Gallery: Repeat 2017 BC Superweek winners at PoCo Grand Prix

Holly Edmonston of Cycling New Zealand broke away from the pack early with Karlee Gendron of Rise Racing. Photo: Scott Robarts

Third at the Giro Di Burnaby the night before, Josie Talbot was once again in the hunt for a win. Photo: Scott Robarts

Kendell Ryan of team Tibco-Silcon Valley Bank took her second 2017 BC Superweek win. Photo: Scott Robarts

PoCo Grand Prix 2017. Photo: Scott Robarts

Photo: Scott Robarts

Campbell Stewart of Cycling New Zealand took the win in a bunch sprint. Photo: Scott Robarts

New Zealand’s Campbell Stewart wins back-to-back

At just 18-years-old, New Zealand’s Campbell Stewart continues to build on his track success which includes four-world titles on the boards at 2017 BC Superweek. Stewart, won the second annual PoCo Grand Prix in Port Coquitlam in a sprint just a day after winning the 10th annual Giro di Burnaby.

The men’s race was unfortunately marred by a number of crashes including on in the final corner that saw Stewart collide with a Garneau-Quebecor rider. The Quebec-based UCI team was one of the races most aggressive with seven riders on the startline.

“They had another crash early on, on the back corner and that kind of threw them out a bit because they started their lead out train quite early,” said Stewart, who became 2017 first BC back-to-back winner, about Garneau-Quebecor. “I just tried to fire off a few wheels, get up close, and then a few of them kind of faded. A few other teams came forward with me and just sprinted for the line.”

While Cycling New Zealand is in B.C. for the racing they are also putting in training time while on the West Coast. “We’ve had a pretty good training block and everyone from our team is just slowly picking the pace up every day,” Campbell described about the teams success. “Our focus is on the track, but it’s awesome to be able to come over here and ride with the other guys from America, Canada, all over the world – and we’re enjoying it.”

Florenz Knauer who proposed to his girl friend after winning the New West Grand Prix was second with Ed Veal of Queensville, Ont. in third.

Kendall Ryan makes it three BC Superweek wins

Kendall Ryan of Tibco -Sillicon Valley Bank took her third win at BC Superweek in downtown Port Coquitlam after winning Sunday’s Tour de Delta White Spot | Delta Road Race and Wednesday’s Gastown Grand Prix. The 24-year-old American is using the series as a tune up for the Prudential RideLondon Classique in a couple of weeks.

“I’m just training hard and I’ve got a big UCI WorldTour race coming up in London, so I’m hoping to do well there,” said Ryan who won from a sprint of 30-riders. “Throughout the last two corners, they started to overtake and I was just trying to bide my time and then as soon as somebody hit the gas, I just raced for the last corner because I knew I could hold to the line. That was the plan and it worked!”

In second was Maggie Coles-Lyster from nearby Maple Ridge who now has four top-10 finishes at 2017 BC Superweek. “Each race I’ve set these goals for myself. In Gastown it was eighth place and I got eighth. Yesterday it was fifth and today I said podium, and I got it.” A excited Coles-Lyster said after the race. “I’d known from watching the prime laps that you had to get through that final corner first if you wanted the win, so that was my goal, just to jump right before and get through that corner. Kendall was just too quick on the outside.”

Holly Edmonston of Cycling New Zealand was third, her fourth top-10 BC Superweek finish.

BC Superweek continues on Saturday with the Tour de White Rock Choices Markets Criterium. The women’s race starts at 5:30 pm PDT and the men race at 6:30 pm PDT.