The second day of racing at the new TransRockies Singletrack 3 mixed old-school vibes with new-school winners. The race ventured over to Sparwood for a remote start to a classic point-to-point style course winding its way back to Fernie. While that format might be more familiar to some of the older racers in the age group categories, it ws the youngest riders on the start line that thrived.
In the women’s race, 18-year-old Fernie local Aida Morrison takes the stage win by nearly a minute. That puts her into the lead overall ahead of Whistler’s Chloe Cross, who finished second on the day, 59.4 seconds back. Montana’s Amber Steed adds to her podium streak with a third place, 1:43 back of the young Canadian stage winner.
On the men’s side, the top four riders passed through the first aid station together. New Zealand’s Ben Friel, on the podium on day one, was the first to trail off. Fernie local Hugh McDougall and Lethbridge, Alta’s Connor Duell, both racing in the U20 category, would hold on for the first hour of racing and stay together until the finish.
It was Peter Disera, though, taking a second straight Singletrack 3 stage win. The multi-time Canadian national champion put 1:31 into his two young chasers, establishing a solid lead with one day of racing remaining.
You may have noticed that Maghalie Rochette is in Fernie for the race but not listed among the top racers. That’s because the Sainte-Adèle, Que. rider is taking on the Fernie Singletrack 3 with her father Reg. The father-daughter duo are racing Singletrack 3’s short course option. The duo may not be winning their categories, but they’re winning hearts and minds in Fernie. It’s not often a pro racer gets the luxury to take on a race without having to fight for position. It’s great to see the Rochette’s racing together in Fernie like that.
There’s one more day of of racing at TransRockies first Singletrack 3. Racing heads to the other side of the town for the Fernie Mountain Park. It’s a grand finale to a big weekend of racing, taking in classics like Verboten and Megasaurus over a hefty 1,400m of elevation gain and loss.
