TransRockies Bike Race
The Final Ride
Cory Wallace / 19.08.2010
Much of the trails we rode are part of the Trans Canada trail system and were thus very well built, which was a bit of a change from some of the cattle trails from day 4 and 5. With the Trans Canada highway below us the trail had to wind its way around some steep embankments, which required a lot of effort by whoever built it. Not only was the trail a masterpiece in construction, it was also a blast to ride us it had a lot of flow and some challenging descents.
The pace was super high as the top teams wanted to prove to everyone that they were the best out there and most of the other teams were still battling it out in the GC given the steep competition in all the categories this year. My partner John and I were out of the GC since we had joined forces half way through the race but that didn’t stop us from ripping our way through the day. I’m not sure if it was the lure of the finish line in Canmore or the fact that the trails were better the faster we rode them, but we upped the pace every chance we had.
Once we hit the outskirts of Canmore the adrenalin started to pump and we couldn’t help but smirk at each other as we neared the World Class trails up at the Nordic Center. After a quick rip around some of the trademark trails we descended down into Canmore and cruised down Main Street to finish our 7 day epic. Riding down the middle of Canmore on a sunny afternoon with fans lining the streets created a pretty special feeling and really let us dwell on our accomplishments from the week.
After chatting with racers, reporters and fans at the finish line we headed out to our accommodations to get ready for Stage 8, the banquet and after party in DT Canmore. There won’t be a report from this stage but I can guarantee it was one of the best stages of all and I highly recommend it to anyone who decides to race in what is arguably one of the best XC stage races out there in the world!
SleepMonsters
