At precisely 12:00 pm PST on August 10, 2003, teams of two riders from around the world will challenge the continental divide of North America three times, racing between Fernie, British Columbia and Canmore, Alberta, for the second time in as many years. Over 600 kms and 12,000 meters of climbing will test the limits of human endurance in this spectacular Canadian Rockies adventure.

Last year's event proved to be even tougher than organizers had anticipated and participants found themselves tackling terrain and weather extremes that took them to the very limits of their endurance. According to race organizers, Read and Co. Event Management and Europe-based upsolutMV, who also organize Europe's Trans Alps Challenge, the world's toughest race in North America needed to be toned down a little for 2003. No less a challenge and still holding title as the toughest mountain bike stage race on the continent, a kinder and gentler TansRockies is on order for 2003, but the Rockies themselves may have other plans.

Due to the huge fires raging through the southern Alberta region, the area the TransRockies route passes through, one of the biggest challenges for this years event was actually having an event. Organizers and volunteers have worked well beyond their own limits of endurance to ensure that the race goes on. According to reports the first three days of the event have been radically re-routed and may prove to challenge the quest for a kinder and gentler version for 2003.

Day one will see one of the highest elevation gains of any of the seven stages and will begin and end in Fernie, in a sense gaining us no ground towards the finish line in Canmore. To make up the distance day two and three will potentially consist of 120 km and 140 km stages, respectively - a challenge even as a single stage event! Days 4 to 7 are at present similar to last year's event though the unpredictability of the fires could change that at any minute. All in all it is shaping up to be another amazing adventure in the heart of the Rockies and Pedal will be in the thick of it once again.

This years Team Pedal, consisting of Paul Newitt and Nels Guloien will face the elements from August 10-16 and provide daily reports at pedalmag.com as the race progresses. Pictures, profiles, and progress of both Team Pedal and Pedal's TransRockies Contest winners Scott Bentley and Zac Wheeler, will be uploaded daily at pedalmag.com.

Want more? Email your support, questions and comments to Team Pedal (pedal@pedalmag.com) as they ride through the Rockies and we'll post as many possible with each daily update. .