Stage 3 - Powell River

Stage 3 -  Powell River

The day started with a ferry crossing to reach the town of Powell River.  We had to wait at the ferry dock before boarding and many of us waded into the water to cool down the legs.  It felt really nice!  We arrived in Powell River to a town full of locals cheering us on as we walked to the starting line.  It was quite uplifting.  All the local shop owners came out to greet us and some even made us homemade cookies!  The start/finish line was right on the beach, alongside where we would be camping that night.  This was by far the best base camp location.  

Powell River was my second favorite stage.  The trails were truly majestic.  After two longer stages (1+2), stage 3 was shorter in distance and supposedly had less climbing.  Many riders (including myself) were looking forward to "taking it easy" on the slightly shorter course while preparing for a long stage 4 the next day.  Well, the stage was still tough despite being a tad shorter and I didn't end up taking it so "easy" either.

Words really can't describe how good the trails were in Powell River, so here's a video of first Enduro stage.  I got so excited to get around a rider and to have the open trail that blew a corner early on, and then proceed to ride unclipped in the pedals for way too long!

Results

Overall stage -  29th

Enduro #1 - 39th
Enduro #2 -  51st

Hmm...Cold water will make the legs feel better....don't mind if I do.

Ahh...Now this feels good!

Everyone resting and stretching on the ferry to Powell River.

Bagpipes!

 All the racers walking to the start line.  The entire town was out to greet us upon arrival.

After all the hoopla, we're ready to race!

Final moments before the race.  I think this is when they started playing Welcome to the Jungle!

Start line..

And we're off!  As a rather slow starter, I started near the back of our group each day.

Finished!

Here I'm thinking - "Man that was awesome!"

These are all the bikes that broke during the stage..

Dinner in Powell River was the best!  It was somewhat formal and romantic (candlelight dinner).  They had live music and served beer!

The bike mechanics would not sleep until every bike was fixed and ready to ride in the morning.  After they were done for the night, they slept on the ground right next to their work stand.  How dedicated!!

The breathtaking view right outside our tent.