July 15/16 23:50 pm - BC Superweek: Port Coquitlam PoCo GP
Posted by Editoress on 07/15/16
Eight Time U.S. National Champion Justin Williams Wins Inaugural PoCo Grand Prix
2009 Australian Junior Female Road Cyclist of the Year Kendelle Hodges Wins Women’s Race
In front of a raucous crowd excited about professional cycling coming to its city, American Justin Williams, riding for Cylance/Incycle p/b Cannondale, streaked across the finish line to make history as the first winner of the $15,000 PoCo Grand Prix p/b Dominion Lending Centres.
Williams, who is an eight time U.S. National Champion including the 2008 U23 Criterium title, sprinted just ahead of Aussies Michael Rice from Garneau-Quebecor and Subaru NSWIS & MS rider Scott Law to claim the $2,200 first prize. With the 1.3 kilometre course being new to all riders, it didn’t take long before the pros figured it out, pinpointing the corner of Elgin Avenue and Shaughnessy Street as one to watch.
Justin Williams wins
Photo Gallery by Oran Kelly - Eibhir.com
“We knew it was a race to the corner and Scott, who has been phenomenal over the last month, went in front of me and said, ‘You know what, let’s go!’,” said Williams. “We trusted each other into the corners, I went around Scott a little before that final corner and I knew I had to win that one. I’m a little bit faster in corners, so I decided to take the front and it worked out.”
With the second place finish, Rice now has three podium appearances at BC Superweek this year after also being third at the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix on Wednesday as well as last Saturday’s Brenco Criterium.
“I’m slowly climbing up the steps and there’s one more to go. The last few laps were pretty crazy, we all knew it was going to be a race to that last corner as we saw with the women, and the Garneau-Quebecor guys looked after me all race. The last lap was up to me and Justin was just a bit too strong a racer after that left hander (corner),” said the 20 year old native of Ainslie, Australia, who was the 2013 U19 Australian Road Race Champion.
With his Cylance team riding well so far during BC Superweek, including his own second place finish at last Saturday’s Brenco Criterium, Williams noted that they had to adjust the way they were riding heading into the Port Coquitlam race.
“We started off just grabbing the races by the neck and just riding from the beginning on some of the tighter courses, but then we think it started to get a bit predictable so we decided to change it up and put guys in moves, bring really important moves back and then hope it comes down to a field sprint and then take the front a little bit later. It worked to perfection today,” he said.
For a while during the race, it looked like Law’s teammate Ayden Toovey would take the win after going away off the front, but despite falling back into the peloton and ultimately finishing 87th, the 20 year old played a big role in his Subaru NSWIS & MS team making it onto the podium.
“It worked really well for us, Ayden did an awesome job, he’s a strong little boy and he definitely gives us a good run for our money out on the road, but it was awesome to see and all the boys rode awesome, I can’t thank them enough,” said Law. “We only had four of us in the race, and when you’re going up against the likes of Silber and Rally, and six man teams, it’s pretty hard to compete. We just had a game plan to go out there and be aggressive, have a bit of fun with it.”
Courtesy BC Superweek
Fun was the name of the game for all involved in the first ever edition of the PoCo Grand Prix, with the community attending in droves and cheering on all the riders in an event that appears to have won a place in the hearts of all in Port Coquitlam.
Women's Race
The BC Superweek Aussie domination continued on the women’s side as well at the inaugural PoCo Grand Prix p/b Dominion Lending Centres as riders from Down Under took two of the top three spots on the podium for the second time in three races.
In the end, it was independent rider Kendelle Hodges from Melbourne building on her third place finish at Wednesday’s Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix to take the win in Port Coquitlam, sprinting ahead of countrywoman Kimberley Wells (Colavia | Bianchi) and Team Canada rider Alison Jackson.
Kendelle Hodges wins
Photo Gallery by Oran Kelly - Eibhir.com
Photo Gallery by Oran Kelly - Eibhir.com
“I knew whoever was first around that corner was going to win today, I went for a couple of early primes, I didn’t want to go for any later ones and it worked every time,’ said Hodges. “The sprint was really to that corner, so we went early and Kimberley went to come around me and I knew I had to beat her around there so I did and it worked out well.”
