2014 Singletrack 6 - Days 5 and 6

Day 5 - Golden, BC

The Moonrakers trail system in Golden, BC should be on every mountain bikers bucket list. The Golden Cycling Club has done a masterful job of creating a trail network that offers something for everyone, from newbie to expert. With thirty plus trails covering over 70kms, the trail combinations seem limitless and the riding opportunities endless.

The Schacher Stage 5 is named in memory of Golden Cycling Club member Sean Schacher who, while out for a ride on July 2nd of this year, passed away on Moonrakers due to apparent heart failure. Otherwise fit and healthy, his death came as shock to all who knew him. For the past 15 years, Sean and friend Jeremy Harris, had the dream of building a climbing trail from Golden to the Mount 7 paraglider launch site. The goal is to make that dream a reality by July 2nd, 2015. To support the construction of 'Schacher's Trail' please visit schachertrail.com.

After spending the night recovering from Stage 4 on the Mountain Shadows network, the riders sped out of Spirit Square bound for the opposite side of the valley. Once across the Columbia River, the onslaught of singletrack began with a climb up the flowy CBT Mainline. Weaving their way south to Checkpoint 1, and the Cedar Lake Golden Cycling Club Fan Zone, the field began to stretch out.


Roughly 35km of twisty, buff and bermed out singletrack delivered the riders to Checkpoint 2 and, just beyond, the summit of the Canyon Creek Trail. Some days it's difficult to describe the natural beauty we, as mountain bikers, are fortunate enough to experience. Today, ripping along the edge of the canyon, the screams of amazement said it all.


Descending east down the canyon edge, the trail shifted to the north and gradually climb toward Checkpoint 3. With 41kms down, and 15 to go, the field made their way to 3rd timed descent of the week on the Gold Rush trail. The least technical descent thus far, it was by no means short on fun. Packed hard and flush with jump lines, this descent was wicked fast as it dropped toward the Columbia River and the ride back into town.


Thank you Golden and the Golden Cycling Club for two diverse and amazing days on the trail!

Full Results HERE. More Images HERE.

The Winners of Stage 5 and Leaders through Stage 5:

Team Category
Stage Winners
Overall Leaders

Open Men
Jon Firth & Dax Massey
Jon Firth & Dax Massey

Open Women
Karen Tremaine & Mindy Mullikan
Karen Tremaine & Mindy Mullikan

Open Mixed
Anja McDonald & Tristan Lwrence
Anja McDonald & Tristan Rawlence

80+ Men
Kris Henderieckx & Kris Hertsens
Kris Henderieckx & Kris Hertsens

80+ Mixed
Alana Heise & Jeff Neilsen
Alana Heise & Jeff Neilsen

100+ Open
Henric Meldgard & Keith Simmonds
Henric Meldgard & Keith Simmonds

Solo
Stage Winner
Overall Leader

Open Men
Kris Sneddon
Kris Sneddon

Open Women
Mical Dyck & Kate Aardal
Kate Aardal

40+ Men
Leighton Poidevin
Anthony Slowinski

50+ Men
Rich Marshal
Rich Marshall

Timed Descent
Stage Winner
Overall Leader

Male
Shane Kroeger
Shane Kroeger

Female
Mical Dyck
Mical Dyck

Next up? The Red Racer Stage 6 on Mt MacPherson in Revelstoke. Finish up your ST6 six pack with a 47km and 1200m metres of elevation gain.

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Day 6 - Revelstoke, BC

When the Singletrack 6 format was first conceived the goal was threefold:

1) Share the story of grassroots mountain bike groups,
2) Expose riders from around the world to six days of exceptionally variable riding and,
3) Offer up more quality singletrack than any other event in the world.

The traditional point-to-point format had it merits but it was time to move onto something that pushed the boundaries of what a mountain bike stage race could be. With Singletrack 6, we're proud to work with local trail groups to create stages that highlight the best of what the area host communities have to offer and deliver a mountain biking experience that both challenges, and reaffirms, the physical and mental obstacles our riders are capable of conquering.


One hundred and fifty kilometers west of the town of Golden lies Revelstoke. This former mining town, turned recreational playground, was host the final day of the 2014 Singletrack 6: the Red Racer Stage 6.

A downtown start in Grizzly Plaza, and parade style lead out through town courtesy of the local RCMP, connected the riders to the Mt. MacPherson Recreation Area. With the help of the Revelstoke Cycling Association, this network has grown to 30 plus singletrack trails with some of the most diverse riding anywhere. Over the 47km, this stage would throw a little bit of everything at the riders: short power climbs, gradual long climbs, rocks, roots, flowy descents...the list goes on.


