June 8/14 15:41 pm - Ontario Cup #3 Halliburton report and results

Posted by Editoress on 06/8/14
 

On a course that demanded both climbing prowess and technical skill, Mandy Dreyer (TUF Rack Racing) and Mitchell Bailey (Trek Canada) took top honours in their respective elite divisions at the third stop of the Scott Ontario Cup Mountain Bike Race Series presented by Plastiglas.

Held at Sir Sam's Ski & Bike, north of Haliburton, riders faced a challenging course featuring a lengthy climb that snaked its way up the ski slope, tricky singletrack sections punctuated with numerous technical rock features, and challenging descents.

Elite Women

It has been a very strong season so far for Dreyer, who immediately charged off the front, gapping the field on the opening climb and never looking back.

Prior to the race Dreyer had settled on two race strategies: either attack hard from the gun, or stay in second or third wheel and move up later in the race.

"I had two plans, and that was the one that got executed.  I felt good off the start it seemed like the thing to do to go for a gap and see if I could hold it."

"I've just been enjoying my bike lately," related the Dundas resident.  "I'm riding a lot and feeling good.  I've been working on my 20-minute power and enjoying every bike ride I've been on."

Chasing behind Dreyer were Karlee Gendron (Trek Canada), Cayley Brooks (Norco Factory), Katlyn Dundas and Victoria Giangrande (both Trek Store CC), Lindsay Webster (TUF Rack Racing) and Elyse Nieuwold (Team Spoke O'Motion).

Gendron and Nieuwold managed to separate themselves from the chase group, but were unable to make much of a dent in Dreyer's initial lead.  Gendron did make up some ground on the final lap, but by then it was too late and Dreyer took the win by just over 30 seconds.  Nieuwold claimed third, her first elite podium, Heather Gray (CSAJ p/b Norco LG) rode a steady race to secure fourth, and Webster finished fifth.

"It's awesome," said Nieuwold of her result.  "I'm unbelievably stoked.  The start was okay and I just kept passing people.  Karlee raced super well, especially since she raced Gatineau yesterday.  I tried to stay on her wheel, but...nope.

The 21-year old Newmarket native will complete her kinesiology degree this fall, and plans to travel to warmer climes thereafter to train.  "I'm super stoked about that.  Look how fast Haley Smith is after spending a winter down south."

Having raced the Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau on Saturday, Gendron showed no signs of fatigue, holding her own throughout the race.  "I think coming from a stage racing road background I often do better the second day.  My legs did feel better today than yesterday.  I do feel tired mentally.  I crashed quite a bit today, but my legs were okay."

Gendron is completing a lengthy block of racing consisting of two Canada Cup mountain bike races, a pair of tough road races, and today's O-Cup, and is looking forward to a brief rest before tackling the Sudbury and Hardwood mountain bike races and road nationals.


Elite Men

Kelsey Krushel (TUFRack Racing) led the field off the line, followed by the Norco Factory duo of Peter Disera and Andrew Watson, Scott-3Rox teammates Cameron Jette and Marc-Antoine Nadon, Mark Winfield (Team Bikeland), Jon Slaughter (Cycle Solutions-Angry Johnny's p/b Norco LG) and last year's silver medalist Bailey.  Following shortly behind was Jacob McClelland (AWI Racing) leading another train of riders.

At the end of lap one, Jette, Disera, Krushel, Watson and Bailey had forged ahead, while Nadon limped into the pits, having suffered a rear-wheel flat while traversing one of the rock sections.

The leaders were taking turns pushing the pace on the main climb, and Krushel had to drop back on the second lap.  A strong effort by Watson on lap three put Jette into difficulty, though Disera and Bailey were able to hang on.

It took a while but Jette managed to claw his way back, and the foursome was more or less intact at the beginning of the final climb.  An acceleration by Disera dislodged Jette, at which point Bailey took over.  "Mitch came around and started going and we lost Watson," explained Disera.  "Then it was just Mitch and I.  We just went.  I didn't have anything to pass Mitch and he got me by a couple of feet at the end."

Watson hung on for third, Jette rolled home in fourth, and Nadon overcame his early mechanical to register a solid fifth-place finish.

"Between Watson, Cam, Pete and I we all threw down an attack at some point," recounted Bailey.  "None of them really worked.  Just on the last lap Pete and I kind of turned it up on the hill and a bit of a gap formed."  The reigning U23 national champion has had a quiet start to his season, but feels that things are turning around for him, pointing to his result at the Albstadt World Cup last weekend, his first European top-20, as a positive sign.

"I think we had a really good race," commented Watson.  "The four of us were all riding pretty hard and testing each other a lot on the punchy climbs."  The veteran rider is pleased with his current form, but hopes to "bang it up another notch" between now and the national championships in mid-July.

Despite suffering an early mechanical, Nadon was extremely positive in his post-race reflections.  "I just had to pick my way back up.  I hit a rock at a funny angle and the back wheel went.  Overall I'm pretty happy with the effort I was able to put in.  It's a bit of a disappointment that I couldn't be up there with those guys, but I feel that I've got what it takes to be up there."

Race Notes

- Junior Expert rider Owen Flood (Arrow Racing), designed the course for Satuday's eliminator race.  The women's event was won by Paige Foxcroft (CSAJ p/b Norco LG), who just edged out Soren Meeuwisse (Trek Canada), while Peter Disera outsprinted his younger brother Quinton (CSAJ p/b Norco LG) to take the men's category.

- Race organizer Sean Ruppel is contemplating holding the 2015 provincial championships at Sir Sam's, perhaps in late August.

- O-Cup mountain bike action resumes July 13th at the Sudbury Canada Cup, organized by Pulse Racing.  Dreyer, for one, is very much looking forward to it as she loves the course and will be racing on her birthday.

Report by Emil van Dijk

Results from today's Ontario Cup XCO #3 in Halliburton

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