Wells won the Giro di Burnaby on Thursday night and now has three straight BC Superweek podium appearances after also being second at the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix. The 30 year old recognized the tactics of both Hodges and Jackson on the final lap.
“I didn’t get the timing right today, I knew that Kendelle was working with Alison, so I was very aware of that. They were playing 1-2 along the back straight so I was forced to the front and had to control Alison and then Kendelle jumped the inside,” the two time Australian National Criterium Champion explained. “It’s only a hundred metres from the final corner to the finish so pretty much however you see the people coming through the final corner is how they’re going to end up by the finish line, so I knew 150 metres out that I hadn’t quite done that one right.”
Hodges rides for the High5 Dream Team in Australia, but is on her own without a team at BC Superweek yet acquitting herself quite well. She used her previous experience riding with Wells in her favour on the final lap.
“Kimberley is one of the top Aussie sprinters, we’ve been on a team before back home so I knew her riding style and I knew when she was going to go so that kind of helped. It wasn’t just purely the sprint, it was getting to that corner first today,” said the 24 year old Hodges.
For Jackson, who’s an alternate for the Canadian Olympic Cycling team competing next month in Rio, it’s the third time she’s been third at a BC Superweek race this year, also achieving the placing at the White Spot | Delta Road Race on Sunday and at the Giro di Burnaby on Thursday. When it came to the final lap of the PoCo Grand Prix on Friday, the former triathlete just ran out of gas.
“The last lap is always a lot more fighting, it’s faster, and I knew I had to be first out of the final corner. My opportunity came a couple of corners earlier, I went for it and I’m still happy with the third,” said the 27 year old former Abbotsford resident who now makes her home in Vermillion, Alberta.
And when it comes to being an Olympic alternate, it’s something Jackson couldn’t have fathomed when she started her career.
“I didn’t get my first bike until I was 19, and actually BC Superweek was the first set of races - two years ago - that I came to, tried to race against the pros and see how I did, and ended up winning some races, got a pro contract, and now just two Superweeks after, I’m on the Olympic team,” she said with a proud smile.
BC Superweek continues Saturday night with Steve Nash Fitness World presents Tour de White Rock Choices Markets Criterium. inaugural PoCo Grand Prix p/b Dominion Lending Centres. The youth race starts at 4 pm, the pro women at 5:30 pm, and the pro men at 6:30 pm.
Report courtesy BC Superweek
Photo Gallery by Oran Kelly - Eibhir.com
Results
| Pro/1/2/3 Women | |
| 1 Kendelle Hodges (Aus) High5 Dream Team | 0:51:49.36 |
| 2 Kimberley Wells (Aus) Colavita | Bianchi | |
| 3 Alison Jackson (Can) Canadian National team | |
| 4 Jessica Mundy (Aus) Fearless Femme Racing | |
| 5 Sara Bergen (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| 6 Sarah Coney (Can) Continental Crit Nasty | |
| 7 Lauretta Hanson (Aus) Colavita | Bianchi | |
| 8 Elle Anderson (USA) Rally Cycling | |
| 9 Jessica Prinner (USA) Rally Cycling | |
| 10 Gretchen Stumhofer (USA) Colavita | Bianchi | |
| 11 Carrie Cartmill (Can) The Cyclery - Opus | |
| 12 Stephanie Roorda (Can) Canadian National team | |
