Fernie mountain biker Chloe McKenzie set a personal best for herself earlier this month, winning gold in the longest distance race she'd ever ridden.
She covered 193 km at the Trans B.C Enduro along a route that wound through Fernie, Crowsnest Pass and Panorama Mountain Resort over the course of a week.
McKenzie set a sizable lead on the first day at Fernie's Morrissey Ridge trail network, but competition crept up in Crowsnest and she found herself with only a few minutes of distance between herself and the rider behind her.
The group rode through forests, rivers and boulder fields on their ascent up to the top of the mountains, where they encountered alpine scree and snow. The trail was too steep to ride in some sections, so they had to carry their bikes on their backs.
"There were some punchy climbs where I had to get up and run, also a steep descent, muddy roots where you can't really stop. It was unreal," said McKenzie. "I definitely felt a little nervous in the beginning and definitely wanted to keep that edge up the entire week and fight that fatigue."
"But the girls were so fun to ride with," she added. "It was actually some great competition. Everyone comes from all over. It's such a supportive group. You kind of get to know each other throughout the week and everyone's in it together and everyone's having fun."
She had a crash on the last day when her front wheel slipped while navigating a tight turn, but she recovered quickly.
McKenzie started out as cross country biker and switched to enduro in 2019. She had her international break-out last year at the Enduro World Cup, where she raced alongside pro women for the first time in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France and Australia.
She said the Trans B.C Enduro was a completely different than any event she had completed prior, as it was a group event with a mass start rather than an individual ride.
"Trans B.C was definitely my first experience being that high up in racing," she added.
