Trans BC Day 3 Rossland: Everything You've Ever Dreamed of... On Steroids

High alpine, rocks, roots, trees, and loam— the elements of a mountain bike ride made in paradise. The Trans BC Enduro powered by Stages Cycling took all of this to an astronomical level on Day 3 in Rossland, B.C.




“The first two days were basically in the desert of B.C. Bringing the event into Rossland brings the true feel of what B.C. is all about,” said Megan Rose, founder and race director of the Trans BC. “The Seven Summits is an iconic route. In its entirety, it would not be the right fit. But getting racers up to one Summit and descending from the ridgeline was a real treat, considering that we didn’t know until four days ago that it would be passible after the biggest snow year in quite some time.”



The transfer to the start of Stage 1 was an adventure of its own. Racers traveled 9.6 kilometers and ascended 765m along the IMBA Epic Seven Summits Ride, a 36km trail that runs the ridgeline of seven mountains.


“The first transfer stage was phenomenal— amazing pedaling through many different zones,” said Jen Mader, Open Women (USA). “The moss, the dank forest, up into the high alpine, walking over snow and descending the ridge to the start line. Every bit of it was simply amazing.”



Although racers diverted from the prominent ridgeline of the Rossland Range, they were rewarded with a descent from the alpine back into deep mountain forests. The longest of the day, Stage 1, activated the adrenaline glands for 10-15 minutes with several technical rock gardens, slippery roots, and swooping corners to revel in.


“The first track was like Colorado on steroids— steep and rocky with awesome trail building,” said Dylan Stucki, Open Men (Durango, Colo.) “Not as many switchbacks which was very rad.”


Rose threw in an extra stage, which will only be known as Stage 1X, to link riders into the transition up to Stage 2.


“My favorite stage was 1X, the little bonus stage. It was really short, loamy, and just fun with tons of little turns, dips and dives. It was short, so it was an all out sprint,” said Scott Countryman, Open Men (Flagstaff, Ariz.)


Having fun is an approach that many racers are finding a successful rhythm with. Countryman led Day 3 with (insert) seconds over Aaron Bradford, Open Men (Seattle, Wash.)


Stage 2 turned the aerobic dial up on two fun and flowy local trails. Hands finally felt reprieve from the steeper slopes above, and racers were able to let loose and feed the soul. Dual lines through the trees and small jumps made BS and Monticola the perfect playground for a ladytrain of Open Women who hopped in together for a run.


“We had a blast all jumping in together. Having fun with my fellow female shredders has been a key component to doing well,” said Leigh Bowe, Open Women (Frisco, Colo.) “And it doesn’t hurt that every stage today upped the previous one. I had a new favorite trail all day long.” Although she may be out for the overall after a devastating flat on Day 2, Bowe sat in third place on both Day 1 and 3.


Hot tubs and cold beer awaited racers back at the base area of Red Mountain Resort, however they had one more transition of 500m to the top of the ski area before they could settled in for a relaxing night at the beautiful accommodations in the heart of the Kootenay Rockies.


While racers begrudgingly climbed up the ski area, the moans soon dissipated by feelings of appreciation for perfectly cut trail and the natural beauty surrounding them. After all, what would you normally be doing on a Wednesday afternoon? The final switchbacks popped out of the top of the conical ski hill with one more stage to go on an old school downhill track, which holds history back to 1998-2003.



“The pain is forgotten, and the pleasure is remembered,” said Rene Damseaux (ZAF), moments before dropping into the final stage of the day. For those who could hold onto the handlebars, it was a fast and wild ride down steep g-outs, rooty chutes, rutted corners and a high speed meadow, dropping 430m over 1.5km, at an average grade of 31 percent. Some found the end of the day to be overwhelming for their forearms, but they were soon remedied by a beer and gourmet dinner in the base area.




Racers still have one more day of riding in Rossland before they are whisked away to their final destination in Tourism Rossland “Over the last year, being able to explore what else Rossland has to offer in terms of trails has expanded our horizons, and allows us to offer two days in one location which is nice for the racers to stay put for a while and soak in their surroundings,” Rose said.



A special thanks to Tourism Rossland, Kootenay Columbia Trails Society (KCTS) and Ryan Kuhn for supporting the Trans BC Enduro in Rossland, B.C. “Ryan was meant to be part of our medic team all week, but we kept him in Rossland to open up trails, rebuild bridges, and prepare the area for the Trans BC’s debut. We can’t thank him enough!” Rose said.

Stay tuned to regular updates on Facebook and Instagram and core online media outlets throughout the week. Hashtag your photos #transbcenduro to make their way onto the live stream of the Trans BC’s Media HQ.For more information email megan@ridingbc.com or visit www.transbcenduro.com.

DAY 3 RESULTS

OPEN MEN
1. Scott Countryman (USA) 20:14
2. Aaron Bradford (USA) 20:24
3. Adam Craig (USA) 20:39

OPEN WOMEN
1. Meggie Bichard (NZ) 23:52
2. Mical Dyck (CAN) 26:11
3. Leigh Bowe (USA) 26:23

MASTER MEN 40+
1. Matt Patterson (NZ) 22:15
2. Rene Damseaux (ZAF) (CAN) 22:22
3. Torben Jensen (CAN) 22:30

DAY 1-3 OVERALL RESULTS

OPEN MEN
1. Jamie Nicoll (NZ) 1:28:43
2. Aaron Bradford (USA) 1:30:19
3. Ben Friel (USA) 1:30:53

OPEN WOMEN
1. Meggie Bichard (NZ) 1:44:08
2. Mical Dick (CAN) 1:51:06
3. Sonya Loonie (CAN) 1:54:34

MASTER MEN 40+
1. Rene Damseaux (ZAF) 1:37:56
2. Matt Patterson (NZ) 1:38:17
3. Zach White (CAN) 1:40:57



About Megan Rose— Megan has been riding and racing bikes all over the world for 13 years and organizing bike events for the past six years. She splits her time between British Columbia, Canada and New Zealand, running the BC Enduro Series and the new Trans BC for 2016, and running the Trans NZ race. Over the past two years Megan has personally races in over 24 enduro races, timed over 58 days worth of enduro races, and personally organized 22 enduro races. Megan and her team look forward to bringing you the best of the best from all of these perspectives.

About Stages Cycling— Stages Cycling LLC, based in Boulder, CO, launched the Stages Power meter at Interbike in September 2012. The new Stages Power meter immediately made waves for the power measurement category in all disciplines of cycling, including enduro, where the sport's top pros collect and trust its data for training and racing. Since the brand has expanded into the commercial and home fitness category with the SC3 commercial indoor cycling bike, with groundbreaking features including: CarbonGlyde featuring Gates CarbonDrive, SprintShift, FitLoc, RoadBar and, of course, the Stages Power meter. More information at stagescycling.com.

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MENTIONS: @bcenduroseries

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