Weather the deciding element at Lake of Bays
Rain, snow and cold eliminate many from the men's and women's races
A mix of cold, wet rain, sleet and snow slammed the Lake of Bays road race this past Sunday. Braking and basic bike handling became a challenge over the rolling terrain of the race. The riders in each race had difficulty with frozen extremities, which resulted in a lack of mobility.
Andrew House (Coachchris.ca/Ted Velikonja) soloed away from the elite men’s field with over 80 km remaining. No one was able to follow him. “I don’t think anyone could be prepared for the conditions,” said House, “I looked back expecting to see the group right behind me. To my surprise no one was chasing.” By the second lap, due to the extreme weather conditions the elite men’s field was down to roughly 20 riders. Only 13 riders officially finished. For some, it was undoubtedly a day to forget, but it was a surprising and gratifying day of racing for House. “Six years ago I was sick in a hospital being told I would never bike again let alone race,” said House. Etienne Moreau (Xprexo- Borsao) finished second more than 3 minutes behind House, ahead of Andrew Bradbury (Blacksmith Cycle) who finished third.
Not only was this a race of bizarre tactical scenarios in which an early escape was never caught, every rider was seemingly completely unprepared for the elements. “You can be as tough you want, but when your body shuts down, there’s only so much you can do,” Anton Varabei (Jetfuel-Norco) posted on his Facebook page after his race” His sentiments were reflected by the day’s results. Varabei’s team didn’t have one finisher.
The women’s race was just as brutal as the men’s. Stephanie Skoreyko (Infinit Canada/Cyclepower) said, “I would rarely say this, but the race should’ve been called off.” As with the men’s race, only 13 women managed to overcome the adverse conditions. Emily Flynn (West of Quebec Wheelers) won a field sprint ahead of Candice Vermeulen (Invita-FCV) in second and Annie Foreman-Mackey (Stevens Racing powered by The Cyclery) in third. Given the weather conditions, the racing was tactical and somewhat tentative. “The course itself had the potential to be one of the most challenging in Ontario had the weather conditions been more ideal,” said Sarah Rasmussen (Infinit Canada/Cyclepower), ninth in the elite 1/2 women’s field.
The next Ontario Cup is the Niagara Classic, the fourth race of the provincial series, scheduled for May 19.
