Hello Singletrack 6 - Stage 6!

Last, but certainly not least, Stage 6 was a fitting end to six days of adventure in the Kootenays.

Vital Statistics - Wi-Com Solutions Stage 6 at RED Mountain Resort

Length: 32km
Elevation gain: 1227m

At right around 1200m, it boasted the most vertical gain of any stage so far, but more climbing means more descending, which means more fun! As riders gathered around the start line at the base of Red Mountain this morning, the overall mood was one of nervous anticipation. Everyone knew they were only one stage away from accomplishing something special, and for many, this would be a hard-won checkmark for their bucket list.

Due to a short delay, the gun went off at 8:30 am, rather than at the scheduled 8:00, and no neutral start meant racers were free to race as hard as they could toward the slopes of Red Mountain. And they did just that. After a short roll over resort roads, they quickly hit the singletrack climb known as the “Pilgrim (lower)” trail, which then turned into “Pilgrim (upper)”. From there, racers looped back toward the base of the mountain on “Paydirt”.

Once back at the base area, riders made their way toward Rossland, and checkpoint one, on “Redtop”, “Blue Elephant”, “Moe’s” and “Centennial Trail”. From checkpoint one, it was on to a fun loop in the Monte Cristo - KC riding area, where racers encountered rolling intermediate terrain on trails like “Techno Grind”, “Stardust”, “North Star” and “Milky Way” and “Green Door”. Then it was back through the checkpoint again and on to the the timed descent on “Redhead”.

The original timed descent segment for stage 6 had racers descending the entire “Redhead” trail, which begins at the summit of Red Mountain. But due to dry, dusty conditions that led to safety concerns, the upper portion was left out of the mix. That didn’t take away from the fun though as riders hooted and hollered their way down the fast, technical lower portion of the trail in an attempt at downhill glory. Entering the timed descent first on stage 6 was Carter Niuewesteeg, while Jena Greaser was the first woman to start the clock.

Topping the podium for stage six Open Men—and sweeping all 6 stages—was Carter Nieuwesteeg, with a time of 2:04:00. And close behind, for the 6th stage in a row, was Macky Franklin, with a time of 2:06:55.

In the Open Men’s GC, Carter Nieuwesteeg took first place with a total time across all six stages of 11:30:33, while Macky Franklin took second, with a total time of 12:04:26.

On the Womens side, Emily Williams crossed the line first on stage six—for her 5th stage win—with a time of 2:26:06. And in second place was Emma Maaranen, with a time of 2:27:50.

In the Women’s GC, Emily Williams took first place with a total time across all six stages of 14:04:09 and Emma Maaranen took second, with a total time of 14:26:22.

While we’d love to be using this space to tell you about the upcoming stage tomorrow, Singletrack 6 2022 has, unfortunately, come to an end. It was a wild ride, and we’d like to take this time to acknowledge the racers. Spending six days racing through steep, technical terrain on some of BC’s best singletrack is no easy task. In fact, it’s downright hard. So congratulations, you’ve accomplished something special. And your smiling faces, stoke and determination have made this week special for us here at TransRockies as well.

Saying goodbye is always difficult, so instead we’ll end with “see you next time”…Because we’ll be back in 2023 with more world-class singletrack, good times and a new adventure!