adams/Ryan Leech (VisitPA.com) 8.37.04

Open Women
1, Magi Scallion/ Kate Scallion (Team Nipika) 11.17.39
2, Erika Krumpelman/ Shannon Holden (VeloBella/Vanderkitten) 11.46.07

Open Mixed
1, Jeff Neilson/ Mical Dyck 8.36.41
2, Xavier Varemeeren/ Meike Deroo 9.23.39
3, Dean Irvine/ Alena Irvine 9.44.24

80+ Men
1, Milan Spolc/ Martin Horak (Czechmasters) 8.15.48
2, Thane Wright/ Dax Massey (Breck Epic) 8.32.23
3, Jon Gould/ Pieter Van Rooyan (Elkforad Bicycle Repair) 8.57.56

80+ Mixed
1, Pat Doyle/ Trish Grajczyk (Deadgoat Racing) 9.37.19
2, Margo Downey/ Craig Gillett (Hartland Hammers) 11.47.59
3, Freddy Compernolle/ Lieve Durnez Team De Trog (11.56.56)

TransRockies Stage 1: Panorama to K2 Ranch

Rocky Mountain Factory Team Riders Grab the Early Jerseys in the TR3 and TransRockies

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.

After 2300 tough metres of climbing today riders face an even tougher physical test tomorrow on the run in from K2 Ranch to Nipika Mountain Resort. An extra 30 kn of riding and 500 metres of climbing add up to a leg crushing 72.2km/ 2835m in total.


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 will soak 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 passes through Fairmont Hot Spring and 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. The riders can roll into Nipika knowing that they will spend the two nights in this pristine setting at the intersection of the Kootenay 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.


Results

Open Men
1, Stefan Widmer/ Marty Lazarski (Rocky Mountain) 2.51.32
2, Porto Jao Marinho/ Jose Silva (Team Aramante Bike Zone) 2.52.30
3, Ray Adams/Ryan Leech (VisitPA.com) 3.03.54

Open Women
1, Erika Krumpelman/ Shannon Holden (VeloBella/Vanderkitten)
2, Magi Scallion/ Kate Scallion (Team Nipika)
3, Maria Garcia/ Betania Roberto (Sempre Amigas)

Open Mixed
1, Jeff Neilson/ Mical Dyck 3.19.38
2, Xavier Varemeeren/ Meike Deroo 3.27.40
3, Dean Irvine/ Alena Irvine 3.34.49

80+ Men
1, Milan Spolc/ Martin Horak (Czechmasters) 2.59.44
2, Thane Wright/ Dax Massey (Breck Epic) 3.05.06
3, Jon Gould/ Pieter Van Rooyan (Elkforad Bicycle Repair) 3.22.11

80+ Mixed
1, Pat Doyle/ Trish Grajczyk (Deadgoat Racing)
2, Freddy Compernolle/ Lieve Durnez
3, Margo Downey/ Craig Gillett

Amanda Carey's Intermontane Challenge Blog Stage 5

Stage 5-Time Trial



Speaking of the spirit of mountain biking, I finished yesterday's race just feeling bad. I had a long talk with my husband that night during which I told him what I wanted to do the next day. I knew we had a 17-mile TT and anything could happen, but I just didn't feel right about anything that has happened here all week. I wanted to do what little I could to make it right. So, I talked to Sarah before the TT, told her that no matter what happened today, I was going to split my prize money with her. I didn't ask her to split her money with me if she happened to beat me by 5+ min. in the TT, nor would I ever have expected her to. I just wanted her to know that from day 1 I have thought this race was unfair and that I wouldn't feel right about going home with any more money than she. We had a great chat, decided to go out and race as hard as we could and just enjoy riding our bikes. She of course told me that if she had been in my position, she would have made the same offer. I love mountain bikers.

