After a day of riding over and through the foothills of the
Rockies to the west of Calgary, riders headed back into the heart of the
mountains on Stage 5. In doing so, they left the mud and meadows of the cattle
ranch lands behind entered the high peaks and spectacular valleys of Kananaskis
Country.
Anchor D Ranch-Little
Elbow Camp
54km, 1500m
climbing/1300m descending Team Rocky Mountain tails Team Kona somewhere near the gates of Heaven.
The 54km route starting at Anchor D Ranch included no major
passes or high-altitude rides but a relentless up and down profile and endless
singletrack added up to another gruelling day in the Rockies for the over 200
riders still moving toward the finish line in the TransRockies.
After losing 43 minutes and the overall leaders jerseys the
day before, Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks of Team Kona came out determined to
set a shattering pace and overcome their 9 minute deficit to the first-placed
Rocky Mountain Factory team of Stefan Widmer and Marty Lazarski. From the gun,
Team Kona pushed the pace and was able to drop the rest of the field early.
With a relentless performance, free of mechanical-problems, they were able to
push their final gap over Rocky Mountain to almost 20 minutes by the end of the
race which they finished in just a few second over 3 hours and 23 minutes, grabbing
the leaders jerseys back and establishing a solid 11-minute overall lead with
two stages left to go.
Behind them, the Honey Stinger duo of Nate Bird and Dax
Massey finally shook off the mechanical woes that have plagued them since their
race started with an inauspicious smashed wheel on Stage 1. With a clean run,
they were able to chase the Rocky Mountain boys all the way to the finish line
for a strong 3rd place finish which moved them up into 5th
overall on GC. With 4th on the day Team Timex/Sugoi held onto the
last overall podium spot. These two teams look set to battle the 4th
placed Belgian Granville/Trustteam for the last podium spot all the way to the
finish line in Canmore.
After surviving an early three-way challenge, the 2009
Champion CzechMasters (Milan Spolc/Martin Horak) took a stranglehold on the 80+
men's division with four straight stage wins. Their closest competition Team
Mule Bar/Abergavenny Cycling have been unable to close the gap as one half of
the team Peter Turnbull has been struggling for two stages with stomach
problems that have left him unable to eat. He's bravely fighting to the finish
line each day with partner George Rose but is unable to ride at full speed and
close the gap to the Czechs.
It's testament to the international flavour of the
TransRockies that, after five days, the six sets of leaders jerseys have so far
been held by riders from no fewer than six countries (Canada, USA, Brazil,
Czech Republic, England, Wales).
One of the truths of the TransRockies is that there are two
different race experiences, one for the elite riders and one for the
recreational riders who can sometimes be out on course for twice as long as the
elites. By the time most of the recreational athletes reach the finish line,
they top finishers are showered, massaged and changed, and are often grabbing a
recovery nap before dinner.
The summer weather pattern of the mountains normally brings
any precipitation for the day during the afternoon when the heat builds and
storm clouds bloom. Stage 5 was a case in point as all the teams who managed to
finish in 5 hours or less rode the stage under dry skies while teams who were
out longer than five hours were caught out in a storm which rolled fierce black
clouds down the valley. Storms like this are not unusual in summer and the
TransRockies team kicked into gear making gallons of hot chocolate and tea and
putting up extra tarps and tents to provide a dry place for the riders as they
came across the finish line.
Even through the clouds, the riders can see and feel the
finishline coming ever nearer with just two more stages left until they roll
down Main Street in Canmore to be greeted by friends, family and well wishers
celebrating their successful completion of an epic 2010 TransRockies.
Stage 6 Preview
Little Elbow
Campground-Rafter Six Ranch
72km, 2250m
climbing/2550m descending
Stage 6 is certain to be the Queen stage of 2010. Not only
does it cover the greatest distance but it also includes more climbing that any
other day of the event. Starting deep in the jaw-dropping Elbow River Valley
ringed by impressive mountains like the Forgetmenot Ridge, Mount Remus and
Powderface Ridge which they'll climb the to start the day reaching an elevation
of over 2000m before descending along steep singletrack to start the climb of
Jumpingpound Ridge.
The 2200m top of Jumpingpound Ridge is always epic whether
it buries the riders in snow and hail or whether it envelops them in blue skies
and a canopy of imposing peaks. Another fast, challenging technical descent
take riders to Cox Hill, for a ride they'll never forget along an wide-open
ridge before descending 700 vertical metres on one of the greatest trails in
the Rockies.
There are still 30km to ride to the finish including the
Lusk Creek descent and a ride around the glacial aquamarine Barrier Lake before
they reach the welcoming surroundings of Rafter Six Ranch for the final
overnight stop of 2010.
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