July 01, 2014 (Fernie, BC) – The first Intense Fernie 3 wrapped up today at Fernie Alpine Resort under clear skies and against a stunning backdrop of towering Kootenay Rockies. Racers reveled in the top-notch weather and vistas, but on the final Stage 3 a large percentage of trail shredders hit snafus in the form of unclear course markings in the winding labyrinth of singletrack that the area boasts.

With so many riders taking wrong turns, organizers decided to neutralize the stage, and the results after Stage 2 would be the final standings and the final third day would be chocked up as a “bonus” ride.

Colin Kerr (Rocky Mountain) took the men’s 16-29 and overall win while Sandra Walter (Liv/giant Canada-Pedal Magazine) snatched the women’s 16-39 victory. Shane Keyser took home the men’s 30-39 win, while Doug Krumpelman scored the top spot in the men’s 40-49 category. Kate Aardal (Ridley’s Cycle) dominated the women’s 40+ field and placed second overall woman, with Tim Brezsnyak top 50+ man.

The trail work done by race partner The Fernie Trails Alliance was evident on course as riders cruised along existing trails that had been given major overhauls to make them flowier and friendlier, even though the soil was still quite slippery from rain during the week. The biggest refurbishment was noticeable on Stove Top and in the Sherwoody Forest.

Riders were pleasantly surprised to be greeted with reasonably graded switchbacks as opposed to the steep, rooty push-up sections of old. Kudos to the amazing work of the volunteers and members of the Fernie mountain biking community for their efforts in keeping the courses dialed for this year’s events. The Fernie Trails Alliance credits its long history of hosting mountain biking events to its significant funding budget of $46,000 from Tourism Fernie.

Despite the course flagging frustrations, the Intense Fernie 3 ended on a high note on a gorgeous evening at the Fernie Alpine Resort’s Griz Inn Corner Pocket for the final banquet and celebration. Riders re-fueled with a feast on the patio, followed by a slideshow featuring stunning shots from the three days of fabulous riding by Raven Eye Photography.

The awards ceremony, honoured the top riders in each category, who received great prizes from event sponsors Camelbak, Hammer Nutrition Products, Smith Optics, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, and Fernie Brewing. The big draw prize was a fluo orange Intense USA full suspension frame.

Highlights of the action-packed weekend included many fun events for kids, including the eighth annual Bike Rally that attracted more than 100 young participants and the well-attended U13 and U15 mountain bike races.

Race organizer Dan Savage apologized to riders for the course marking problem adding that the organizing crew still had some learning to manage in its first year, and promised that next year’s event will offer great courses and trails and better course marking. He announced that the 2015 event will be held on June 27-28 and take place in a two-day format. The dates and details are still unofficial, however, and there was popular demand to keep the three-stage format. – results below

Final Overall

Men (16-29)

1. Colin Kerr (Rocky Mountain) 3:48:30
2. Carter Nieuwesteeg 4:17:59
3. Jack Viney 4:20:48

Women (16-39)

1. Sandra Walter (Liv/Giant Canada-Pedal Magazine) 4:07:05
2. Mical Dyck (Stan’s No Tubes) 4:18:14
3. Kristin Walters 5:01:31

Men (30-39)

1. Shane Keyser 3:52:15
2. Ben Parsons 3:54:53
3. Matt Butterfield 4:01:21

Men (40-49)

1. Doug Krumpelman 3:54:21
2. Kurtis Averill 3:57:10
3. Pat Doyle 4:01:25

Women (40+)

1. Kate Aardal (Ridley’s Cycle) 4:11:36
2. Alana Heise (Terrascape Racing) 4:48:13
3. Julie Kelly 5:03:16

Men (50+)

1. Tim Brezsnyak 4:29:26
2. Dan Janzen 4:38:18
3. Jonathan Webb 4:41:30

Full results here.