Rundle Mountain Road Festival
Canmore, Alberta | RMCC Stage Race
June 8-9th 2024
PNW Racing's full squad was together for the first time, 7 riders from Manitoba, Alberta & British Columbia finally riding bikes all together! Friday started with airport picks up, bike builds and a ride to Banff, the Quarry and hill climb recon. PNW is in the beautiful rocky mountains!
Saturday couldn’t come soon enough for the squad. 28 riders took the start in Cat ½ men on a fast, closed-circuit course with tight corners. The gun went at 11 sharp and the peloton wasted no time maneuvering for positions. The PNW Boys took turns pulling, attempting breakaways, keeping the tempo high ensuring our sprinters were in prime spot.Enduring20 laps amongst a strong field with speeds upwards of 54km/hr, Graham clinched a 4th, with Adam and Ben securing spots in the top 10.
Following an afternoon siesta and rejuvenating reset, Aaron Stagg kicked off the Hill Climb at 5:48pm. Could the youth of PNW pull off some top results in the climb? And Yes! Adam claimed victory, winning the Hill Climb! With Ben in 6th, Colton 7th and Aaron 9th – making a stellar, collective performance for the team.
With three riders now in the Top 10on CG, the Road Race spanning 105 Kms over 7 Laps race took on a new game plan, everyone had a role and did they execute that well! Despite a crash on lap on eat 60+ Km/Hr with two PNW riders hitting the tarmac, Ben showed some resilience, remounting and chased down the peloton. Unfortunately, Aaron’s race concluded prematurely due to broken bars but his spirits were high as he cheered the team on at the finish line.
As the race unfolded, every lap came with new guys at the front, Monty managed to put in a massive pull keeping the field together, followed by Graham’s contribution, then Oscar and a team effort from Manteo opened up a gap of over 58 seconds at one point, giving the PNW crew a short rest in the peloton. In the final lap, the field began to fragment slightly with Ben and Adam positioning themselves in the leading group of 4, trailed by a group of 10 with Colton behind in a group of three, but that didn’t last long before they were all back together.
Anticipation as they approached the uphill finale. As they made the last turn, the sprint was all out, Adam seized 4th with Ben securing 6th, making the RMCC Road Race a Success!