The first day of the first TransRockies SingleTrack 3 kicked off in Fernie on Friday. Peter Disera and Chloe Cross take the first wins in the sold-out three day stage race.
The first start line of the new TransRockies Singletrack 3 in Fernie, B.C. Photo: John Gibson
The new, Fernie-based event replaces TransRockies long-running, roaming six-day event, SingleTrack 6. That event itself was the evolution of the TransRockies stage race, one of North America’s original multi-day mountain bike stage races.
Peter Disera takes the first ST3 stage win. Stay tuned for the full Oakley Meta glasses-filmed stage replay and commentary on YouTube any day now. Photo: John Gibson
In the men’s race, Peter Disera rolled in hot off of pushing Nino Schurter for a week at the BC Bike Race, and a hot day at Canadian Gravel Championships, to take the opening stage at ST3. From battling the G.O.A.T. on home turf, Disera is now the one taking on the locals. U20 racer and Fernie local Hugh McDougall crossed the line in second place less than a minute behind the Easton Overland racer. New Zealand’s Ben Friel sits third, looking to keep up a recent tradition of Kiwi’s coming over to challenge the Canadians in XC stage races.
Chloe Cross flying high above Fernie during stage one of ST3. Photo: John Gibson
Whistler’s stage race veteran Chloe Cross leads a very close women’s race. Montana’s Amber Steed finished 14.5 seconds behind Cross after two hours and two mintues of racing. Aida Morrison followed in third, 17.9 seconds behind, showing that the next generation of Fernie youth are not to be messed with.
Brett Wolfe. Photo: John Gibson
SingleTrack 3 isn’t just about the pro racers, of course. Many in the sold-out field landed in Fernie intent on challenging themselves as much as challenging for a win. The standout story from the first day of racing is Brett Wolfe of Seattle. Wolfe is an experienced mountain biker and endurance racer. He’s also an amputee, taking on the ST3 course with a single leg and an iron will. Wolfe finished mid-pack in the 50+ men’s race, crossing the line in 3:13:30.3.
Racing continues exploring Fernie’s expansive trail network for, as you might guess from the race’s name, another two days.