Gallery: 2017 White Spot | Delta Road Race

photography by Scott Robarts

Team Sunweb's Leah Kirchmann, who is riding for Team Canada, pushes the pace on the climb during the White Spot | Delta Road Race 2017. She would go on to finish in fourth place. Image: Scott Robarts

Canada's Kirsti Lay of Rally Cycling is calm on the front of the race. White Spot | Delta Road Race 2017. Image: Scott Robarts

Kendell Ryan of Team Tibco - SVB wins the White Spot | Delta Road Race. Elizabeth Williams (Hagens Berman | Supermint, centre) took second and Holly Edmonston (Cycling New Zealand), third. Image: Scott Robarts

The men's White Spot | Delta Road Race featured a series of small groups that got away, only to suffer from disorganization. Image: Scott Robarts

Holowesko/Citadel Pro Cycling take to the front and take control of the race in the final laps, eventually propelling teammate John Murphy to a sprint win. Image: Scott Robarts

It's a flat out bunch sprint win for John Murphy (Holowesko/Citadel Pro Cycling). H&R Block Pro Cycling's Ryan MacAnally (left) was second. while Scott Law of Cylance Cycling (centre) was third. Image: Scott Robarts

The three-day  Tour de Delta, part of BC Superweek, wrapped up Sunday with the White Spot | Delta Road Race in Tsawwassen, B.C. Kendall Ryan of Team Tibco-SVB won the women’s 103.6-km race in the final sprint. John Murphy of Holoweski | Citadel Cycling took the men’s 155.46-km race, also in the final sprint.

White Spot | Delta Road Race, women’s edition

Kendall Ryan, who was third at the Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau road race in May, had the help of her team, especially Madeline Park, Jennifer Tetrick and Heather Fischer, in the finale as other squads, such as Team Canada and Rally Cycling, mobilized their sprint trains. “We ended up getting swarmed in the end with teams going from the left to the right,” Ryan said. “At first, we decided we were going to come on the left, but the wind really started picking up throughout the race and I said, ‘Heather, just go right!’ last minute and she guided me into that sprint. We got behind the Rally train and once their last lead-outs pulled off, I kind of just shot through a gap.”

Second-place finisher Elizabeth Williams was similarly opportunistic as Ryan. “I made a decision to go on Kendall,” Williams said. “I felt that she was going to be the fastest finisher, so I just tapped on the back of the Tibco train about 2 to 3 km from the finish. I just stuck to her wheel and made sure no one else got it and it was the right decision. Unfortunately, I couldn’t come off her; she was just a little bit too quick, but it’s good confidence for myself because I’m still working on my timing and my sprint across. It’s a great result for the team and a great team effort.”

Holly Edmonston of Cycling New Zealand was third.

White Spot | Delta Road Race, men’s edition

Murphy finished second in the previous two events in the Tour de Delta: Saturday’s Ladner Criterium and Friday’s MK Delta Lands Criterium. He was pleased with his victory in the road race. “It’s an international race with amazing competition, but anytime you can win a race, whether it’s a local crit or a UCI road race, it’s huge for us and that what we’re all about – having fun and trying to win the biggest races we can,” he said.

Just behind Murphy at the finish line was Ryan MacAnally, a recent signing for the Canadian continental squad H&R Block Pro Cycling. “We led it out from 2 km to go and just committed,” said the Australian rider. “We had three or four guys on the front and coming in with 200 m to go, I saw Murphy come down the right-hand side, decided to sprint then with him – just got onto his wheel – and it was a tough sprint at the finish with a bit of an uphill incline.” While MacAnally didn’t win the stage, the 24 year old did take the best young rider jersey. Another Aussie, Scott Law of Cylance Cycling, rounded out the podium in third place.