Intermontane (navigational) Challenge Re-cap

You can learn a lot from the title of this report… The most challenging part of Intermontane MTB stage race was in fact finding the course!

It was all supposed to be the perfect summer vacation to Canada and some riding in my wife’s hometown (Kamloops, BC). In fact there was no vacation for me and the family couldn’t come on the trip.

Let me start by saying this race has huge potential because of the great riding in this area and for the local support. The event was fairly well done except for the issue we had finding the courses. It seems that the marking was there most of the time but erractic and illogical when it counted most. This resulted in multiple wrong turns nearly everday.

The first stage was going well until I missed a turn and subsequently lost touch with the front group (Tinker Juarez, Chris Sheppard, Ben Sontag, Jeremiah Bishop). Shortly thereafter I missed some turn and ended up AHEAD of them. Then I reached a feedzone where I was supposed to turn and everyone just cheered me straight on by. Finally the race organizer found me and turned me back but not before I was way behind but still in fifth place. right before the finish I missed yet another turn and lost more time and fell to sixth.

Day two started off with some steep climbs which split things up and resulted in some indecision about where the course led but no major time losses. I was able to ride myself back to the front but was dropped on the second climb but managed to finish easily in fifth and made up most of the time from day one.

Stage three was a debacle from the start. Delayed multiple times we finally started hours late and promptly EVERYONE was off course. We managed to get back on and again I was riding in fifth when the promoter directed me OFF course. I didn’t see markers so I rode back and questioned him several times. By that time he discovered he didn’t know the course and neutralized the stage. Nice since I had easily moved up to fifth on the road. Bishop who was still riding fast at the front oblivious to all this stacked hard and broke his back!

I easily began making up time on day four before missing another turn and losing it all before the halfway point. Not to be deterred I chased back into and opened a huge gap at which time I passed Sheppard tending to Sontag who had also stacked it up and was apparently out of the race. I hooked up with Tinker and we rode many miles together toward the finish before he dropped me on a steep climb. Shortly thereafter I passed the promoter marking trail and evidently a turn, too. This resulted in riding 10 miles out of my way and losing my place and lots more time. Tinker also lost the course and ended up catching a ride back to the finish resulting in his disqualification. Monavie Cannondale had gone from having the race lead and three riders in the top four to being out of the race all together–OUCH!

Stage five was a timetrial around the local MTB park so with little chance to get lost and lots to prove I hammered a great time just behind Sheppard to redeem myself a little. In the end I finished third overall and while my riding would have easily put me in second, navigation was the name of the game this week!