Transrockies Challenge 2008

back to Stages

Day 2 Report
K2 Ranch to Nipika Mountain Resort: 73.7km/3813m climbing

6:30 p.m.

It was a long day for everyone on the TransRockies trail today, as an already gruelling stage got longer when the front pack went off course and everyone played "follow the lemming," as today's 1st Place Open Men's finishers, Sobe Cannondale riders Mike Garrigan and Jesse Jakomait explained at the finish.

The riders went awry when some of the top teams missed the flagging tape on course indicating a right-hand turn. Instead, the group marched up a steep avalanche gulley shouldering their bikes all the way to the top, missing the turn and finding out, upon summiting the chute, that the trail had gone cold.

"We were so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that we ended up just playing follow the lemming," said Jakomait. According to him, a group of about 20 riders at the front of the race, realizing their mistake, turned and began backtracking, eventually finding the route and getting back into race mode.

Jakomait and Garrigan completed the course with a time of 5:50:37, about an hour and a half later than the projected top finisher time for Stage 2. Xprezo.ca team Matthew Hadley and Frederic Bussieres came in three minutes later.

"There was a lot of climbing today even without adding an extra hour and a half of uphill with my bike," said Frederic at the finish line, still sporting a smile but showing signs of fatigue after two straight days of steep vertical.

Steed Cycles rider and recently retired NHL hockey player Trevor Linden also commented on the degree of difficulty for Stage 2, saying "It wouldn't have been bad had we not gone off course (uphilll) on that scree. It was a big day without that, but that made it massive," he said. Linden said he was looking forward to the Stage 3 time trial as a much needed rest from Stages 1 and 2. Nipika Mountain Resort promises to deliver that with some exceptional private singletrack along the Kootenay River, bordering Canada's Kootenay National Park.

UNOFFICIAL TOP-THREE RESULTS, as of 7 p.m.

OPEN MEN
1st – Sobe Cannondale; Jakomait & Garrigan
2nd – Xprezo.ca; Hadley & Bussieres
3rd – Team Trek Store; Jette & Glasford

OPEN WOMEN
1st – Outdoor Store/Outs; Lowery & Randall
2nd – Guidi-Up; Guidinger & Osborne
3rd – N/A

OPEN MIXED
1st – Kona; Simms & Thibault
2nd – Team Clif Bar; Wallace & Nash
3rd – The Bike Shop; Zidek & Larena

80+ MEN
1st – Birkeland Bus Buster; Reiten & Birkeland
2nd – Justbike; Brown & Reed
3rd – Wobblenaught Precisi; Gould & Butterfield

80+ MIXED
1st – Dnet; Kidd & Edwards
2nd – Duo Gazelle; Bouchard & Payment
3rd – KB Racing; Buckman & Carroll

100+ Open Gender
1st – Southwest Hand Cycling – Jones & Roberts
2nd – This2ShallPass – Davidson & Hudema
3rd – Tough Lumber; Pelletier & McAllister


8 a.m.

After a chilly overnight stay at the exceptionally beautiful K2 Ranch, the clouds cracked open to reveal blue skies today. It was a sea of smiles in the starting chute this morning, with the sun growing stronger by the minute and when the starting gun went off there were very few clouds in the sky.


OVERHEARD AT THE SHOWER TRUCK SINKS THIS MORNING:

Open Men's category leaders, as of Day 1, Marzio Deho & Johnny Cattaneo getting interviewed by fellow tooth-brushers. When asked how they feel to have the early TransRockies lead, they said it was great, they were looking forward to today's ride, and they would see what today would hold before making any predictions about taking the category title. "We're feeling good today, we'll see," they were overheard as saying.

OVERHEARD AT BREAKFAST:

There was plenty of snoring in Tent City last night, though the general consensus was that the low hum of generators from distant motorhomes eventually lulled everyone to sleep. Perhaps this collective deep sleep, after only Stage 1, is concrete evidence that TransRockies VII is indeed the most challenging edition yet?

TransRockies' focus on highly nutritional and tasty food geared toward the endurance athlete is a huge hit with riders. Conversations across the breakfast table included high praise for this year's caterer, Anne Riches, and everyone left this morning with a full belly of hot food and strong Kicking Horse Coffee.

The next report will be from Nipika Mountain Resort mid to late afternoon. Stay tuned!

« back