| 13 Kinley Gibson (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| 14 Rachel Canning (Can) Continental Crit Nasty | |
| 15 Janna Gillick (Can) Women's Team ATAC | |
| 16 Denise Ramsden (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| 17 Amelie Bruneau (Can) The Cyclery - Opus | |
| 18 Miriam Brouwer (Can) The Cyclery - Opus | |
| 19 Marina Aspen (Can) Fresh Air Athena | |
| 20 Helena Coney (Can) Fresh Air Athena | |
| 21 Annie Foreman-Mackey (Can) The Cyclery - Opus | |
| 22 Leah Guloien (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| 23 Ellen Watters (Can) The Cyclery - Opus | |
| 24 Ashley Barson (Can) Rise Racing | |
| 25 Emily Flynn (Can) The Cyclery - Opus | |
| 26 Hannah Ross (USA) Rally Cycling | |
| 27 Joanie Caron (Can) Fearless Femme Racing | |
| 28 Suzanne Hamilton (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| 29 Amy G (USA) Independent | |
| 30 Justine Clift (Can) The Cyclery - Opus | |
| 31 Michele Scheaffer (USA) Glotman Simpson Cycling | |
| 32 Lucy Bechtel (Aus) Fearless Femme Racing | |
| 33 Jessica Cutler (USA) Colavita | Bianchi | |
| 34 Hannah Van Kampen (NZl) Independent | |
| 35 Kaitlyn Steeves (Can) Independent | all s.t. |
| 36 Louisa Lobigs (Aus) Fearless Femme Racing | 0:52:00.08 |
| 37 Anne Ouellet (Can) Fresh Air Athena | |
| 38 Ariane Bonhomme (Can) The Cyclery - Opus | |
| 39 Shannon Malseed (Aus) Colavita | Bianchi | |
| 40 Emma Grant (GBr) Colavita | Bianchi | all s.t. |
| 41 Kathryn Donovan (USA) Colavita | Bianchi | 0:52:02.04 |
| 42 Elizabeth Hernandez (USA) Colavita | Bianchi | s.t. |
| 43 Whitney Allison (USA) Colavita | Bianchi | 0:52:19.62 |
| 44 Catherine Ouellette (Can) Rally Cycling | 0:52:40.54 |
| 45 Anna Talman (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | 0:52:59.75 |
| DNF Gabby Traxler (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| DNF Alizee Brien (Can) Canadian National team | |
| DNF Brenna Pauly (Can) Women's Team ATAC | |
| DNF Helene Pilote Fortin (Can) Crit Nasty | |
| DNF Manuela Escobar Jaramillo (Col) Laprairie / Pedal Colombia | |
| DNF Elizabeth Steel (NZl) Independent | |
| DNS Gillian Ellsay (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| DNS Erica Allar (USA) Rally Cycling | |
| DNS Katherine Maine (Can) Rally Cycling | |
| DNS Terra Manca (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling | |
| DNS Jody Rechenmacher (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling | |
| DNS Jenny Lehmann (Can) Independent | |
| DNS Chloe Mcintosh (Aus) Independent | |
| DNS Kristy Glover (Aus) Independent | |
| Pro/1/2 Men | |
| 1 Justin Williams (USA) Cylance/Incycle p/b Cannondale | 0:59:33.48 |
| 2 Michael Rice (Aus) Garneau-Quebecor | |
| 3 Scott Law (Aus) Subaru NSWIS & MS | |
| 4 Kristofer Dahl (Can) Silber Pro Cycling | |
| 5 Felix Bouvette (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| 6 Florenz Knauer (Ger) Independent | |
| 7 Joshua Carling (USA) Herbalife p/b Marc Pro & Nature's Bakery | |
| 8 Sam Bassetti (USA) Herbalife p/b Marc Pro & Nature's Bakery | |
| 9 Hunter Grove (USA) Cylance/Incycle p/b Cannondale | |
| 10 Aaron Grosser (Ger) Team H&P | |
| 11 Matt Chatlaong (USA) Herbalife p/b Marc Pro & Nature's Bakery | |
| 12 Nathan Bradshaw (Aus) Subaru NSWIS & MS | |
| 13 Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling | |
| 14 Jure Rupnik (Slo) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| 15 Mathieu Roy (Can) Norco/PremierTech pb POD | |
