The 2021 Pedigree© Stage Stop Race is about to begin. All the pieces are in place as 24
mushers and dog teams from across North America have assembled in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming. Pre-race veterinary exams and drivers meeting will take place on Friday, January
29th.
The first day of competition is set to commence in Alpine, Wyoming Saturday, January 30th.
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.
The 2021 Stage Stop Race is primed for stiff completion.
Anny Malo, two-time race champion, will be defending her title in hope of a “three-pete”. 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 payout of $165,000, the Pedigree Stage Race offers the largest purse in the lower 48, and draws lots of 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
This year’s competition includes 24 teams from the US and Canada including two-time defending champion Anny Malo from Quebec.
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.