(Jackson Hole, WY) – All the pieces are in place as the 2021 Pedigree© Stage Stop Race is about to begin. 24 mushers and dog teams from across North America have assembled in Jackson Hole. Pre-race veterinary exams and drivers meeting will take place on Friday, January 29th.
The first day of the competition is set to commence in Alpine, Wyoming on Saturday. The first team leaves the starting chute at 9:00 am. The Alpine stage is a 31-mile out-and-back course that follows the Greys River for 15.5 miles where mushers and teams navigate the loop that brings them back onto the main trail and towards the finish line.
Two-time race champion Anny Malo, of Quebec, will be defending her title in hopes of a “three-peat.” Malo won her first Stage Stop in 2019, dethroning the Streeper Kennels “green machine” piloted by two-time champion Lina Streeper, which put an abrupt halt to the Streeper Kennel legacy that had taken 8 of the previous ten championships.
Lina Streeper is, no doubt, fired up and ready to take the 2021 Champion’s Trophy back home to Fort Nelson, BC.
Malo and Streeper cannot assume it’s a two-team race. Érick Laforce was tight on the heels of Malo in 2019 when, on Stage 6 in Driggs Idaho, LaForce somehow veered off a well-marked course that cost him considerable time and whittled away his hard-fought standing. LaForce impressively rebounded to win the final Stage in Teton County, Wyoming but the damage was done — LaForce finished in a gut-wrenching 12th place in the final cumulative standings. After skipping the 2020 Stage Stop, La Force has returned but has not likely forgotten that fateful day in Driggs.
Other notables to keep a sharp eye on include Bruce Magnusson, Ken Chezik, Alix Crittenden, Guy Gerard, and JR Anderson among others.
With a total combined payout of $165,000, the Pedigree Stage Race offers the largest purse in the lower 48, and draws many of the top teams from the United States and Canada.
In conjunction with Angelos Media, the Stage Stop race will be posting daily video updates as well as race commentary, photography, and daily results.
The daily race schedule is as follows:
- January 29th — Jackson, Wyoming – Pre-Race Veterinary Exam and Drivers Meeting
- January 30th — Stage One – Alpine, Wyoming
- January 31st — Stage Two – Pinedale, Wyoming
- February 1st — Stage Three – Kemmerer, Wyoming
- February 2nd — Stage Four – Big Piney / Marbleton, Wyoming
- February 3rd — Stage Five– Lander, Wyoming
- February 4th — Travel Day —
- February 5th — Stage Six – Driggs, Idaho
- February 6th — Stage Seven – Teton County, Wyoming
As part of the race organization’s comprehensive COVID plan, spectators are not being encouraged at any of the venues. Instead, local as well as global race fans can enjoy extensive race coverage online at www.wyomingstagestop.org.
Content will include daily video updates and results, race commentary, and photography from up and down the trail.