Alberta's ice racing community is in mourning today after learning that veteran ice racer Troy Ritchie died Sunday night from injuries sustained from a crash during the 26th annual Numb Bum 24 Hour ice race on Sandy Lake. Organizers cancelled the race Saturday night after Ritchie crashed his bike on the course, causing him serious injuries.
Alberta's ice racing community is in mourning this week after one of their own died after a freak accident at the world's longest, coldest ice race.
Organizers cancelled the 26th annual Numb Bum 24 Hour Ice Race Saturday night after veteran ice racer Troy Ritchie crashed his motorcycle on the course, causing him serious injuries.
Ritchie later died of his injuries Sunday night after being airlifted to the University of Alberta Hospital.
The Numb Bum is a an annual ice race that sees hundreds of quad, motorcycle and, for the first time this year, side-by-side utility vehicles compete to see who can complete the most laps on a track plowed on the frozen Sandy Lake in 24 hours.
Sandy Lake is just west of Alexander First Nation.
Riders often use tires covered with sharp metal screws for traction in these races, allowing them to reach high speeds even on sheer ice.
According to racer Sheamus Power and others, the collision happened at about 8 p.m. Saturday in a portion of the course known as "the Big Snail," which is where the course spirals in on itself into a tight turn before looping back out, roughly one kilometre from the pit area.
"Right on the inside of the snail there was a pretty gnarly corner," said Power, a 29-year-old resident of Dawson City, Yukon.
"As far as I know, (the rider) washed out, caught his back tire (on the snowbank) and high-sided before the bike cartwheeled over top of him."
Pit-crew member Elisabeth Owen, wife of ice racer Frank Barry, said one of their close friends, a man named Wendell, came upon the crash site moments later.
"Wendell saw the (headlights) flip in front of him," she said — a lucky coincidence, considering that there were maybe just 20 riders on the 18-kilometre long course at the time.
Wendell flagged down a second rider named Rob for assistance, Owen continued. Ritchie was conscious at the time, and told them, "I'm hurt bad, I need an ambulance."
It appears that the spiked tires on Ritchie's bike sliced into his leg during the flip, severing his femoral artery, Owen said.
The two riders summoned the on-site EMTs, who arrived within minutes. Ritchie was loaded into an ambulance who took him to the highway for pickup by STARS Air Ambulance, which transported him to the U of A Hospital.
Race officials and members of the Pembina Dirt Riders Association and Alberta Endurance Ice Racing Association decided to cancel the rest of the race soon after.
The Pembina Dirt Riders Association posted an announcement on their Facebook page at about 11:30 p.m. on Ritchie's death.
"We are deeply saddened to inform everyone that Troy Ritchie passed away this evening due to his accident yesterday at the numb bum ice race. Troy left us doing what he loved, was leading the race and will always remain first place in our hearts."
Owen said she could not recall any previous deaths occurring at the Numb Bum, and said that she believed this was the first time it had been cancelled due to an accident.
The Gazette will have more details as they become available.
Correction
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Pembina Dirt Riders Association made an announcement on "Dixon's" death. The post was in fact about Troy Ritchie's death; fellow rider Ryan Dixon, who was interviewed for this piece, is alive and well. The Gazette apologizes for the error.
