Transrockies Challenge
Stage 7; Wrong Turn Leads to Tied Result
Paul Done / 14.08.2011
45km/1330m climbing/1330m descending</b>
The traditional ride into Canmore on the last day of the TransRockies rolled out from Rafter Six Ranch under clear skies with one of the tightest-ever battles for the overall win still to be decided.
After six days of evenly matched racing, Mat Haussener and Damian Perrin of Team Zaboo held a slim 2:14 lead over Carter Hovey and Martin Vale of Team Fernie. During an interview on the start line Hovey and Vale said they were going to give it their all on the singletrack and trust that their British Columbia-built technical skills would get them to the finish line with enough of a gap to take the overall win.
When the gun went off, the race started with enough intensity that it seemed like it was day 1 not day 7 and, at the first checkpoint 20km into the stage, Team Fernie’s strategy seemed to be paying off. They’d opened a 1:10 gap on Team Zaboo and were more than halfway to overtaking the Swiss pair.
Then disaster struck as the next three teams on the road, Team Zaboo, Team Honey Stinger and Team Bicycle Café/Gericks missed a turn and shortcut the course emerging back on course ahead of Team Fernie. Vale and Hovey were able to catch and pass Team Zaboo and gain another 54 seconds before the finish line but now, the result was in confusion and was referred to race officials.
After discussing the events with all the affected teams, race officials assessed a penalty of 1:22 to Team Zaboo, and 3 minutes to the other teams who shortcut the course, giving Team Fernie the stage win and producing a tie between Team Fernie and Team Zaboo for the TransRockies first-ever deadlocked finish. “It’s unfortunate to end the race with a controversy after such a great week of racing, but the teams showed a great sporting spirit in welcoming this outcome.�
The decision of the TranRockies Race Committee was influenced by the events of Stage 2 when Team Zaboo chose not to protest Martin Vale’s bike switch with another racer. It was hard to imagine after Team Fernie’s 15 minute loss, that the race result would come down to seconds. “The Committee felt that it would be unfair to have Team Zaboo lose the race because of their sporting gesture on Stage 2, so our first tie was the best outcome. We hope that both teams will return to next year’s TransRockies to break the tie.�
The outcome of the other categories was not so difficult to discern. In the Open Women’s Division the Australian pair of Simone McCallum and Claire Garcia Webb had spent the whole week chasing the leading Team Fernie Fix pair of Krista Turcasso and Angie Krasnay and had five straight second place finishes to show for it!
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