Andrew L’Esperance second by 0.6 seconds at snowy Moab Rocks
Freezing temperatures meet desert rocks at TransRockies early-season classic
Photo by:
Tony Campono / TransRockies
TransRockies three-day Moab Rocks is, usually, a chance for riders to escape winter and get some warm early-season racing in. This year, the Utah mountain bike stage race looked a little different. In fact, there was so much snow piled on the iconic Slickrock trails that organizers had to neutralize stage one.
The remaining two days of racing saw freezing temperatures and smoking hot racing, with Andrew L’Esperance coming in second place to the U.S.A.’s Cole Patton by a total of just 0.6 seconds.
Snow stops timing, but not riders
With overnight snow covering an icy base, TransRockies organizers made the last-minute call that racing Stage 1 would be unsafe for riders. With the course already marked and racers already dressed, riders were allowed to ride the course, but no times would be recorded.
Some racers went home to warm up. Others rode the official route to get the full Moab Rocks experience. A sizable group of the pro men’s and women’s field, including Fernie, B.C.’s Carter Nieuwesteeg, headed out to ride Falcon Flow and Slick Rocks, two trails not on the official route.
“That was probably one of the cooler things I’ve seen at a race,” Nieuwesteeg said. “It was really special being able to do a party lap with most of the pro field, men and women. It would have been nice to race but, and I think this is a testament to why the mountain bike community is so rad, we understood through the decision TR had to make and the vibes were quickly turned around when we realized we could still go for an awesome ride. Of course it was laid-back mountain bikers who quickly made a pretty special day out of the cards they’d been dealt.”
Two days of official racing made for hot pacing on cool days. Photo: Tony Campono / TransRockies
Andrew L'Esperance among the men's leader's on Stage 3. Photo: Tony Campono / TransRockies.
Defending Moab Rocks champ Geoff Kabush flows through Utah tech on his way to a top-10 finish. Photo: Tony Campono / TransRockies
Below the snowline, dry rocks and tacky dirt made for fast times at Moab Rocks. Photo: Tony Campono / TransRockies
Primed trails make for fast finishes
With just two days of official racing counting towards the results, racing on days two and three was fast and fierce. With the disappearing snow making for near-perfect trail conditions, and fast and grippy dirt replacing the usual Utah dust, the pro women’s and men’s fields set a blistering pace for the remaining racing.
Canada’s Andrew L’Esperance sprinted against Cole Paton for the men’s win on both days. The U.S. racer took both wins, by 0.1 and 0.5 seconds, leaving L’Esperance in second. Brayden Lange rounded out the men’s podium in third.
The cold weather clearly suited the Canadians, though, as Carter Nieuwesteeg and Geoff Kabush followed close behind in fifth and sixth place overall.
On the women’s side, Colorado’s Alexis Skarda won both official race stages to take the Moab Rocks title ahead of Evelyn Dong and Kaysee Armstrong.
B.C.’s Hannah Simms was the top Canuck in seventh. Jenny Lehmann followed in 12th, Whistler’s Chloe Cross in 14th and Lindsay Glassford in 16th.
Moab Rocks is the start of TransRockies celebration of 20 years of mountain bike stage racing. The original TransRockies brought stage racing to the Canadian Rocky Mountains and is now known as Singletrack 6. The 2023 ST6 runs from July 13-18 and takes racers from Fernie, B.C. to Canmore, Alta.
