One Account of the TR3

It's the day after finishing the TR3 and it feels a bit like a dream (parts like a nightmare). Now that it has passed, it feels like ages ago I was biking through mud or hiking up a mountain. Any pain and suffering has dissolved into a glowing feeling of completion, support, love and wee amount of pride. It was just two years ago that my dreams of completing the TransRockies were shattered by injury, and while there were times I had to hold back or learn a lesson the hard way during the TR3, I did it. And it went a little something like this…

People were stopping me to ask if they could snap a photo... now I know why. Photo - Vanessa Croome.

Day 1 – Fernie Time Trial
Nerves were running high. It was a time trial start set to run on 35km of singletrack and a mass start would undoubtedly lead to congestion on the trails. The day was divided into two categories – UCI license holders and amateurs. UCI competitors were seeded from 12:30pm to 2pm, based upon their points in the mountain biking circuit. Amateurs were told to “self seed”. How the hell do you do that? I was going to seed myself in the 26-50 percentile, but after talking with Kim Shopland, who had competed in the TransRockies and been on many “training” rides with me I decided to go for the 11-26% group. This meant I had an early start – 9:46:30am to be exact.

The days leading up to the race were hot and dry, and I prayed for a little rain to cool it down and give the trails a little traction. Well, the gods were listening. The night prior it poured a ridiculous amount, saturating the ground, and it continued to rain the following morning. Fortunately I asked Shopland for rain gear and she supplied me with arm and knee warmers (which were worn throughout the entirety of the event) and a rain jacket.

In the start gate, waiting for the buzzer to go, the rain faded away as the course ran through my head. I had done the route in 2.5 hrs a couple of weeks prior at a good tempo and had hoped to cut that back on game day. Unfortunately Brendan Morgan, previous TR competitor as well, changed that goal by making me realize the rain and mud would add 30-40 minutes to our times. Still I was undeterred, and set out at a fast pace. Too fast in fact – I caught my heart rate sky rocketing on Hyper Ventilation and had to pull back the reins. I met up with Shayne Soeteart and Todd Loewen just before the steeps, two Fernie docs doing the TR, and stuck with them through the climb and downhill. We finished the Castle loop in an hour, on track with the 2.5 hr time. The trails in Ridgemont were where I thought I would shine so I was excited to head to the “flowy” section and powered up Eric’s Trail to get to the fun. Oh, how I was fooled. Everything was great and fun until we hit Little Chain Ring, where it got really messy. Pat Gilmar – trail setter for the TR3 – had built a new trail to bypass a section of Ridgemont Road. Being relatively fresh, it was a slip and slide all the way up and down. Finally onto Ridgemont Road I thought we were in the clear. Not likely. It was like runny peanut butter, surfing for 4km trying to keep mud out of my eyes and contacts, and make it to the Coal Discovery. At least there I could fly back to town. Once again foiled. Not only was it slick and spongy, people were walking everywhere! Fortunately Kevin McIsaac had given me a game to play – for every person/team that passed me I received a –1, for every one I passed, +1. I was sitting at +5 (the number I set with Kevin) and set out to beat that goal (managed a +7).

Rocky Mountain Team - Stefan Widmer and Marty Lazarski - photo courtesy of TransRockies
When I came into town the amazing reception put a smile on my very muddy face. I knew I had screwed myself physically letting my heart rate run high, and not getting to my fuel (it was caked in mud) made me “bonk” the last hour, losing time and setting me up for a tough recovery. But the energy of those around me and knowing I could turn it around tomorrow quickly had me pumped, cheering on local pro rider Jesse Mong as he set out to rip the course. In the end, my time was great comparatively and I placed 7th overall and 1st in the amateur category.

That night I had to recover something fierce, dealing with one of the surprising complications that arose - a lack of appetite and severe nausea. Sleeping, eating and drinking as much as possible, I wondered how the next day would pan out. Please god, just don’t let it rain…

The group start... intimidating to say the least. Photo courtesy of TransRockies.

Day 2 – Fernie to Sparwood via Porky Blue
Yes! A sunny day, and having ridden half the route and it being a group start I felt more secure. But nerves had my stomach in knots and force feeding wasn’t going well. Managing to eat a banana and half a bar, I drank some Hammer Nutrition to ensure I was hydrated and energized. Not feeling hot, it soon turned around in the start corral, feeding off the energy of the crowd and competitors. I had promised myself two things: keep my heart rate lower and stop at the 2nd Check Point to refill water and “power up”. Also, to ride smart. My lower back was achy the previous day so I was keeping an eye on it.

Looking to the crowd for encouragement. Photo - Vanessa Croome.

Off we went, and once again I rode with the docs nearly all the way to the summit of Fernie Ridge, enjoying the chatty Shayne and meeting people from around the world in the process. I also met the tandem team for the first time, wondering how they survived Hyper Extension and how they would fair on Porky Blue. But the smiles in this couple’s faces and their positive, infectious attitude made me aware that they were having fun no matter what arose.

The notorious US Steel Road puddles were comical as usual, but Pat must have been there the week prior to cut in trails around the major ones. I was a bit disappointed as was hoping to see a few belly flops (just being honest). When we reached the singletrack climb, it was slick the first section but rideable. The upper section was a bit spongy but rideable as well, although people were walking. Fortunately everyone was more than happy to let you pass.

Local rider Christine Misseghers ripping up Porky came in 4th on Day 2, 5th overall. Photo courtesy of TransRockies.

At the top I came across local rider Dorian Medlicott, experiencing a major bonk. Yikes, what a place to bonk, with 12.5km of exposed downhill ahead of you. Knowing I would ride a lot slower than him down, I put him behind me and got him down safely. By that time, he felt good and off he pedaled down Ridgemont Road. From here the route was all new to me. We rode Ridgemont Road roughly 10km to Hosmer, with lots of ups and downs, then under the Hosmer Bridge to the second Check Point, where thank goodness I followed my plan as unknown to me there was a hefty 25km of relentless road ahead of us.

