North Down Boys Hit the Big Freeze in the Great White North
August 11th, 2008 by Ricky BlayneyI’m not sure the two North Down boys realised they would be riding in the snow come mid-August when the Trans-Rockies challenge 2008 got underway, but yesterday that is exactly what happened. Matthew Blayney and Sam Craig make up the North Down team and although it was a short stage in the context of the event, it still proved a huge challenge for the lads as they came in 63rd in the mens senior event out of 106. No doubt the stage will be seen as a race to get them into the swing of things as tomorrow the race goes longer and harder. Yesterday’s stage had a climb that peaked at 2400 meters above sea level. The climb in itself on the bike was a 1,000 metre climb that took the boys into the snow of the Rockies. They came in 2 hours, 42 minutes down on the days winners and placed 10th our of 22 Briitsh and Irish riders.
Results & Race Report after the jump.
STAGE 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOP 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Marzio Deho (Ita) / Johnny Cattaneo (Ita) Olympia 3.09.44 2 Kris Sneddon (Can) / Max Max Plaxton (Can) Kris & Max +6.02 3 Stefan Widmer (Can) / Marty Marty Lazarski (Can) Rocky Mountain - Mil +6.54 4 Andreas Hestler (Can) / Chris Chris Sheppard (Can) Rocky Mountain Bicyc +11.22 5 Keith Hickerson (USA) / Evan Evan Plews (USA) Scott Usa/ Tamarack +15.35 6 Brian Cooke (Can) / Steve Steve Gaffney (Can) Opus +18.06 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRITISH & IRISH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 Evan Ryan (Irl) / David Gill (Irl) Team WORC +1.09.40 22 Adrian Scott (GBr) / Gavin Rumbles (GBr) Team UK +1.25.19 37 Hamish Bingley (GBr) / Peter Windridge (GBr) Warwick Uni Old Boys +1.57.13 40 Blake Crouch (GBr) / Graham Jones (GBr) Go North +2.02.36 41 Andrew Dye (GBr) / Jacek Doniec (Pol) Fig Rolls Racing +2.05.39 45 Christian Ellis (GBr) / Ian Lindley (GBr) Www.Maxgear.Co.uk +2.13.07 49 Ben Smyth (GBr) / David Cornelius (USA) Transatlantic +2.21.45 50 Rolf Woodward (GBr) / Jeremy Woodward (GBr) Chromag/ Rolf's Pukk +2.21.56 55 Steven Joyce (GBr) / Jon Hayes (GBr) Ridebike.Co.uk +2.32.33 63 Matty Blayney (GBr) / Samuel Craig (GBr) North Down +2.42.05 64 Steven Cranfield (GBr) / Brian Robinson (GBr) Sevets +2.43.11 65 Stuart Hannon (Irl) / Bryan Keaveny (Irl) Team Isands +2.43.18 66 Andrew Mitchell (GBr) / Daniel Craigen (GBr) Team Dandy +2.46.10 71 Martin Williams (GBr) / Richard Richard Armishaw (GBr) On Yer Bike Son +2.44.34 77 Ewan Nicholson (GBr) / James James Beresford-Lambert (GBr) Shelsux +2.53.37 81 Adam Smith (GBr) / Lee Lee Marston (GBr) Gsb 3 +2.54.36 82 David Bocquet (GBr) / Magnus Magnus Mill (GBr) Gsb1 +2.57.04 88 William Church (GBr) / Rob Rob Colliver (GBr) South Downs Way +3.05.18 93 Rick Banks (GBr) / Stuart Stuart Bond (Aus) The Methley Massive +3.21.07 95 Chris Johnstone (GBr) / Alasdair Alasdair Johnstone (GBr) Y Not! +3.35.26 96 Neil Towns (GBr) / Scott Scott Wilkin (GBr) Team Spirit +3.35.47 103 Stefan Kogut (GBr) / Andrew Andrew Pollard (GBr) Asia Boys +3.44.22 ——————————————————————————————- LAST ——————————————————————————————- 100 Dean Linnell (Can) / Corrie Corrie Linton (Can) Team Rocky Horror +3.44.22 101 Ryan Probert (Can) / John John Bayko (Can) The Bike Shop Dirtwa +st 102 Jonas Tremel (Can) / Derek Derek L’Hirondelle (Can) H & P +st 103 Stefan Kogut (GBr) / Andrew Andrew Pollard (GBr) Asia Boys +st 104 Ed Trogdon (USA) / Zach Zach Trogdon (USA) All Out +st 105 Steven Feller (USA) / Brett Brett Feller (USA) Drug Worlds/Carl Har +st 106 Steve Fraser (Aus) / Raymond Raymond Lampard (Aus) Break Your Limits +st ——————————————————————————————-
The following is the report from Cycling News:
