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Stage 515 – Whitehorse to McClintock

After the mental and physical challenges of the last few stages, here’s one that looks on paper like a pretty even match, but ask that question again after two miles and maybe it’ll leave a lasting impression as a downhiller: stage 515 is without doubt a decent gig if you fancy an easier time than of late. It heads east/south east away from the more imposing mountains of the Rockies, and even though the route is still surrounded by big hills, these ones aren’t in the same category as those that went before. The stage follows the Yukon River from south of Whitehorse all the way to Marsh Lake, eventually crossing the river at fourteen miles. On arrival at the lake, there’s only one way to go and that’s down the eastern side, but that’s for stage 516. Let’s get 515 out of the way first.

The rollout is uphill, carrying on from where stage 514 left off, and halfway up the climb, the road passes by Pioneer RV Park. Post Whitehorse, Route 1 becomes the Klondike Highway and it’s shortly after the first summit at three miles, which doubles up as the highest elevation on the stage, that the road passes by Meadow Lakes Golf Club. As the lumpy descent makes its way east, Wolf Creek Territorial Campground is next up at five miles before Route 1 crosses Cowley Creek at six miles and sadly, that’s the bottom of the descent where there’s water involved. As the subsequent climb gets under way, Klondike Highway shoots off south at seven miles to become Route 2, leaving Route 1 free to become the Alaska Highway all over again.

The road climbs up past Carobou RV Park before cresting the second summit at Gentian Lane heading north at nine miles: that leads to the Northern Lights Resort and Spa, then a mile beyond that the Yukon River. The descent down off that hill’s a keeper: it’s six miles long, and although it’s lumpy, it gets steeper the longer you stay on it. Shadow Lake passes by on the right at eleven miles but the fun doesn’t end until the Alaska Highway crosses the Yukon River at fifteen miles.

After the Yukon, the road climbs briefly as it climbs up the ridge on the northern bank, but once that’s out of the way, from around sixteen miles onwards, it’s gently down/up/down ish all the way to the finish without much of note to bother the scorers. The final mile runs at the foot of a very steep ridge that runs south east below the hill above it, but as the road is largely in the flood plain, the hill is of little consequence and the stage ends as Route 1 minds its own business approaching Marsh Lake.

Distance: 21 miles / 34 kilometres

Distance: 21 miles / 34 kilometres

Ascent: 525 feet / 160 metres

RGT Magic Road: 1XjUg77yF1vu

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