June 28, 2014 (Fernie, BC) – The inaugural Intense Fernie 3, touted as the ultimate all-mountain singletrack classic, kicked off today in BC Rockies mountain biking sweet spot, Fernie. Organizer and course designer Dan Savage sent competitors out on 26.6km Stage 1, a short and fun sampling of some of the area’s best trails.
After some rain over the last few days, slick roots and greasy soil challenged riders, as well as the 1,100 metres of vertical ascent, but the trails remained in excellent shape. The top man of the day and men’s 16-29 category winner was Rocky Mountain’s Colin Kerr, who buzzed through the 26.6km route in a blistering time of one hour, 38 minutes, seven seconds. Second overall on the course was men’s 30-39 winner Shane Keyser, who finished in a time of one hour, 39 minutes, 28 seconds. Doug Krumpelman won the extremely competitive men’s 40-49 category in a time of one hour, 41 minutes, 44 seconds, only 12 seconds ahead of second place.
Liv/giant Canada and Pedal Magazine racer Sandra Walter was the fastest overall women’s finisher and women’s 16-39 winner with a time of one hour, 46 minutes, nine seconds. Fernie frequenter and Stan’s No Tubes speedster Mical Dyck finished second in the same time as women’s 40+ Ridley’s Cycles winner Kate Aardal.
The stage featured some fabulous favourite climbing trails, including Roots and the aptly named Hyperventilation, followed by a roaring rip down Southern Comfort. The rain held off for most of the day, allowing racers to enjoy post-race burgers and local Fernie Brewing beverages outside the Fernie Hotel and kids tore up the closed off downtown core in the kid’s bike rally.
Not a stranger to hosting this type of event, Fernie was a favourite stop during the legendary TransRockies and TR3 for many years. With TR wrapping up for good in 2013, Fernie fans were stoked to see a three-day epic back on the calendar this year.
Presented by Tourism Fernie, along with title sponsor Intense USA and many local supporters, riders flocked to the singletrack-laden mountain town this Canada Day weekend for their fix of some of the best trails on the planet, along with the great vibe that surrounds multi-day off-road events.
Stage 2 will heat up with more distance (36km) and vertical ascent (1,289m), and –
according to Savage – more technical descending. The forecast looks brighter for the 9:00 am start from the Fernie Hotel downtown.
Stage 1 Results (brief)
Men (16-29)
1. Colin Kerr (Rocky Mountain) 1:38:07
2. Jack Viney 1:47:49
3. Yuri Lortscher 1:50:27
Women (16-39)
1. Sandra Walter (Liv/Giant Canada-Pedal Magazine) 1:46:09
2. Mical Dyck (Stan’s No Tubes) 1:48:02
3. Kristin Walters 2:05:43
Men (30-39)
1. Shane Keyser 1:39:28
2. Ben Parsons 1:40:05
3. Matt Butterfield 1:44:14
Men (40-49)
1. Doug Krumpelman 1:41:44
2. Kurtis Averill 1:41:57
3. Pat Doyle 1:45:25
Women (40+)
1. Kate Aardal (Ridley’s Cycle) 1:48:02
2. Alana Heise (Terrascape Racing) 2:02:53
3. Julie Kelly 2:08:36
Men (50+)
1. Tim Brezsnyak 1:56:33
2. Jonathan Webb 1:59:18
3. Brent Arnholtz 2:00:10
Men (1-day event)
1. Braden Kerckhof 2:25:35
2. Leon Janzen 2:33:27
3. Chris McMechan 2:36:45
Women (1-day event)
1. Erin Walsh 2:33:49