BC Super Week

Sarah (yellow) and Alena (2nd from right) along with teammate Jenny Trew.

It's been a very busy week. We are in the middle of BC Superweek - 9 races in just 7 days. Alena Radomsky (Giant Canada), Dan Skinner (Total Restoration) and Sarah Stewart (Symmetrics) are competing.

The week kicked off with the White Rock hill climb. It features a 1km climb that is steep and fast. Riders run this in heats - with the top 5 competitors competing in the final. Dan Skinner was the only Elitewave rider who really pushed this event finishing 22nd in the 64 rider field. Alena just rode up the climb in an effort to save her legs for the gruelling races to come. Sarah elected not to start due to a bit of sickness she has been struggling with lately. The Superweek events are an omnium style competition which means that riders can pick and choose their stages as they accumulate points. There is not total time as you might see in a traditional stage race such as the Tour de France. Alena Radomsky leads the field.

On Saturday the Tour De White Rock Criterium was held. In the women's race, Alena was in full attack mode for her team. Her job was to force the pace early and to string the race out - forcing other teams to chase and to work harder than they would like. Early in the race a break formed with all of the heavy hitters, but it was brought back. A lone Jazz Apple rider, Rushlee Buchanan (NZl) finally managed to escape from the field. Despite the strong riders in the pack, none of the teams were willing to work together to bring her back. She soloed to victory by over half a lap. In the field sprint it was Shelley Olds (USA) PROMAN/Paradigm followed by the new National Road Champion Gina Grain (Can) Expresscopy.com and Sarah Stewart (Symmetrics).


Sarah with teammate Marnie Hambelton

Sunday featured Canada's toughest road race. The Tour de White Rock road race winds its way up and down the bluff above the beach in scenic White Rock. It's a race of attrition. Riders are fall off the pace on each lap and it comes down to being a good climber and being tough as nails. In the women's race, it looked as though the selection for the lead group would be made on the first lap with Leah Goldstein (Symmetrics) leading the charge and coming through the first half lap with a strung out group along with some significant gaps to the chasing riders. Luckily for the field, the leaders were brought back and the back entered into the second lap together. On the first big climb of the second lap, the winning break was formed with Goldstein in command of a group that included Buchanan, Shelley Old, Erin Willock and Allison Testerote (Expresscopy). In the end, Goldstein (pictured above in the blue Israeli National Road Champs Jersey) was able to break free from this group of five and take an extremely well deserved win. The other girls from the break came in to the finish by themselves with the main field several minutes back and waiting for the final sprint. Gina Grain was the field sprint for 6th place.

In the men's race, it was an all Symmetrics affair with the team going 1,2,3 on the podium. The race was won by Will Routley - followed by Christian Meir and Cameron Evans. Only 23 riders out of the original 100 or so riders were able to complete the gruelling race.

Dan Skinner in the middle of the men's pro field.