Race 1 - August 10: Panorma Mountain Villiage, BC to Invermere, BC, 52km
The seventh edition of the TransRockies kicked off in true mountain fashion with temperamental weather and spectacular scenery as riders wound their way from host start community Panorama Mountain Village down to the historic K2 ranch on the shores of Lake Windermere. Wind, rain sleet and snow, in addition to spots of blue sky, introduced riders early in the week to classic TransRockies conditions. A dispatch from Checkpoint #1 noted the mid-day drop in temperature brought with it the ability to see one’s breath.
In the men’s race, multi-time winner Andreas Hestler and partner Chris Sheppard, along with two other Rocky Mountain teams consisting of Kris Sneddon and Max Plaxton, and Stefan Widmer and Marty Lazarski were up against the powerhouse Italian team of Marzio Deho and Johnny Cattaneo. Deho is ranked as one of the top three World Cup marathon racers.
According to Hestler, the Italians flew up the first climb on their lightweight hardtails, leaving their Rocky Mountain rivals behind them. Hestler and Sheppard worked with Plaxton and Sneddon for the rest of the climb where they eventually met with freezing temperatures and high winds before cresting into the singletrack.
“We were super tentative on that descent, as I’m sure most were. Our hands were frozen and we could hardly modulate braking,” said Hestler after the race. Riders plunged down into the Columbia Valley.
Topping out at 2400 meters above sea level, the day’s 1,000 meter climb put all teams, including the front runners, into a deep freeze, consisting of horizontally blowing snow and frozen rain but considering the elements the trails were still in pretty good condition. One of the main difficulties with the stage’s geography, according to Hestler, was the challenge to get food and hydration into the body.
“We were going so hard up the climb we couldn’t eat or drink and the descent didn’t make it any easier,” said Hestler. “At the end of the day we ended up downing maybe a bottle and a half of water.”
Sneddon and Plaxton made their move just as the big descent began putting Hestler and Sheppard behind them and into a third place position, but the day was not over. A final small grunt of a climb stood between the bottom of the big daddy descent and the finish line at K2 Ranch and it was here that Lazarski and Widmer made their move.
“I was having a bit of a ‘No Sugar Moment’,” said Hestler. “Marty and Stefan pulled up and then pulled over the top of that last climb, then attacked on the final descent into K2. We ended up fourth for the day, but I feel good about the ride and the climb we did today.”
The top five teams, three of which are Rocky Mountain squads, are still close contenders for the race - all within 18 minutes of each other.
Hestler hinted that a Rocky Mountain team plan coul dbe brewing. “It looks like we have an international rivalry on our hands as of day one. Tomorrow is going to be another survival day so we will settle in and see what the Italians will do.”
In the women’s race, Carey Lowery and Lisa Randall of Team Outdoor Store / Outs won the opening stage with a comfortable margin. Amy Guidinger and Meghan Osborne (Guidi-Up) finishe second, at 25:55. Teri Majer and Shelley Mattson (Biking Betties) rounded out the top three, 52:40 behind.
In stage two, racers will tackle three major climbs over 3,800m plus see 3,600m of descending before the finish in Nipika.
As for photographs, I don’t have any of them. Eric is over at the race and recently purchased a nice new camera as if the current one was not good enough! Rumor has it that the new camera is better than the previous one so here is hoping for some better photos upon his return later in the month.
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