Kimberley is no stranger to mountain athletes with freakish endurance but this July will be inundated with several hundred gluttons for punishment when it hosts a stage of one of Western Canada’s premier mountain bike events.

Singletrack 6 is a mountain bike stage race of unforgettable proportions, riding through the mountains of Western Canada. From July 23-28, Singletrack 6 will sweep across the Rockies offering an unbelievably well supported mountain bike adventure, showcasing the best riding in a variety of authentic mountain bike communities.

During the six stages, this race promises a new route every year and the perfect brew of xc, panoramic vistas and epic descents. The stages in the 2016 program includes:

– July 23 – Stage 1 in Fernie (38.9 km with 1,676 m ascent)

– July 24 – Stage 2 in Fernie (33.6 km with 1,754 m ascent)

– July 25 – Stage 3 in Cranbrook (45.1 km with 1,010 m ascent)

– July 26 – Stage 4 in Kimberley (36.2km with 1,297 m ascent)

– July 27 – Stage 5 in Golden (30.5 km with 1,237 m ascent)

– July 28 – Stage 6 in Golden (55.3 km with 1,287 m ascent)

This event started in 2002 as the TransRockies Challenge and was adapted to Singletrack 6 in 2014. There are now two options including the standard six day stage or Singletrack 3; the first three days of the event.

Mountain bikers will ride along approximately 235 km with 8,000 m of climbing on a rider built route (that changes annually). The expected attendance for 2016 is 350-400 riders from more than 20 nations.

Kimberley hosts Stage 4 of the event with a 36.2 km ride and 1,297 m of ascent.

According to Tourism Kimberley Executive Director Jesse Ferguson, “Singletrack 6 is a marquee event that we are super excited to host. These events have an ongoing positive impact on the community, first with the impact of 300 competitors staying in the community, then with the first-hand testimonials they bring home with them that attract more visitation.”

The Kimberley stage will start and end in the downtown area, where businesses were able to supply pre-event fueling and satisfy the appetites of spectators and competitors.

According to Don McCormick, Mayor of Kimberley, “Singletrack 6 is a great example of how our investments in trails, in partnership with the Kimberley Trails Society and funding from the Provincial Resort Municipality Initiative and Columbia Basin Trust, are attracting high performance competitions and having a measurable impact on our visitor economy.”

“Kimberley attracts visitors from around North America as a destination for mountain biking. This reputation is built on its world-class trail system. The province is pleased to support the trails that Singletrack 6 is featuring through Resort Municipality Initiative funding.  RMI funding supports tourism initiatives designed to increase visitor numbers, creating jobs and growing the local economy,” added Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour.

Aaron McConnell, President of TransRockies Race Series said, “The community of Kimberley works together to support trail development and that’s reflected in the network’s great quality. This results in a truly world class mountain bike destination which is still relatively undiscovered. There’s a lot of buzz about Stage 4 in Kimberley across all categories of Singletrack 6 racers. It’ll be 36 km of magic on two wheels!”

TransRockies Race Series is a North American leader in event management and logistics with a portfolio of world-class owned and managed projects. Their properties range from mountain bike events to trail running races, outdoor symphonies to gala dinners.

To get more information on Singletrack 6, go to: https://singletrack6.com. To learn more on TransRockies and their other events at: https://transrockies.com.

Lead image: The Transrockies Single Track Six mountain bike race series started off stage four with a bang this morning, as City of Kimberley Mayor Don McCormick fires the starting gun. Photo by Chris Newel

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