Part way into this 25km I came across two sisters competing in the TR, holding second place strongly. Their pace matched mine and I rode with them all the way to the finish. A burning neck and upper back were nagging me, and the end couldn’t come sooner. At one point I saw the Finning building and told Magi and Kate (the sisters) we were close. The pain must have been going to my head as I didn’t realize the only way to cross the river again was to pass town and come back from the Elkford road. Oops! We powered on, and once we got to town I thanked the sisters for letting me ride with them. Taking the lead, I didn’t realize that a solo TR3 competitor was just behind us and was passed at the finish line. Another lesson learned! 7th again, but back by 4 seconds.

I got to the finish and all the Fernie boys were there. What a crew to come in to. Everyone is so encouraging and proud of one another! And of course the family was there, passing me food and recovery drinks as I swapped tales of the day with the boys. I couldn’t believe how good I felt, minus the neck pain. I called Heather Lewis, my amazing Athletic Therapist, and she met me at her office that night. In the mean time, an awesome friend (Scotty Fieldhouse) took care of my bike (which just had an entire drive train and rear cog change the day before the TR3) and I was feeling the love big time.

On the moon... Photo courtesy of TransRockies.

Day 3 – The Route of Doom, Elkford to Kananaskis
I had been hearing nothing but “Day 3, it’s going to be the killer…” and not just for the TR3, for the entire TR. “At least an hour of hike-a-biking,” said Pat. “Creek crossings that run balls deep,” said Tom Ryan. I was a shaky mess on the way to Elkford at 7am but kept telling myself “This is the last day, then it’s done. Push on princess.”

At the parking lot, the Fernie peeps rallied again and Don Arsenault, Tom and Dorian helped me to laugh and stop stressing. We were all going to be faced with the same challenge, and if it was easy why even do it? I got to my section in the start, positioning myself near the docs. Off we went, in a dangerously tight peleton. I wasn’t too surprised when the entire pack slowed down due to a crazy crash. Space when biking is definitely preferred.

The first 40km flew by so quickly. I chose to pass the first Check Point but made sure to re-fuel and refill at the second. Reaching it in under 2hrs was very deceiving, it being over half the daily distance. I had seen the elevation profile and knew we had a long haul to the top of the Continental Divide, but seriously I had absolutely no idea what we were in for. From the second Check Point, we went on to singletrack (I actually think I did a “woo hoo” at this point). Soon this turned into creek crossings, which quickly turned into hiking catching us all off guard. Gradual for a bit, and then we turned left and all you could see was thick bush and jerseys throughout, straight up… and up….and UP! I can’t even explain the progression, as I think I’ve already managed to block some of it out, but let me just say nothing could have prepared me for this. Three false summits, neck pain and spasms that made my headache, and frickin’ tap shoes that were slipping all over the place.

Creek crossing gone wrong... Photo courtesy of TransRockies.

The tandem duo were behind me for a while, and their positive vibes and conversation kept us entertained. When I pulled from the group, I climbed the rock wall (that’s the only way I can describe it) with a couple from New York. Fortunately they kept gaping and commenting on the scenery, so I took time to take in the unbelievable views. “I feel like I’m on the moon,” they said to me. Once at the top I was so happy the smile nearly split my face in two. Out of nowhere came a camera man, “How do you feel?” I answered, “How did you get here? Helicopter… right?” He just asked me how I felt again. “I’ll be better when I’m at the bottom, but seriously how did you get here?” He finally answered, “Hiked”. And I said sorry. Then just down from there I ran into Kirsty Morris taking photographs and once again asked how she got there. “Hiked.” My oh my. That’s dedication.

The top of the "rock wall". Photo courtesy of TransRockies.

The downhill was rocky and technical, but whatever! We were heading down… or at least I thought so. Soon enough we were back to ups and downs, and then a 1km climb before the final 4km cross country to the finish. It was right before the final climb that I ran into Pat. “Pat, do we have anymore climbing?” when he gave me the news, I couldn’t believe it and was about to be Debby Downer when I remembered Emily Brydon’s “Dig Deep” encouragement, and realized I was on the home stretch. Suck it up princess! The climb passed nearly effortlessly, and I cruised on into the finish happier than ever. I knew I had slowed down due to pain and sucking at hiking, so didn’t know where I stood. I came in 8th, and was happy with that… especially when I found out I held the 7th overall position.

Coming in, I saw Heidi Berry waiting for Derick, who had a bad crash 16km in cutting his knee, moving his knee cap out of place and hurting his shoulder. Fortunately Dan McDonald (Fernie Physio) was on course and was able to wrap it for him. The docs told Heidi he would easily be a couple of hours behind. Literally as they were breaking the news, he rolled in. Unbelievable, that man is seriously hard core and inspiring!

The family fed me, and poured me a glass of champagne to celebrate. I was still getting over the ridiculousness of the day, but it was sinking in that I had done it. Ya, I had to deal with some neck and back pain, but whatever. People were hurting themselves, having mechanical problems, and not finishing all over the place. I accomplished the goal I had set the previous fall and learned a lot about myself and about competing in a stage event in the process. More importantly, I felt and recognized the tremendous support of family, friends, fellow riders and the community. To have so many people rooting for you, helping you, and giving to you. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced and I have to say thank you thank you thank you. You all made the TR3 a completely unforgettable experience.

The Family :-) Photo - Vanessa Croome.

Visit www.transrockies.com to keep up to date as the event continues this week or to learn more before registering for next year's event. It's worth it!