We both did our warmups on the course and saw that the course markings were terribly confusing. I sprinted back to the start and talked to both the race timer and the director about them. The problem was that there was 2-way traffic on some parts and riding up to junctions all you saw there were 2 white arrows going in different directions and it was up to you to choose which one to follow. In some cases you were expected to cross over and take the one to the left, even though if you were riding on the right (as we all do on racecourses) the natural way to go would have been to go right. So, there was a 45 min. delay of the 10am start so they could get course marshals up to the course and it seems that the stage went off nicely because of this last minute addition of course marshals.

Thankfully, the TT was the best riding we got to do all week! It was super buffed, twisty singletrack, had a bunch of uber steep climbs and a handful of hike-a-bikes. Oh, yeah, it was HOT. Another 100 deg. day. There were also a few hairy sections where I think I attained a personal best for the amount of time I rode with the saddle on my chest. 17 miles and one little crash later, I pulled into the finish in one piece, grateful that I rode as hard as I could and ended this week on a high note.

For me, this week was more a mental battle rather than a physical battle. I am bruised, scratched, sore, sunburned, a little fitter and hopefully a lot smarter. Keeping my head in the game after an incredible ride on Monday, only to be 38 min out of the GC was hard. There was an overwhelming temptation to pack it in and go home after day 1, but I am glad I stayed. I got some phenomenal training in for the upcoming Leadville 100 and I made a lot of new friends. Plus, I got to spend the week riding a phenomenal bike and equipment given to me by my incredibly generous sponsors, supported and helped every day by my wonderful husband/mechanic/cheerleader, in a new city, on new and unique terrain with a group of really cool people. Everyone was super supportive of each other all week long and we all got to enjoy playing in the dirt for 200 or miles or so. As a racer and a mountain biker, I am leaving feeling profoundly grateful for a week full experiences one can only find at an epic stage race!

Amanda Carey's Intermontane Challenge Blog Stage 3 & 4

Stage 3



Stage 3 started off on the wrong foot. A local trailbuilder was upset that the race was running on a section of classic DH he had built (although it is on public land) and sabotaged the course by removing markings and felling trees onto the trail. So, the race director was forced to modify the course.The start time was changed to 9:30am though we finally ended up taking off at 10:45 am in what felt like the hottest part of the day. The start ended up being pretty hilarious. The RCMP (pace car) led us through the streets of Kamloops for about a 25 min ride, dropping 1/2 the pack in the back in the process and then all of the sudden pulled away and left us to our own devices. Well, we had no idea where we were and there was no lead moto to greet us, so we ended up taking a random left that lead us up to who-knows-where. All of the sudden those of us at the front realized we were lost and stopped in the middle of the trail. A local guy who is racing and helping to organize the race offered to lead us to where he thought the stage was going to go. So, we all played nice and rolled slowly though some singletrack until we met up with some course markings. It was the biggest group ride I have ever been on in my life. All 90 of us regrouped and after a 45 min of a neutral warmup we were off!

The day was tough. It included lots of extended climbs on a steep dirt roads in the blazing hot sun and some fun, newly cut (or perhaps never cut?) singletrack at a furious pace. Unfortunately, my legs felt like garbage for the first 1:30. I had to let the lead 3 women go up the opening 9k climb, knowing that there was nothing I could do but wait, hope and pray that my legs would come around. Finally they did...just in time for some downhill where I quickly got way too excited, knowing I was only 30 sec. down on the next gal and slid out, dropping my hip and rear derailer onto a big ol' boulder. I got right back on my merry way until I hit the next climb where I discovered I had my bent derailer by throwing my chain between my cassette and my spokes. After many failed attempts to get it dislodged on my own my new friend and trail angel John was kind enough to stop and help me yank it out. I would have never have had the guts to yard on a XTR derailleur like that, so it's a good thing he did. Somehow, he managed to leave me with most of my gears. His stopping to help was just one of the many selfless acts I witnessed all week.

