With the first stage over and everyone into the swing of things the distance in the Rockies has started to go up. Monday’s stage was a 74km run across the mountains with a course savage enough to send the big favourites for the event off in the wrong direction. It apparantely brought them into the finish well behind schedule but still at the front of the pack. Matty and Sam completed the course in a time of 7hrs 56 mins 03secs in a very impressive 44th place. The position was good enough to make them 7th best British/Irish riders out of the 21 left in the race and moved them up in the overall to 58th place. Although well down on overall they sit 12th out of British riders but interestingly with 5 British riders just 7 minutes ahead of them.

Also taking part in the event this year in the +80 category is recently retired NHL star Trevor Linden. He came in with his team-mate on a time of 7.45.12 just 11 minutes up on Matty and Sam.

Results & Race Report after the jump. 

STAGE 2
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TOP 6
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1 Jesse Jakomait (Can) / Mike Garrigan (Can) SoBe Cannondale                        5.50.37
2 Matthew Hadley (Can) / Frederic Bussieres (Can) Xprezo.ca                           +2.42
3 Cameron Jette (Can) / Peter Glassford (Can) Team Trek Store                         +8.52
4 Marzio Deho (Ita) / Johnny Cattaneo (Ita) Olympia                                  +10.23
5 Ben Thompson (USA) / James Williams (USA) SoBe-Cannondale                          +22.43
6 Drew Simson (Can) / Ryan Draper (Can) Ridin’ Dirty                                 +25.23
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BRITISH & IRISH
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15 Evan Ryan (Irl) / David Gill (Irl) Team WORC                                    +1.28.50
25 Blake Crouch (GBr) / Graham Jones (GBr) Go North                                +1.54.15
26 Andrew Mitchell (GBr) / Daniel Craigen (GBr) Team Dandy                         +1.55.06
31 Stuart Hannon (Irl) / Bryan Keaveny (Irl) Team Isands                           +1.57.33
40 Andrew Dye (GBr) / Jacek Doniec (Pol) Fig Rolls Racing                          +2.03.01
43 Hamish Bingley (GBr) / Peter Windridge (GBr) Warwick Uni Old Boys               +2.05.25
44 Matty Blayney (GBr) / Samuel Craig (GBr) North Down                             +2.05.26
47 Steven Joyce (GBr) / Jon Hayes (GBr) RideBike.co.uk                             +2.09.44
48 Ben Smyth (GBr) / David Cornelius (USA) Transatlantic                           +2.11.30
51 Adrian Scott (GBr) / Gavin Rumbles (GBr) Team UK                                +2.12.53
58 Rolf Woodward (GBr) / Jeremy Woodward (GBr) Chromag/ Rolf’s Pukka Parts         +2.23.40
62 Christian Ellis (GBr) / Ian Lindley (GBr) www.MaxGear.co.uk                     +2.30.36
65 Martin Williams (GBr) / Richard Armishaw (GBr) On Yer Bike Son                  +2.35.35
66 Ewan Nicholson (GBr) / James Beresford-Lambert (GBr) Shelsux                    +2.37.52
70 David Bocquet (GBr) / Magnus Mill (GBr) GSB1                                    +2.48.40
71 Adam Smith (GBr) / Lee Marston (GBr) GSB 3                                      +2.48.41
74 Steven Cranfield (GBr) / Brian Robinson (GBr) SEVETS                            +3.02.28
83 William Church (GBr) / Rob Colliver (GBr) South Downs Way                       +3.15.58
89 Chris Johnstone (GBr) / Alasdair Johnstone (GBr) Y Not!                         +3.43.26
91 Rick Banks (GBr) / Stuart Bond (Aus) The Methley Massive                        +3.58.48
93 Stefan Kogut (GBr) / Andrew Pollard (GBr) Asia Boys                             +5.09.23
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LAST
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100 Dean Linnell (Can) / Corrie Linton (Can) Team Rocky Horror                     +6.09.23
100 Steven Feller (USA) / Brett Feller (USA) Drug Worlds/Carl Hart Cycles               +st
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GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER 2 STAGES
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TOP 6
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1 Marzio Deho (Ita) / Johnny Cattaneo (Ita) Olympia                                 9.10.44
2 Jesse Jakomait (Can) / Mike Garrigan (Can) SoBe Cannondale                         +13.38
3 Matthew Hadley (Can) / Frederic Bussieres (Can) Xprezo.ca                          +19.02
4 Cameron Jette (Can) / Peter Glassford (Can) Team Trek Store                        +45.05
5 Keith Hickerson (USA) / Evan Plews (USA) Scott USA/ Tamarack                       +51.23
6 Erik Bakke (Can) / Craig Stappler (Can) Deadgoat Racing                            +58.56
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BRITISH & IRISH
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16 Evan Ryan (Irl) / David Gill (Irl) Team WORC                                    +2.28.08
28 Adrian Scott (GBr) / Gavin Rumbles (GBr) Team UK                                +3.27.49
37 Blake Crouch (GBr) / Graham Jones (GBr) Go North                                +3.46.28
39 Hamish Bingley (GBr) / Peter Windridge (GBr) Warwick Uni Old Boys               +3.52.15
41 Andrew Dye (GBr) / Jacek Doniec (Pol) Fig Rolls Racing                          +3.58.17
48 Ben Smyth (GBr) / David Cornelius (USA) Transatlantic                           +4.22.52
50 Stuart Hannon (Irl) / Bryan Keaveny (Irl) Team Isands                           +4.30.28
51 Andrew Mitchell (GBr) / Daniel Craigen (GBr) Team Dandy                         +4.30.53
52 Steven Joyce (GBr) / Jon Hayes (GBr) RideBike.co.uk                             +4.31.54
54 Christian Ellis (GBr) / Ian Lindley (GBr) www.MaxGear.co.uk                     +4.33.20
57 Rolf Woodward (GBr) / Jeremy Woodward (GBr) Chromag/ Rolf’s Pukka Parts         +4.35.13
58 Matty Blayney (GBr) / Samuel Craig (GBr) North Down                             +4.37.08
66 Martin Williams (GBr) / Richard Armishaw (GBr) On Yer Bike Son                  +5.15.23
69 Ewan Nicholson (GBr) / James Beresford-Lambert (GBr) Shelsux                    +5.26.23
72 Steven Cranfield (GBr) / Brian Robinson (GBr) SEVETS                            +5.35.17
73 Adam Smith (GBr) / Lee Marston (GBr) GSB 3                                      +5.38.48
74 David Bocquet (GBr) / Magnus Mill (GBr) GSB1                                         +st
84 William Church (GBr) / Rob Colliver (GBr) South Downs Way                       +6.15.57
89 Chris Johnstone (GBr) / Alasdair Johnstone (GBr) Y Not!                         +7.05.18
90 Rick Banks (GBr) / Stuart Bond (Aus) The Methley Massive                        +7.12.25
99 Stefan Kogut (GBr) / Andrew Pollard (GBr) Asia Boys                             +9.49.16
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LAST
——————————————————————————————-
101 Steven Feller (USA) / Brett Feller (USA) Drug Worlds/Carl Hart Cycles         +10.49.16
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The following is the report from Cycling News:

