May 18/08 1:42 am - Cycling BC Report: BMX Nationals, Bromont Canada Cup

Posted by Editoress on 05/18/08
 

Great Weekend for Team BC
Courtesy Richard Wooles, Provincial Coach & High Performance Director,Cycling British Columbia

This is a big weekend for Team BC, with Canadian National BMX Championships in Abbotsford, and eleven mountain bike riders taking part in a Canada Cup in Bromont, Quebec. Two Junior Development Road riders are in Europe doing a stage race in France, and our other Road and Track Development riders are down in the States getting ready for Provincial Championships by stage racing south of border.

So far, results have been solid. BMX started off well with Brookelyn Wilkinson winning the Junior Female category, securing a place on the National Team for the BMX World Championships in China. The Junior Male category didn't go as planned, with Michael Irwin and Cameron Murphy having difficulties in the final due to crashes. Michael still secured his place on the National Team for Worlds. Elite Males was won by Scott Erwood, reigning National Champion, securing his place on the World Championships team as well. In the Elite Females Danielle Brisson, also reigning National Champion, finished third but hopefully has still secured her place on the Worlds Team. Our Under 16 boys placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, with Tory Nyhaug winning, Nick Benetti in second, and Steve Creighton in third. There were lots of other exceptional results in the younger age categories, but at the moment our Provincial Team only reaches down to Under 16's due to funding.

BMX Nationals: Results from Saturday May 17th

Photos courtesy Cycling BC


Elite Women
1. Christine Miller (Alberta)
2. Kaila Sweeney (Alberta)
3. Danielle Brisson (British Columbia)

Elite Men
1. Scott Erwood (British Columbia)
2. Jimmy Brown (Alberta)
3. Patrick Lebel (Alberta)

Junior Men
1. Joey Trudeau (Quebec)
2. Hugo Benoit-Leduc (Quebec)
3. Jeff Jacobsen (British Columbia)

Junior Women
1. Brookelyn Wilkinson (British Columbia)
2. Sarah Brion (Quebec)

Under 16 Men
1. Tory Nyhaug (British Columbia)
2. Nick Benniti (British Columbia)
3. Steve Crichton (British Columbia)

On the mountain bike side, things started off with a bang, with Evan Guthrie winning the Canada Cup Junior Men's Cross Country, and Cadet rider Tyler Allison finishing second in the same race. Sebastian Sleep finished 5th, and Phil Cairns finished 9th, a great start for the Team looking ahead to qualifying for the World Championships in Italy in the coming weeks. Bianca Adolf did an amazing ride in the Junior Female race, passing the finish line (1 meter to the side) over three minutes in front of her nearest rival, from Manitoba. However, as she mistakenly did an extra lap, she did not cross the finish line. Only one person on the whole mountain objected to her winning, but the Manitoba Coach objected to her being awarded the win, and so she was assigned her final finishing time including the extra lap that she completed, putting her in 11th when really she should have placed 1st. Team BC MTB Coach Steve Lund protested the decision for the next two hours to no avail, as the rules state that you have to cross the finish line. The win would have secured Bianca a good position looking ahead to next week's second qualification race for the National Team for World Championships.