June 21/10 16:46 pm - Banff National Park Bicycle Festival: Stage 4 report, photos and results

Posted by Editoress on 06/21/10
 

Banff National Park Bicycle Festival Stage 5: Tunnel Mountain Road Race

The 11-lap Tunnel Mountain Road Race, 143km, the final event of the Invited Men's Category, was treated to perfect weather conditions. With the start/finish line on Beaver street at Wolf street the course heads out of town along Banff avenue to Tunnel Mountain Road. Up the winding climb with views of Mount Rundle, the course snakes its way back through town through Surprise Corner.

General Men Categories 2/3 and 4 completed 78km and raced early in the morning, rolling off the line at 7 a.m. Mike Sidic (H&R Block) soloed to victory, with MacKenzie Garvin (Cyclemeisters) winning the chase group sprint for second with Gideon Krishtalka (H&R Block) in third. Mark Jesse (Speed Theory) was the first Category 4 man across the line, with Neil Reid (ERTC-Revolution) in second, and Chris Taylor (Rundle Mountain Cycling Club) claiming third.

The Invited Men got underway at 10 a.m. and early attacks produced a break of three riders, including Sebastian Salas (H&R Block) Tyler Trace (Trek Red Truck), and Matthew O'Hagan (Garneau Evolution). The three became two within half a lap, and Trace and Salas soldiered on, their time gap fluctuating between 1:30 and 2:00 lap after lap. After a huge effort, the two were shut down by the chasing peloton with five laps to go.

"We were going hard out there," said Trace. "I was really hurting in the peloton after we got chased down, I kept waiting to get dropped."

Almost immediately after the peloton caught up with Trace and Salas, a Calgary Cycle rider attacked, and was joined by an RMCC team member. Junior rider Craig Logan (Trek Red Truck) bridged up to the two escapees, dropped both within a lap, and built up a solo lead of 40 seconds after another lap. Then Logan's team mate Adam Thuss bridged up to him, and soon the two had a minute on the field.

A lap later, the chasing peloton came alive and Thuss and Logan's lead quickly dropped to 45 and then to 35 seconds with the pack looming behind them. With two laps to go, the two leaders began to fade, and Justin Kerr (H&R Block) and Marcel Aarden (Total Restoration) caught them with peloton ready to pounce. But the group of four off the front was not to be, and by the time the riders came through to start their last lap, what remained of the field, about 28 riders, was back together.

The finish came down to a field sprint with Trace wining by a narrow margin over Cyrus Kangarloo (Total Restoration), with Garrett McLoed (H&R Block) in third.

"I was so tired at that point," Trace commented, "I guess I just really wanted a bit of redemption after [fading during the sprint finish of] the Sprint 1A Road Race."

The GC leaders came through with the pack, keeping their positions, with Ian McKissick (Lenovo) winning the overall, Dave Vuckets (Trek Red Truck) in second, and Paul Tichelaar (ERTC/Revolution) taking the third spot on the final podium. McKissick's second place in the Prologue and ITT win, along with his strong placements in the other stages, earned him the best overall time and the General Classification victory.

"The team was great today - we really had all hands on deck," said Vuckets. "I broke my chain on the last climb and Craig [Logan], who's still a junior, gave me his bike and a push - very professional! Then Tyler [Trace], who had waited with me, helped me get back into the pack. And then Tyler got the stage win!"

The Tunnel Mountain Road Race signals the end of another successful Banff National Park Bicycle Festival.


All photos by Craig Douce and supplied by organizer