Stage 2 - August 11: Invermere to Nipika Resort, 74km

A detour to heaven
It was a long day for everyone on the TransRockies trail today, as an already gruelling stage got longer when the front pack went off course and everyone played “follow the lemming,” as today’s first Place Open Men’s finishers, Sobe Cannondale riders Mike Garrigan and Jesse Jakomait explained at the finish.

The riders went awry when some of the top teams missed the flagging tape on course indicating a right-hand turn. Instead, the group marched up a steep avalanche gulley shouldering their bikes all the way to the top, missing the turn and finding out, upon summiting the chute, that the trail had gone cold.

“We were so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that we ended up just playing follow the lemming,” said Jakomait. According to him, a group of about 20 riders at the front of the race, realizing their mistake, turned and began backtracking, eventually finding the route and getting back into race mode.

Jakomait and Garrigan completed the course with a time of 5h50′37, about an hour and a half later than the projected top finisher time for Stage 2. Xprezo.ca team Matthew Hadley and Frederic Bussieres came in three minutes later.

“There was a lot of climbing today even without adding an extra hour and a half of uphill with my bike,” said Frederic at the finish line, still sporting a smile but showing signs of fatigue after two straight days of steep vertical.

Steed Cycles rider and recently retired NHL hockey player Trevor Linden also commented on the degree of difficulty for Stage 2, saying “It wouldn’t have been bad had we not gone off course (uphilll) on that scree. It was a big day without that, but that made it massive,” he said. Linden said he was looking forward to the Stage 3 time trial as a much needed rest from Stages 1 and 2. Nipika Mountain Resort promises to deliver that with some exceptional private singletrack along the Kootenay River, bordering Canada’s Kootenay National Park.

After a chilly overnight stay at the exceptionally beautiful K2 Ranch, the clouds cracked open to reveal blue skies today. It was a sea of smiles in the starting chute this morning, with the sun growing stronger by the minute and when the starting gun went off there were very few clouds in the sky.

Overheard at the shower truck sinks this morning

Open Men’s category leaders, as of Day 1, Marzio Deho & Johnny Cattaneo getting interviewed by fellow tooth-brushers. When asked how they feel to have the early TransRockies lead, they said it was great, they were looking forward to today’s ride, and they would see what today would hold before making any predictions about taking the category title. “We’re feeling good today, we’ll see,” they were overheard as saying.

There was plenty of snoring in Tent City last night, though the general consensus was that the low hum of generators from distant motorhomes eventually lulled everyone to sleep. Perhaps this collective deep sleep, after only Stage 1, is concrete evidence that TransRockies VII is indeed the most challenging edition yet?

TransRockies’ focus on highly nutritional and tasty food geared toward the endurance athlete is a huge hit with riders. Conversations across the breakfast table included high praise for this year’s caterer, Anne Riches, and everyone left this morning with a full belly of hot food and strong Kicking Horse Coffee.

The next report will be from Nipika Mountain Resort mid to late afternoon. Stay tuned.

Category: Mountainbike » Matthew Blayney, Sam Craig, Trans Rockies, Trevor Linden |

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