2013 Ontario provincial road race championships

With two former Canadian national road racing champions, Aaron Fillion (Ride with Rendall) and Ryan Roth (Champion System Pro Cycling) in attendance, the Ontario elite men’s race was destined to be the major spectacle of the day. Ryan Roth won the Ontario elite men’s road race solo after attacking on the course’s major climb with 30 km to go. Roth truly demonstrated that he was in a class of his own. In typical Roth fashion, he was merely using the provincial road race as preparation for bigger UCI events later this year. He rode to Holland Marsh from Guelph, Ont., about 100 km, earlier in the day.

Bruce Bird (Wheels of Bloor) had an impressive ride as well. Against bigger favourites such as Roth, Fillion, Jeff Schiller (Jetfuel-Norco) and under-23 contender Stephen Welsh (La Bicicletta), Bird was the major protagonist of the race. Bird was able to instigate the final selection on the race’s last lap, which forced Roth to respond. When Ryan finally decided to light it up, he caught Bird and ultimately rode right past him en route to the win. It became clear that the competition was a race for second place after Roth once he was up the road. “The peloton chased, but Roth dispatched of Bruce before the last climb,” said Jeff Schiller of Jet Fuel-Norco who finished third behind Michael Aston (Adrenaline Racer/To Wheels).

In the women’s race, the bunch was more or less held together until the final lap. Annie Foreman-Mackey (Steven’s Racing presented by The Cyclery) attacked in an effort to make a final selection. She found herself up the road on her own. The combination of the peloton’s lack of commitment to the chase and Foreman-Mackey’s determination led to an incredible effort that netted her a provincial title.

For the full results, visit the Ontario Cycling Association.

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