Canadians Rack up Results This Weekend
Excellent weekend for Canadians, with wins on the track, road, and mountain bike.
What a weekend of racing it has been for Canadians. We’ve had some amazing and well-deserved results on the track, road, and mountain bike.
The logical place to start is with Tara Whitten’s two gold medals at the Track World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. On Saturday March 27, Whitten rode an incredible set of races to win a gold medal in the omnium. In an interview before the race, Whitten had this to say about the omnium, “I’m feeling much more prepared than last year because I had a chance to work on all the individual events including the 200 and the 500 and I’m more confident in my abilities in the bunch races as well.”
Whitten won her second gold medal on the final day of racing in Copenhagen in the points race. Whitten took first place and the top step on the podium with 36 points. In our Friday interview, Whitten said she was feeling confident for the points race, “I think I’ve improved a lot in my points race abilities over last year and I’m hoping I’ll be able to race a smarter race and use my abilities at the right moments and I think I’m capable of winning a medal if things go well.”
Switching gears to the mountain bike, Canadians were racing down in Fontana, California in the US Cup. On Saturday racing in the cross-country race, Emily Batty (Trek World Team) won the U23 category and placed 9th in the Pro Women’s category. The rest of the Canadian women racing this weekend in Fontana placed very well with Mical Dyck (Trek Canada) in 8th place, Amanda Sin (3 Rox Racing) in 10th place, and Andreanne Pichette (Cvm Subway-Genetik) in 17th position. Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) did not start the race.
On the men’s side, the Canadians definitely let their skills and fitness show, taking steps two and three on the podium. Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) was second and Max Plaxton (Shoair/Specialized) was third. The cross-country results sheet was full of Canadians, including: Derek Zandstra (3 Rox Racing ) in 6th, Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) in 8th, Kris Sneddon (Kona) in 12th, Peter Glassford in 15th, Adam Morka (Trek Canada) in 17th, Cody Canning in 31st, Zachary Hughes in 32nd, Tyson Wagler (3 Rox Racing) in 36, Evan Guthrie in 43rd, Andrew L’esperance in 45th.
Moving on to the road, Canadians were out dancing on the pedals in Redlands, California at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. On Friday, March 26th, Will Routley (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) won the Beaumont Circuit Race. On the women’s side, Joelle Numainville (Webcor Builders) placed third. On the third day of racing, Andrew Pinfold (UnitedHealthcare pb Maxxis) sprinted to third place in the City of Redlands Criterium. Numainville continued to show her riding strength with a fourth place finish in the women’s criterium.
Moving on to the international racing action, David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies) is in 7th position in the general classification of the Vuelta Ciclista del Uruguay after two stages. Veilleux’s team mate Ryan Anderson is sitting in 11th position overall. Also racing in this stage race is Team SpiderTech presented by Planet Energy. At the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) was 10th in the 161.9 kilometer Stage 6 from El Vendrell to Barcelona. Hesjedal currently sits in 6th overall in the general classification.