After 5 days in the saddle many of the battles for ST6 overall titles had been determined earlier in the week. In the team event, the Open Men, Open Women, 80+ Men, 80+ Mixed and 100+ Open categories had been blown wide open. The final stage would finish with each team gapping their closest competitors by at least thirty-seven minutes over the six days. In the end, the slimmest overall margin of victory came in the Open Mixed where Anja McDonald and Tristan Rawlence took the overall by just over fourteen minutes.



On the solo side, dominance was the name of the game. Kris Sneddon stood atop the podium five times among the Open Men leading to an overall time gap of 8:51. Kate Aardal took the title for the Open Women with 5 stage victories by a combined 30 minutes. Anthony Slowinski and Filip Meirhaeghe, in the 40+ Men, battled back-and-forth all week with Slowinski taking the overall by less than 4 minutes. Golden, B.C. rider Rich Marshal was tops among the 50+ Men finishing out his week 2nd on the day but over nine minutes ahead of Tony Routley in the overall.


A series of four timed descents were introduced on Stages 1, 4, 5 and 6. This 'race within a race' was largely for bragging rights among buddies and a fun way for the technically gifted descenders to show their strength. In the end, Shane Kroeger's combined time of 27:48 placed him 53 seconds in front of Jonathon Firth. For the ladies, Mical Dyck captured three of four descents for a 56 second margin of victory over Kate Aardal.

With six stages down the inaugural Singletrack 6 was in the bag. Thank you to all our riders, volunteers and staff for making ST6 a huge success and one great celebration of Canadian mountain biking. In less than a year we will do it all again with six new stages in the Thompson Okanagan!

Congrats to the winners of the Red Racer Stage 6 and the overall Singletrack 6 champions!

Full Results HERE. More images HERE.

Team Category
Stage Winners
Overall Leaders

Open Men
Jon Firth & Dax Massey
Jon Firth & Dax Massey

Open Women
Karen Tremaine & Mindy Mullikan
Karen Tremaine & Mindy Mullikan

Open Mixed
Anja McDonald & Tristan Rawlence
Anja McDonald & Tristan Rawlence

80+ Men
Kris Henderieckx & Kris Hertsens
Kris Henderieckx & Kris Hertsens

80+ Mixed
Alana Heise & Jeff Neilsen
Alana Heise & Jeff Neilsen

100+ Open
Francois Calletta &Martin Roy
Henric Meldgard & Keith Simmonds

Solo
Stage Winner
Overall Winner

Open Men
Kris Sneddon
Kris Sneddon

Open Women
Kate Aardal
Kate Aardal

40+ Men
Anthony Slowinski
Anthony Slowinski

50+ Men
Tony Routley
Rich Marshall

Timed Descent
Stage Winner
Overall Winner

Male
Jonathon Firth
Shane Kroeger

Female
Mical Dyck
Mical Dyck

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ST6 2015: Thompson Okanagan - Registration is open!

As promised, Singletrack 6 will be mixing up the routing for 2015! Introducing Singletrack 6 2015: Thompson Okanagan. We're currently lining up host communities and resorts and pre-riding all the stages. Below is a sneak peek at what we have in store. Stages will be announced beginning October, 2014. REGISTRATION IS OPEN! The field limit is 400 riders so register early!

Dates: July 26th - July 31st, 2015

2015 Price Plans - All pricing is per person.
Launch Sale: August 1st - 8th, 2014 - $1099
Phase 1: August 9th - October 31st, 2014 - $1199
Phase 2: November 1st, 2014 - January 31st, 2015 - $1299
Phase 3: February 1st - Race Day, 2015 - $1499

What You Can Expect:
-6 stages in the sun drenched, wine loving and lake plentiful Thompson Okanagan in beautiful British Columbia

-Kelowna as the event hub with Kelowna International Airport serving as the host airport host communities and resorts may include: Kelowna, Penticton, Merrit, Kamloops, Silverstar, Salmon Arm, Apex and Sicamous

-the highest percentage of singletrack of any mountain bike stage race

-varied terrain ranging from buff to hard pack to loose rock to slickrock with a healthy dose of technical descending mixed in

-challenging climbs to spectacular views of lakes and mountains followed by wicked descents

-stage distances averaging 40km with 1200m of elevation gain

More images HERE. More information HERE.