Long story short, the race went on, I started feeling like myself again and I made it all the way to the last aid station where I was told that the lead 3 women had not yet come through. I was so confused. I was determined to catch back onto the lead pack now that I was feeling better, so I buried myself for the next 8 miles or so of rolling dirt road knowing that I had some time to make up after my little detour on Monday. Then, I got to the last course marshall 5k from the end where I ran into the 3 lead women who had been told long ago that the race had been neutralized and they just cruised on in. I still don't know how they got there first, as I went through the aid station first and never passed them. But only a few racers had been told that it had been neutralized. At that point, if I hadn't started laughing, well, I would have been crying, so Sue and I decided to ride the rest of the way home via some singletrack and try to get back into the Fun Zone, an area we had all left long ago...

The race director had led the lead pack of pro men in the wrong direction on his moto for 2k and had to bring them back up to the course. He made the decision that the entire stage would be neutralized because it was his fault that some people got lost and it wouldn't be fair. Those having great rides and making up time were left knowing that in the end their day wouldn't count. However, the worst, worst, worst part of the day was that Jerimiah Bishop crashed really hard at the very end, cracking his helmet and I think compressing a vertabrae in a stage that was already neutralized, all for naught. He's going to be okay, but I really really wish someone on course had had the ability to notify him that the race was done and perhaps his crash could have been avoided. But none of the course marshals or staff on the course had radios all week, so I guess they couldn't have known.

Stage 4

Stage 4 was the hardest day yet. Even though we got to start a 7am it was one of the hottest days yet with the temps hitting 100 deg and heat rash spreading through the pelaton like wildfire. It consisted of 2 huge climbs and included far more singletrack than any other stage. And it was not just any singletrack. It was rooty, rocky and technical and had me regretting not choosing the full-squish ride for the day. It was the most physically challenging of all of the days, as the singletrack was so technical it made for really slow going. Personally, it was my hardest day. The tailbone injury I inflicted upon myself in the XC race at Nationals last week (either broken or bruised-but who really wants to know if it's really broken, right?) really started giving me trouble. For the first 3 days I was doing okay with it-not great-but the pain was tolerable. But all of the sudden, 45 min in my entire back, glutes and hamstrings seized and made it excruciatingly painful to push the pedals. At 1:30 I told myself to just ride, simmer down and finish. Thankfully, the strategy worked. The more I eased off the better I felt and I was actually able to start pedaling hard again 5 hrs in. I enjoyed the singletrack even though it was some of the roughest stuff I have ever raced and came through the last aid station only to hear that I was now ahead of Sarah Kauffman (who had dropped me long ago) because she got off course.

I left the aid station so incredibly heartbroken. Sarah is my friend and a great person and she was having an incredible ride. And, because it has been so easy to get lost here all week (as I did on Monday loosing 35 min. in the process), I knew exactly how she must have felt. The next 10+ miles to the finish for me were some of the worst miles I have ever pedaled on a bicycle. What to do? Pin it and get the lead back that I had lost to her on Monday when I was 25 min. ahead of her when I got lost? Or soft pedal and relax? What was the right thing? I wavered back and forth the entire way. My entire body hurt, my brain was melting inside my helmet, and all I wanted to do was get off my bike, sit on the side of the road and just cry. Instead, I tried to shut of my head and just turn the pedals as steady as I could. I ended up finishing just about 12 min up on her and 5 min ahead in the GC.

But the worst part of the day was that Ben Sontag crashed HARD while in the lead and hit his head. I passed him as he was on a backboard in a neck collar receiving oxygen. Thankfully, he is going to be okay in the long run but it was scary for everyone to see. He was riding with Chris Sheppard at the time and Shep stopped on the side of the trail with him for 30 min. while Tinker went to get help, essentially giving up both their races. Both Tinker and Shep both get my vote for representing the real spirit of mountain biking. We are all in this together and have to help each other out in any way that we can and that's what they did. But, Tinker got lost at the end of the stage and hitchhiked home, putting Shep in the lead anyway, as the 3rd place guy also got lost. Instead of racing the TT on Friday, Tinker loaded up his fishing pole on his bike, found a lake and went fishing.

Type rest of the post here