Fernie 3 2014

A 3 Day Stage race in Fernie, BC. It was going to be interesting based on the amount of rainfall we had leading up to the race. The rain was coming down pretty hard before Stage 1. I was happy to wake up to no rain in the morning. 

Arriving at the start line it was nice to see a bunch of familiar faces and some fast women. The gun went off and the ladies were off like a rocket. Once we got off the pavement we went through an open field which was chaos with mud and people coming from all different directions. I got squeezed out a little bit before the first single track. The trails were wet so I took it fairly easy and managed to get my rhythm once we got out of the Ridgemont trails.

Stage 1 start line

I was back and forth a lot with another rider during the first part of the race. We were basically wheel to wheel heading up the last climb. It was all going to come down to the final descent on Southern Comfort and the road back to town. Heading down approached a bridge I have ridden tons of times but this time it was like glare ice and apparently there was now a gap between the 2 bridges. My wheel went between them and I was down. The girl ahead of me had also crashed and snapped off her seat. We made sure both of us were alright and I headed down the single track, trying to ride smart and fast. I hit the road and looked back and did not see anyone. I got out of the saddle and set a pretty good pace to the finish. Ended up 3rd in my category with only a 3 minute lead over 4th place (Lisa L) and approx. 5 minutes off 2nd. There were a few of us over the 2 categories that were very close. It was going to be good racing!

Great shots from Raven Eye Photography

Stage 2 - How wet do you think the trails will be today? ;-)

It rained more later in the day after Stage 1 was finished. It was going to be another wet day on the trails. We started on a power line climb going right by my house. It was nice to see some familiar faces even if I didn't look up - game face ;-). I got into a good position for the first single track climb. Lisa & I were wheel to wheel again from the start. Hyperextension was sooooo greasy coming off the top. I was just hanging on hoping for a clean run. I got out with no issues and hit the road and could see Lisa and some other ladies just ahead. Close racing again for the rest of the stage. Coming into the final trail 3 of us were very close. About half way in I dropped my chain and it got really jammed between the frame and ring. I caught up to one girl and passed her but did not catch Lisa. It turns out she was only 30 secs ahead. I was still in 3rd with a 2.5 minute lead going into Stage 3!

Cool shot on the ski hill by Raven Eye

Stage 3 started at the ski hill and was the nicest day so far. The trails would still be really wet in the Park. It was another fast start as we worked our way up a double track climb keeping in a tight pack with myself, Lisa and a few of the other lead girls . About 1.5 hours into it coming off Project 9, one of the descents, a group of us were told by the Marshall we missed one of the trails. We talked for a bit asking what we should do? He said a number of people missed the turn and kept going, so we continued.

I figured I was disqualified at this point but would just continue to push on. The Park trails were very wet and I was  loosing traction on the rooty climbs. Things dried out higher up. I hit the final descent and on to the finish line. A few people said oh good job you came down that ramp. It was no big deal just a downhill ramp to the finish, but I guess it was because I followed the course ;-) Apparently there were about 3 different ways people got to the finish. The Stage would not count because of the number of people who went off course. That would leave me with 3rd in my category and 7th overall for women. It was too bad we never really got to see how things would have played out with Lisa & I.  Overall good racing and nice to challenge myself against some great racers. It was nice to see the Deadgoat crew, family and friends over the weekend. Since the race it has been sunny, hot and the trails are in mint shape. Go figure ;-) 

With my nephew after Stage 2. Yeah that hurt!