Today marks the beginning of the 12th edition of North America's original mountain bike stage race, the TransRockies Challenge. Almost 400 mountain bikers will ride the trails on three different routes over the next three days before moving on to the last two race days in Blairmore and Canmore.
Riders from 22 countries have hit the Canadian Rockies in an effort to 'find out what's inside...outside'. Mountain bikers from Canada, the United States, Australia, Ecuador, South Africa, Portugal and beyond will experience what real, epic, mountain biking is all about.
The 2013 TransRockies Challenge is the final running of this storied mountain bike stage race. Of course, the event would be nothing without the 4000 plus riders over the years. Simon Parker is riding his tenth TR. Bob Wong and Stephen Strachan rode the first TransRockies in 2002, and are back for 2013. Pat Doyle and Laurie and Richard Woodbury are back for race number nine. Almost 300 riders are first-timers. Sixty-four of riders have done the TR an average of three times.
The first finishers are expected to arrive at today’s finish line in downtown Fernie on 2nd Avenue at 11 am. Check out The Free Press for daily race results over the next three days.