TransRockies VII
Italians Take Charge
News Release / 16.08.2008
Distance: 105-ish km, Climbing:2998 meters, Descending : 2975 meters
There was no rest for the wicked today, as TransRockies traversed the Continental Divide in a grueling 103 kilometre stage punctuated by periods of long, steep climbing.
With only two days left of competition, teams saddled up under a blue sky already knowing the day would be technically punishing, but unaware what the toll would be for a picture-perfect morning. Temperatures climbing above 30 C, combined with the length and difficulty of the route, saw several teams drop out of competition throughout the day and those that made it to the finish line were feeling a little worse for wear.
Still, the theme of the day was definitely “No Pain, No Gain� and those that pushed through were rewarded with the realization that the most difficult days of TransRockies VII are behind them. Though difficult, the course had something for everyone and offered riders a chance to cruise some epic trails that TransRockies was forced to bypass in 2007 due to wildfires.
With Stage 7 on the horizon it’s quiet in Tent City tonight, as thoughts and dreams turn to tomorrow’s celebratory finish in Fernie – but only after 80 kms of riding up and over 2101 metres of elevation.
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After losing a large chunk of padding in their overall time during Stage 5, Italian cyclists Johhny Cattaneo and Marzio Deho careened across the finish line in 4:42:09 today, pushing their overall lead going into Stage 7 to nearly half an hour. Barring any major mechanical disasters on Saturday it’s likely the pair will walk away TransRockies champions on their first attempt.
Prior multi-time TransRockies winner Andreas Hestler and his teammate Chris Sheppard appeared to hit their stride today, coming in 2nd place, 12 minutes off the leaders, but still sitting just off the podium in 4th place overall.
“It was a hard, 104 kilometre day,� said Hestler at the finish line. “Though I’m actually feeling better today (than previous days).� According to Hestler, the top teams rode fairly close together until the second checkpoint, at which time the top riders pulled away and began to spread out the field.
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