Dust and the Dunbar Summer Series: Fernie Canada Cup

Dunbar Summer Series returned to the notorious steeps of Fernie Alpine Resort for the first of three big downhill races this week. Despite a reasonably wet spring across most of Canada, Fernie still managed to deliver deep dust and rowdy racing.

Jackson Frew and Claire Buchar take wins in the elite Canada Cup races. With over 250 riders dropping in off of the Fernie start ramp, racing was fierce across categories.

Pro/elite races: Returning champs and new faces

Claire Buchar was back in a very familiar position on Sunday: on top of the pro women’s podium in Fernie. The multi-time Canadian national champion led Tori Wood (Corsa Cycles) and Bailey Goldstone (Specialized Canada). With points from Canada Cup #1 at Fernie, Goldstone still leads the overall points for the national series.

Jackson Frew takes the first Dunbar Summer Series pro men’s win, laying down a 2:37.23 on the dusty Fernie track. Gabe Neron (Dunbar Cycles) followed 0.93-seconds back in second. A few seconds back, Haydyn Wynter lands a third, followed closely by Revelstoke’s Luke Stevens and Kendall McLean.

Gallery: Fernie Canada Cup

Claire Buchar on her way to winning the women's race

Wufky Crosby on his Men’s Adaptive race winning run.

Women’s adaptive race winner Amanda Timm on her race run

Your Canada Cup leaders after two rounds of racing

Elite men’s race winner Jackson Frew with M.C. and mtb icon Brett Tippie

Lots of hardware was handed out in Fernie

Big crowds are back in Fernie pits for the weekend's racing

Wufky CROSBY just before the podium awards

Elite women's podium party

Elite men's celebration

Elite men's podium

Cory LeClerc, coach for Norco/C4 showing his community spirit by helping out another team in the pits on a VERY hot afternoon.

All photos: Niall Pinder

Junior and under-17

Brock Hawes (Graviti Driven/Intense) and Emmy Lan (Norco Factory Team) are the men’s and women’s junior winners in Fernie.

Lan, who has a series of international wins at the Enduro World Series already this spring, had a commanding lead in the junior women’s race. Lan’s winning time pushed that of Buchar in the elite race and was second fastest among the women in Fernie. Sophia Evrington (Corsa) of Powell River and Eva Leikermoser (Gravity MTB) followed in second and third.

Hawes, from Sun Peaks, also had a strong win in Fernie. The Graviti Driven rider won the junior men’s race by 2.07 seconds. Logan Chapman (North Van) and Spencer Young (Duncan) round out the podium in second and third.

Wyatt Harrington of North Vancouver stormed to a win in the under-17 race, finishing nearly five seconds ahead of second. Ryan Griffith and Lewis Allbon chased for the podiums in the u17 men’s race.

Dunbar Summer Series' aMTB podium was specifically designed to be accessible for all racers. Photo: Niall Pinder

Women's aMTB racing is growing fast, alongside the men's. Photo: Niall Pinder

AMTB returns

Sunday also saw the return of adaptive mountain bike downhill racing at the Dunbar Summer Series. After a big debut in 2021, the aMTB racers are back, with bigger fields in both categories.

Wufky Crosby (Reno, NV) crossed the border to take his first Dunbar Summer Series win by a commanding. Samson Danniels and Landon McGauley take second and after Gustavo Ortiz honourably DQ’d – self-reporting a course violation. Justin Johnson and Ethan Krueger round out the podium.

Amanda Timm of Canmore, Alta, lands her first win at the Dunbar Summer Series with a time that would have just missed the men’s podium. Sierra Roth takes second.

Full results from Fernie Canada Cup are here. Follow everything from the Dunbar Summer Series all week.