New Canadian roller speed record set

A new Canadian roller speed record was the highlight of the fifth-annual West of Quebec Wheelers roller races in Ottawa Saturday night.

The evening was also a chance for some talented young riders to make a splash as the racing season in the nation’s capital got underway.

As in previous events, racing took place in two formats: 500m sprints on bikes rigidly fixed to the rollers, and 1,000m races on the riders’ own bikes using free rollers. Racing started with a timed qualifying round, and continued with heats of four riders to a final.

Fourteen-year-old Jon Stewart of Carleton Place mixed it up in the men’s 1,000m, making it to the top eight before being eliminated in the semifinal.

And 19-year-old Emily Flynn, of Winchester, Ont., beat out some experienced competition to win both the women’s 500m and the 1,000m.

The closest-fought race of the night was the men’s 500m final, with roller-racing regular Rodd Diaz narrowly beating out Doug van den Ham and Jesse Eikenberry.

Warren MacDonald won the men’s 1,000m final, making up for a crash that spoiled his chances the year before. Jean-Sebastien Perron was second and Matthew Ng was third.

Jean-Sebastien Perron won the 5,000m invitational event.

The much-anticipated world roller speed record attempt by Brent Atkins produced a new, unofficial Canadian record of 148 km/h, using a huge, custom-made 120-tooth chainring and a 15-tooth cog. Click here for a video.

Atkins was gunning for the 202-km/h world record set by British rider Dave leGrys back in 1987. Though he came up short, Atkins is planning a formal attempt in the fall, hopefully with Guinness Book officials in attendance.

The event was a fundraiser for the Wheelers’ Echelon Project, which aims to help riders get to international events in Canada and overseas, as well as supporting former national team rider Jenny Trew transition to being a coach and helping a project to bring an indoor velodrome to Ottawa.