BC Superweek: Tour de White Rock, Stage 1
NOW women sweep hill climb podium
A young Canadian from St. Catherines, Ont., was the quickest up the 700-m, 16 per cent-grade Homelife Realty Hill Climb in the men’s race, while NOW and Novartis for MS swept the podium on the women’s side in Friday’s first stage of the 34th Tour de White Rock.
Brandon Etzl of Jet Fuel Coffee-Norco ascended Buena Vista Avenue faster than runner-up Florenz Knauer, the German from Team Baier Landshut who has now been on four straight BC Superweek podiums. Coming in third was another Baier German, Yannick Meyer, runner-up in the Tour de Delta’s White Spot Road Race.
Riders from NOW, a team with plenty of riders in BC Superweek, took the top three spots in the women’s race. Canadian Lex Albrecht assailed the grade the quickest, with her teammates Lauren Rauck-Komanski (USA) and Olivia Dillon (Ireland) second and third respectively. Albrecht won the Tour of Delta’s MK Delta Criterium, and Dillon came runner-up in the Brenco Crit on the same tour, but Friday night was Rauck-Komanski’s first podium of BC Superweek.
The Tour de White Rock continues Saturday with the Choices Market Criterium, which orbits White Rock Elementary School.