May 11/16 16:59 pm - Preston St. Criterium Kicks Off Ottawa-Gatineau Road Racing Bonanza

Posted by Editoress on 05/11/16
 

The 44th edition of the Preston Street Criterium will be a key part of a very special year for road cycling in the National Capital Region, that will culminate with the Global Relay Canadian Road Championships.

Preston Street will host a full day of Ontario Cycling Association-sanctioned racing on June 19th, showcasing everything from the top professional cyclists in the region competing for cash to youngsters who dream of emulating them one day.

Prize money is substantial and equal top three for both Elite Men and Elite Women:

• 1st $1,000
• 2nd $500
• 3rd $300

On top of this, riders will be vying for cash primes and other prizes.

And in a tradition kept going thanks to the support of Kichesippi Beer, both the Elite Men's and Elite Women's winners will sit on the famous scale and get their weight in some very good craft beer.

On the weekend following the Preston races, the Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships will be held in the National Capital Region for Elite Men, Elite Women, Junior Men, Junior Women and paracyclists. This five-day event will see the best riders in Canada compete in road races, time trials and criteriums.

In the days between, there will be local racing to keep everybody sharp for the Championships.

On Tuesday, June 21st, the annual Bill Patterson Crit for Elite riders will be held at 6:30 pm at the Montreal Road NRC campus. This is a one-hour race and average speeds are in the mid-40s. This forms part of the region’s Tuesday Night Criterium series, and most participants ride to the event using the many bike paths in the region.

Then, on Thursday, June 23rd, the weekly Ottawa Bicycle Club 15 km Time Trial will be held on the Aviation Parkway. A great way to get into a real race pace before the big events at the Canadian Championships.

Full schedule:

• Sunday, June 19: Preston Street Criterium - Little Italy, Ottawa
• Tuesday, June 21: Bill Patterson Memorial Criterium - NRC Montreal Rd. Campus, Ottawa
• Thursday, June 23: OBC 15 km Time Trial - Eastern Parkway, Ottawa
• Saturday, June 25: Canadian Championship road races (Para-cycling; Junior men and women; Wlite and U23 women) - Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa
• Sunday, June 26: Canadian Championship road race (Elite and U23 men) - Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa
• Tuesday, June 28: Canadian Championship time trials (all categories) - Gatineau Park
• Wednesday, June 29: Canadian Championship criteriums (Junior, U23 and Elite men and women) - Aylmer QC

Press release