Weekend roundup: Canadians on podiums, roads opening up to bikes (and cars) and Woods details his TdF mountain attack
"I even cramped up in my arms—I was cramping so hard"
Photo by:
Sirotti
Professional cycling competitions are in full swing in Europe, as cyclists get in a year’s worth of racing before the re-scheduled Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, in Canada, provinces are opening up again and cyclists are getting back into the swing of things. Here’s what you might have missed in Canadian Cycling this weekend.
Micheal Woods’ Stage 8 podium and Stage 9 climbs
The crash-heavy first stages of the Tour de France were not kind to Micheal Woods. The Ottawa cyclist had to re-assess any GC goals and is focusing instead on individual stages and the mountains competition points.
On Saturday’s mountainous Stage 8, Woods hit the peak of the Romme (the penultimate climb) with a 1:05 gap over six chasers. His gap was 1:15 over his closest chasers as he started Col de la Colombière and 3:00 over Pogačar. Dylan Teuns (Belgium/Bahrain-Victorious) bridged to Woods with 3.3 km left to climb eventually dropped the Canadian. Jon Izagirre (Astana-Premier Tech) bridged up to Woods on the descent, and in the end, Teuns was able to hold tough to win his second career Tour stage with Izagirre just slightly beating out Woods, who finished third on the stage. Read more…
In this Flobikes interview, Woods describes cramping up so hard that even his arms were cramping.
Dug so deep that his arms cramped ? @rusty_woods #tdf2021
— FloBikes (@flobikes) July 5, 2021
The next day, Stage 9, was also in the Alps. Woods hammered up the climbs and now trails behind Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) by just eight points in the competition for the polka-dot jersey. Read more…
Wallace’s rainy fifth-place finish
Rain caused havoc in Saturday’s World Cup downhill at Les Gets. Canada’s Mark Wallace raced through the wet weather to land on the podium for the first time since the 2020 world championships. Riding consistently, Wallace slid across roots and through ruts, landing in fifth overall. Read more…
Road to Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park reopened to cars
After a successful trial last year, Parks Canda said that the Bow Valley Parkway was to be closed to vehicles for the summer. The popular and scenic route provided access for cyclists and hikers to trails and sites like Johnston Canyon.
With the Alberta government making the decision to drop COVID-19 restrictions, Banff National Park declared, effective July 1, that the route would be re-opened to cars. While a 17-kilometre eastern section of the road will be limited to bicycles only, drivers will be able to access Johnston Canyon via Castle Junction for the remainder of summer.
? Stage 3 on July 1st will bring some changes to your experience in Banff National Park. ⛰️
? Complete details can be found on our website: https://t.co/K5YgTDKoXx pic.twitter.com/ZAF7PMrHw4
— Banff National Park (@BanffNP) June 30, 2021
Goldstone first in Les Gets
With a junior men’s downhill win in Les Gets, Squamish’s Jackson Goldstone’s (Miranda Factory Team) first World Cup season couldn’t be going better. The victory comes in just his second race, after a silver in his first appearance at Leogang, Austria. Read more…
City of Toronto’s ActiveTO weekend schedule for July includes Lakeshore West
The City of Toronto’s controversial decision to remove Lakeshore West from its ActiveTO road openings seems to have been reversed, as (at least parts) of the road segment are included in most of the city’s July weekend schedules. During the weekends of May 15 and May 22, 16,700 to 34,000 cyclists rode the Lakeshore West route, compared to 4,600 to 10,800 cyclists when there were no closures.
Saturday, July 3 and Sunday, July 4
Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes), between Windermere Avenue and Stadium Road.
Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue.
The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road).
Roads within High Park.
Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11 — Gardiner Expressway maintenance weekend
Roads within Exhibition Place.
Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue.
Bayview Avenue, between Front Street East and Rosedale Valley Road, and River Street, between Bayview Avenue and Spruce Street.
The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road).
Roads within High Park.
Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18
Black Creek Drive (northbound lanes), Trethewey Drive to Lawrence Avenue (Saturday, July 17 only).
Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes), between Jameson Avenue and Stadium Road.
Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue.
Bayview Avenue, between Front Street East and Rosedale Valley Road, and River Street, between Bayview Avenue and Spruce Street.
The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road).
Roads within High Park.
Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25
Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue.
Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes), between Jameson Avenue and Stadium Road.
Bayview Avenue, between Front Street East and Rosedale Valley Road, and River Street, between Bayview Avenue and Spruce Street.
The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road).
Roads within High Park.
Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1
Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes), between Windermere Avenue and Stadium Road.
Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue.
The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road).
Roads within High Park.
