How it all began…
Heinrich Albrecht and Chester Fabricius, founders of the TransRockies, have a long and legendary history in the mountain biking world, starting with their organization of the first mountain bike race in Europe in the 1980s. From there, both went on to organize World Cup events in Europe and in North America.
In 1998, the fruition of all this experience resulted in the creation of the first TransAlp Challenge in Europe. Two-hundred and twenty teams of two riders from eight different countries crossed the European Alps in eight days. The 580-kilometre long route with over 20,000 metres of climbing became the most challenging mountain bike event worldwide. The event is a sell-out every year, with 550 teams participating and more than 3,000 teams on a wait list.
The TransAlp Challenge today is arguably the most popular mountain bike event in Europe. Albrecht and Fabricius continue to work together on the event, and shortly after the third TransAlp Challenge was held, an exploration of the potential for creating a similar event in North America began. After extensive research, Fabricius and Albrecht identified the Canadian Rockies as a perfect site for TransAlps’ sister event, the TransRockies.
The first annual TransRockies was held in August 2002, and it has continued annually since then. The events are testaments to incredible strength and determination, as riders face seven days, 600 kilometres, and 12,000 metres of climbing.
The 2003 event was the race that happened “against all odds”, as the wildfire conditions in the Canadian Rockies region forced organizers to re-route the first three days of the race at the last minute. In 2004, heavy rain turned a portion of the route into a muddy quagmire. Riders were forced to walk long sections of the route, which became impassable by bike. The 2005 event was not mud-free, although the majority of the route was rideable.
In 2006, the route saw a major re-design, moving the majority of the event into the Kootenay Rockies region of British Columbia. The change took the race deeper into the spectacular wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. The new course received rave reviews as the event topped the 200 team level for the first time.
In 2007, TransRockies for the first time reversed direction, traveling from Panorama in the north to Fernie in the South. The event sold out all 300 team spots in record time. Once again the TransRockies faced forest closures due to active fires and fire hazards. The route was changed approximately one week prior to the start, spending an additional night at Nipika Mountain Resort – the first time that the event has spent two nights in one location in its six-year history. Fernie, the only stage community that has been a part of the event every year since 2002, hosted a memorable Finishers’ Banquet for over 1,300 guests.
