July 29, 2009 – On day three the inaugural Intermontane Challenge has become much more of a challenge for the organizers than for the riders. The 8am start, which would have kept us out of the heat of the day, was pushed back to 9:30am as organizers scrambled to re-flag the course. The course, which was originally 85+ kilometers, taking us to the peak of Greenstone Mountain, has been shortened to approximately 50 kilometers, bypassing Greenstone completely due to some serious sabotage of the original route.

Although organizers were keeping a tight lid on the actual cause of this major revision on Stage 3, we found out from some locals that apparently a resident Kamloops free rider is alleged to have spent time removing the course flags and placed logs and hazards across the trail on the high speed descent portion of today’s Stage 3 course. According to organizer, Chuck Brennan, the course had to be changed due to these unfortunate attempts to cause disruption, and possible harm, to the 80 + Intermontane riders, that were raring to go at 7am this morning.

Most of the riders took the news in stride, appreciative of the fact organizers had their safety as the number one concern. It is a shame that this situation came at the expense of riders and sponsors who have put thousands of dollars, including time and other resouces into making the Intermontane Challenge a reality.

As the early pre-race meeting broke up, organizers rushed off to begin the arduous task or rerouting the course only hours before the stage was to begin. We now wait for the official start of stage three and what the day is to bring… full report to follow.