The KR Enduro series swept through Fernie’s trails over the weekend, with 135 riders competing in the six-part summer competition.
Following appearances in Kimberley and Canmore last month, the series hit Fernie for its halfway mark in response to rider request.
“Feedback from last year was that a lot of the people doing the series wanted to see Fernie added to the list,” said organizer Megan Rose. “We like to rotate the locations each summer and this year it was really great to bring it to Fernie.”
The organizer and bike rider added, “The series is really about providing opportunities for riders that they wouldn’t do on their own. We like to change locations each year to always showcase new areas.”
Conditions for the competition were perfect, with overcast skies and moist dirt being a welcome change for riders accustomed to hot and dry weather.
Rose said, “The comments from riders over the weekend was [that they were] really excited and blown away about the trails. We couldn’t have asked for more ideal conditions.”
To make for a smoother staggered start, riders were split amongst three trails throughout the course of the day. Stage 1 saw riders go from the top of Slunt down to the bottom of Brokeback, while the competition heated up on Verboten during Stage 2. Stage 3 took place on Project 9.
“Due to the staggered start, it takes so long to get people started and so people have to wait quite awhile. The course layout worked really well, we could send people off in all directions and get them started at the same time,” explained Rose of the race’s set-up.
Rose also complimented the work of the Fernie Trails Alliance, highlighting coordinator Julie Kelly as an excellent local resource for the race.
“The whole club/association was in great support of the event … It was really pleasant working with them and the association. The trails here are just so great,” said Rose.
Local biker Nick Quinn took the top spot in the pro/elite men category for the Fernie portion of the series. Quinn put up a time a mere five seconds ahead of second place rider David Harder at 25:14 and 25:19, respectively.
Calgary-native Tara Walmsley who is no stranger to Fernie’s trails, gave organizer Rose a run for her money by coming in first place in the open women division. Rose completed the course just eight seconds behind Walmsley at 30:42. Walmsley finished at 30:34
