July 17/15 8:59 am - Giro di Burnaby

Posted by Editoress on 07/17/15
 

Daniel Holloway is having a pretty good week. Just last Saturday, he won the Boise Twilight Criterium in Boise, Idaho. Then on Tuesday, he found himself atop the podium again at the UBC Grand Prix p/b Mahony & Sons. A familiar scenario played out on Thursday as the man they call “Hollywood” was on top once again at the Giro di Burnaby p/b Appia Developments.

Much like Tuesday’s UBC race, Holloway, who races for Team AltoVelo-SeaSucker, sprinted ahead of Calgary’s Kris Dahl (Team SmartStop) for the win in the 45 lap, 55 kilometre circuit. It didn’t look like the race would play out that way with three laps to go, as Team Silber Pro Cycling had as many as six riders off the front. Silber tried to control at that point and even won the crowd prime with two laps to go. For Holloway and the other riders in the field, the strategy was clear.

"Just take control of the Silber guys and ride their lead out," he said. “And that’s what we did.”

A few of Silber’s distinct orange helmets dropped off during the remaining two laps, especially after the crowd prime was awarded.

"I think they just went a few laps too early and let emotions get the best of them, just in terms of riding hard and going too early,” added Holloway, before complimenting the Silber team on its performance in the race. “They did such a great job and (their coach) Gord Fraser is doing amazing things with that team, they're learning and they only missed it by a half lap probably. But they were going super-fast and it was tough to hang on."

The 28-year-old is no stranger to Burnaby, and relishes the opportunity to race in the Lower Mainland and British Columbia. Holloway and his Team BurnabyNOW teammate Jacob Duehring finished first in the Elite Men’s Division of the Burnaby 4-Day Bike Race at the Burnaby Velodrome last December.

"BC Superweek's been amazing, it rivals what we do in America, which is fantastic. In Burnaby, it's amazing to have such large community support to make this happen,” exclaimed the 2010 US Criterium Champion. “I've been here before in the winter racing the Burnaby 4-Day and it's awesome to come back and see how well everything's thriving, I hope I can come back next year."

Ken Hanson’s third place finish is his first appearance on the podium at this year’s BC Superweek series, but the San Diego native is a former US Pro Criterium champion and was second at the Giro di Burnaby a year ago when his UnitedHealthcare team finished 1-2-3.

Women
If there was any question about whether or not Shelley Olds is feeling the lingering effects of a broken rib suffered at Ronde van Drenthe in March, it’s been answered with her outstanding performance at BC Superweek.

Through six events at BC Superweek, the 34-year-old from Gilroy, California riding for Ale-Cipollini out of Italy has been on the podium in every single one of them, including a win in Thursday’s Giro di Burnaby p/b Appia Developments. Not only has Olds been among the top three finishers in each BC Superweek event thus far, but she’s also been a “prime machine”, picking up hundreds of dollars in cash and prizes at each race.

A winner at the Giro di Burnaby in 2007, Olds used her experience on the course which runs the span of Hastings Street between Madison Avenue and MacDonald Avenue in the historic Heights neighbourhood on Burnaby to propel her to the repeat victory.

"The roads are too big (for a real breakaway), there's a headwind at the longest section, so it is really hard to go on the break,” she said.

Coming off a dominant performance at Wednesday’s Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix in which she nearly lapped the field, Vancouver’s Denise Ramsden (Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes) had a target on her back as the riders were well aware of the damage she could do. In fact, Olds was marking Ramsden’s wheel for a lot of the race.

"We saw her two times already this week go solo, so we absolutely weren't going to let that happen again,” Olds explained. “She's an incredible rider and it is fun marking her."

Making her second podium appearance at BC Superweek was 24-year-old Samantha Schneider (ISCorp p/b Smart Choice MRI) in second place, as she just wasn’t able to catch Olds in the sprint to the finish line. The West Allis, Wisconsin product, who is an 11-time US National Champion, won the UBC Grand Prix p/b Mahony & Sons on Tuesday.

New Zealand native and veteran rider Joanne Kiesanowski (Team TIBCO-SVB) came third for the second time at this year’s BC Superweek series. The 36-year-old, who is a three-time Olympian and eight time National Champion in her home country, was also third in Sunday’s White Spot | Delta Road Race.

As someone who rides for an Italy-based team, Olds sensed a familiarity in the Heights Neighbourhood – one that is noted for its large Italian community.

“"I spend a lot of my time in Italy, I love the country, I love the people, the culture, but here in Burnaby, Vancouver and BC, it's such an amazing experience,” she said. “I race all over the world and this is by far one of the best (places for) crowds!”

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