Submitted by Gavin GrobbelaarUltra Media
What a week of racing it was. The 2015 Singletrack 6 mountain bike stage race wrapped up in Pentitcon, B.C. last Friday. The riders left it all out on the trails putting on a spectacle for all, from the front to the back of the pack.
International riders of all levels, professional to recreational from 16 different countries worked their way from Salmon Arm to Penticton via the demanding yet world class trails at Silver Star Bike Park, Kalamalka Lake and Myra Canyon, ending on the shores of Lake Okanagan.
The Cycling Clubs and Organizations responsible for setting routes for each stage put on an even bigger spectacle with courses that tested rider’s skills and endurance. The heat of the Okanagan that became apparent in the latter stages kept riders honest, adding another element of race strategy.
Cory Wallace of Jasper (Kona) with his gutsy riding style all week got him the overall men's win in a total time of 10:55:47. Tristan Uhl (competitivecyclist.com) from Texas took 2nd place with 11:07:17 and Severin Novak (Kelowna Cycle) of Switzerland ended in 3rd place with 11:14:25.
Kate Aardal (Ridley’s Cycle) of Calgary was clinical, taking the honours and the top step of the podium in a total time of 13:27:08. Carmen Labbe (Kicking Horse) of Quebec, took 2nd place in 15:20:53 and Nicole Muzechka (Deadgoat Racing) of Calgary was the 3rd place woman with 15:25:45.
The Timed Descents were always a hot topic of discussion as riders were forced to keep their wits about them every day with some challenging and exhilarating descents laid out for them by the locals. Some of the descents claimed some victims in the way of mechanical and medical, keeping both support teams busy in the evenings.
Olivier Bruwiere (Team Narviflex Nomadesk Masters) was the overall men's winner of the TD with a total time of 0:41:42 and Wendy Simms (Kona-Frontrunners) was the overall winner of the ladies with 0:50:33
Singletrack 6 is coming to the Kootenay Rockies in 2016, pedalling through the towns of Fernie, Cranbrook and Golden. It will be a spectacle not to miss.