June 5/07 11:50 am - Pigeon Lake Road Race

Posted by Editoress on 06/5/07
 

Pigeon Lake Road Race June 3rd, Mulhurst AB
Courtesy Jeff Davis

Hot racing on a hot day at The Race 'Round the Lake'

Edmonton Road and Track Club (ERTC) and redbike Cycles presented the 13th Pigeon Lake Spring Classic (PLRR) on Sunday June 3rd.

For several years it's been the biggest bicycle road race on the Prairies and the 2007 edition brought a record 258 Western Canadian roadies to Mulhurst Bay, Alberta and to the hilly 9.4 km short loop though town and the rolling 58 km long loop around Pigeon Lake. Having the two loops allows Race Organizer Jeff Davis to suit the race distance to the strength and endurance of the cyclists in each of the 6 race groups.

The heat made for race times fractionally slower than for the 2007 edition of the event but tight finishing sprints kept Alberta Bicycle Association (ABA) photofinish operator Thom Steenaerts busy.

The male and female riders in Category 6 (Cat 6), many of them at their first ABA-sanctioned bicycle race, went 5 times around the short loop for a total of 45km. The widely varying level of cycling strength in the group meant that it broke up into smaller groups and individual riders. Cat 6 featured several Paralympic athletes, members of Calgary's bicisport team and coached by Stephen Burke. One of them, Brayden McDougall, got a place on the podium with a close third-place finish. Another, first-timer Courtney Sarvis, rode a tandem with Coach Stephen and worked with other riders in the group, using the tandem's superior speed to pull away on the downhill stretches. PLRR established Cat 6 in 2006 as a response to the popularity of the race in order to keep race groups to a manageable size.

Category 5 Men (Cat 5), the usual entry-level category looked quite high-level as they maintained just over 40 kph, the highest average speed of all the race groups for their single 58 km trip around Pigeon Lake. Entry-level nerves, however, contributed to a crash near the final turn before the finish hill. First Aiders from the Canadian Ski Patrol System and the Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club patched fallen riders and got them back into the race.

Things got exciting at the finish of the next two categories. The riders in the intermediate-level Cat 4 Men, eager for upgrade points that would raise them to the upper-level Cat 3, chased the Cat 3 group for two laps around Pigeon Lake. After 117 km of racing, Cat 4 had made up almost all of the start time differential on Cat 3 and nearly 100 cyclists from both groups crossed the finish line in a very short time.

The Elite Women did two short loops through Mulhurst before heading out around Pigeon Lake to race a total of 77 km. The group stayed close together for the first part of the race but heat and pace took their toll as, one by one, riders dropped back from the leaders. At the end, three riders contested the final sprint. Mical Dyck from Terrascape Racing of Calgary pushed a wheel in front for the win. Right next to her was another Calgary athlete, Natasha Kuzmack of Synergy Racing. Less than a second behind was Heather Oswald, wearing the brand-new uniform of the host Edmonton Road and Track Club (ERTC).

New ERTC uniforms, designed by ERTC member Jon Wood, figured in the 137 km Elite Men's race. Three riders, including two ERTC racers inspired by their new kit, broke away from the main group early in the race and shared the effort of pushing through headwinds by taking turns riding in the lead. Meanwhile, back in the pack, teammates put just enough of a damper on the pace to keep the pressure off the three leaders. On the tough final climb, Dan Wood pulled away to win handily, repeating his performance in the second Pigeon Lake race in 1996. Calgarian Chris McNeil of Team H&R Block edged out ERTC's Graham Rudge for second place, with the rest of the pack less than half a minute behind.

You don't bring this many high-level athletes to a race for 13 years without a lot of work by a lot of people out on the road and behind the scenes. The Blue Knights lead the race groups providing traffic control and safety. The Ski Patrollers ride in the mechanical support vehicles that follow the race groups, ready to see to the bodies or the bicycles of the racers. Watching over all the action on the road are Alberta Bicycle Association cycling officials in vehicles driven by members of the Community Police Radio Network who have the radio equipment and skills to connect all the parts of the race across the expanse of Pigeon Lake.

Providing the base for it all are the people of Mulhurst Bay and the Pigeon Lake area. Using their excellent facility at the Mulhurst Bay Community Centre as race headquarters, they organize the signon and register 258 riders with almost no delays or line-ups. Using their knowledge of the local traffic conditions, they marshal the busy built-up area down by Pigeon Lake and though town. When 258 racers and 70 other race workers finish their hard work on the road, the Mulhurst Bay people are ready with a continuous stream of muffins, fruit, hamburgers and veggie burgers, pop, lemonade, iced tea, Cole slaw, and even Caesar salad.

The 2007 Pigeon Lake Road Race is the result of a huge amount of work by both riders and workers. The Edmonton Road and Track Club and redbike Cycles sincerely thank all those who had a hand (or a leg) in making PLRR2007 such a great success.

www.ertc.org