September 17, 2012 (Haliburton, ON) – The final day of Crank The Shield 2012 could not have been any better as riders were treated to ideal weather and epic amounts of singletrack. After a short ten kilometer neutral ride from Camp White Pine over to Sir Sam’s Ski and Bike, riders were greeted with snacks and warm drinks before starting their final day of racing.

The riders climbed the ski hill twice while sampling the amazing trails at Sir Sam’s. Next it was off to Haliburton Forest via gravel roads and hydro cut where once there they rode the extremely challenging and root laden trails, such as the famous Normac Trail. Upon finishing at the Forest Centre, riders were treated to an amazing chicken and ribs barbeque.

Andrew L’Esperance (Norco Factory) attacked early in the stage getting a substantial gap on the powerful Scott-3Rox. “I just knew I had to try something early and see if I could stay away. Anything can happen in stage racing and you can’t give up”, said L’Esperance.

Not long past the half way point Kabush and Zandstra were able to pull back the gap, but it was the Norco rider who crossed the finish line first taking his first stage win at Crank in 2012. Ultimately, there were no major GC shake ups with Jette and Douglas (Scott-3Rox) taking the overall tag team title, Watson and Smith (Norco Factory) taking the mixed team title, and Cayley Brooks (Trek Canada) the top solo women’s crown.

An event of this magnitude cannot happen without the support of many in the cycling community. Chico Racing would like to extend a giant thank you to the crew at Norco Performance Bikes and Shimano Canada for providing neutral support to all the racers.

Motorex lubes were essential in keeping their bikes running smooth. Haliburton Forest and Sir Sam’s were amazing hosts and of course, Camp White Pine exceeded everyone’s expectations with comfortable cabin and amazing food.

Results (brief)

Men

1. Andrew L’Esperance (Norco) 2:51:08.22
2. Geoff Kabush (Scott-3Rox Racing) 2:51:10.35
3. Derek Zandstra (Scott-3Rox Racing) 2:51:11.70

Women

1. Cayley Brooks (Trek Canada) 3:15:58.94
2. Tricia Spooner (The Cyclery) 3:34:52.86
3. Daniele Musto (USA) 3:41:17.75

Final GC

Men
1. Geoff Kabush (Scott-3Rox Racing) 9:30:10.15
2. Derek Zandstra (Scott-3Rox Racing) 9:30:11.5
3. Andrew L’Esperance (Norco) 9:31:20.15

Women

1. Cayley Brooks (Trek Canada) 11:13:57.94
2. Tricia Spooner (The Cyclery) 11:55:32.95
3. Daniele Musto (USA) 12:36:24.93

Full results HERE.
Final GC HERE.