Riders complete the longest day of TransRockies

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With the competitors from the TR3 leaving camp for home this morning, it was down to business for the TransRockies teams who had a huge 107km day ahead of them on the middle day of this year's seven-day epic. This stage, which started under low cloud at Nipika Mountain Resort, was going to be a long haul through some high and remote Rocky Mountain backcountry to the wilderness campground at Whiteswan Lake.

The new stage 5 routing omitted a major climb and instead took the field through roughly 30km of reclaimed singletrack to the base of the day's major climb, Lodgepole Pass. By the time the riders reached the base of the climb, the morning cloud had turned into pounding rain and the visibility dropped down to mere metres as riders slogged through the ruts at the top of the climb. While they might not have enjoyed the pass, they probably came out of it in better shape than the TransRockies race partner whose brand new pickup truck lost both bumpers in the deep mud.

A change of tempo from the singletrack to more open riding meant that new teams surged to the front of the pack. First-placed Masters Men (80+), the Czechmasters' Milan Spolic and Martin Horak, made an early bid for glory with an attack after the first feed zone that dropped the second-placed overall Team Amarante, but not the overall leaders, Rocky Mountain Factory Team, who responded in kind and left the Czechmasters behind on the way to their fourth straight stage victory.

The Czechmasters finished a superb second overall on the day and first in their class to extend their already impressive lead over second-placed 80+ Men Thane Wright and Dax Massey, who race for Breck Epic and who always seem to find the beer at the end of every stage. They are going to be a force at the closing party on Saturday night.

An equally impressive showing was put in by the Open Mixed leaders Team Terrascape/Trek Toronto' Mical Dyck and Jeff Neilson, who surged to a fourth-place overall finish and a 20-plus minute gap over the super-strong Belgian Duo of Team Detrog-Granville's Xavier Vermeeren and Mieke Deroo and a nearly insurmountable gap in the overall classification.

The big movers on the day were Ryan Correy and Brian Bain of Team Bow Cycles, who jumped onto the podium for the first time after taking back nearly half an hour on the third-placed Team visitPA.com. The boys from Pennsylvania still hold their overall third place standing, but with two long stages in the next two days, Bow Cycles will have a chance to overcome the remaining gap before the finish in Fernie.

By the time most riders crossed the finish line, the sun had come out again over the finish line at Whiteswan Lake giving them a chance to warm up and dry their shoes and gear on the numerous improvised clothes drying lines that staff strung up between the trees dotting the wilderness meadow. With feta and spinach stuffed chicken breast on the dinner menu and hot showers flowing from the 40-foot trailer which accompanies the event, recovery from the two rainy days could begin in preparation for tomorrow's ride over two major passes into Elkford and civilization once more.

Stage 5 Preview: Whiteswan Lake - Elkford, 87.5km

After three days deep in the Rocky Mountain wilderness with no internet or cellphone coverage, Day 5 will see the TransRockies field ride from the shores of Whiteswan Lake over two major passes into the outdoor sport destination of Elkford. Much of the route will travel through the remote Bull River Drainage area before a leg-breaking final climb to 2,100 metres on the Crossing Creek route.

Though the course points straight down at this point, it's no cakewalk to the finish. The top section of the 800m vertical descent into Elkford is notoriously named the Rock Garden and consists of a largely unbroken steep field of boulders that require momentum, commitment and real mountain bike skills to negotiate without crashing or walking.

Even with gourmet feasts every night, the normal routine in Elkford is for hundreds of riders to attack the grocery store in search of the basics of cravings like beer, pizza and chips.

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