| 16 Liam Magennis (Aus) Subaru NSWIS & MS | |
| 17 Isaac Leblanc (Can) Accent Inns/Russ Hays p/b Champion System | |
| 18 Juan Estevan Arango Carvajal (Col) Laprairie / Pedal Colombia | |
| 19 Willem Boersma (Can) Team RaceClean | |
| 20 Danick Vandale (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| 21 Evan Murphy (USA) Lupus Racing Team | |
| 22 Winston David (USA) Lupus Racing Team | |
| 23 Laurent Gervais (Can) Norco/PremierTech pb POD | |
| 24 Jonah Meadvancort (USA) Lupus Racing Team | |
| 25 Simon Ouellet (Can) Norco/PremierTech pb POD | |
| 26 Reece Robinson (Aus) GPM Stulz | |
| 27 Ed Veal (Can) RealDeal/D'Ornellas p/b Garneau | |
| 28 Simon-Pierre Gauthier (Can) Garneau-Quebecor | |
| 29 Wolfgang Brandl (Ger) Team Centric Bikes | |
| 30 Olivier Brisebois (Can) Garneau-Quebecor | all s.t. |
| 31 Ole Quast (Ger) Stevens Racing Team | 0:59:41.66 |
| 32 Jack Burke (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| 33 David Drouin (Can) Norco/PremierTech pb POD | 0:59:43.10 |
| 34 Trevor O'donnell (Can) RealDeal/D'Ornellas p/b Garneau | |
| 35 Brannan Fix (USA) Phoenix Cyclery-Orbea Development Team | |
| 36 Warren Muir (Can) The Lead Out Project | |
| 37 Kevin Archambault (Can) Norco/PremierTech pb POD | all s.t. |
| 38 Lukas Conly (Can) Giant Langley / Smart Savvy+ Cycling Team | 0:59:45.82 |
| 39 Stefan Schneider (Ger) Team H&P | |
| 40 Oliver Evans (Can) Accent Inns/Russ Hays p/b Champion System | |
| 41 Brad Bradford (Can) RealDeal D'Ornellas p/b Garneau | |
| 42 Marc Enter (Aus) The Lead Out Project | |
| 43 Jeffrey Werner (Can) Langlois Brown Racing | |
| 44 Geordie Morrison (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| 45 Christoph Schweizer (Ger) Team H&P | |
| 46 Alexander Murison (GBr) Glotman Simpson Cycling | |
| 47 Dylan Davies (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | all s.t. |
| 48 Tom Soladay (USA) Rally Cycling | 0:59:50.70 |
| 49 Quinn Anderson (Can) Mighty Riders | s.t. |
| 50 Brendan Armstrong (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | 0:59:51.78 |
| 51 Sherwood Plant (Can) Langlois Brown Racing | s.t. |
| 52 Jackson Pickell (Can) Langlois Brown Racing | 0:59:52.99 |
| 53 William Myers (USA) Herbalife p/b Marc Pro & Nature's Bakery | s.t. |
| 54 Thomas Wallace (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling | 0:59:55.50 |
| 55 Randy Bramblett (USA) CoreTechs Elite | |
| 56 Anton Varabei (Can) RealDeal/D'Ornellas p/b Garneau | |
| 57 Pier-Andre Cote (Can) Norco/PremierTech pb POD | |
| 58 Garrett Olsen (USA) Independent | 0:59:57.52 |
| 59 Laurier Balthazard (Can) Norco/PremierTech pb POD | s.t. |
| 60 Daniel Owsiany (Can) Independent | 0:59:59.04 |
| 61 Mitch Ketler (Can) Accent Inns/Russ Hays p/b Champion System | |
| 62 Amiel Flett-Brown (Can) Accent Inns/Russ Hays p/b Champion System | |
| 63 Wes Ochitwa (Can) Langlois Brown Racing | |
| 64 Richard Machhein (Can) Team Giant Vancouver | |
| 65 Brett Wakefield (Can) Team Giant Vancouver | |
| 66 Travis Samuel (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| 67 Marc-Antoine Soucy (Can) Garneau-Quebecor | |
| 68 Remi Pelletier-Roy (Can) Garneau-Quebecor | |
| 69 Marc Dupuis (Can) Independent | |
| 70 Garrett Mcleod (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| 71 Kyle Buckosky (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| 72 Clarke Lind (Can) Independent | |
| 73 Chris Harland-Dunaway (USA) Herbalife p/b Marc Pro & Nature's Bakery | |
| 74 Quinten Kirby (USA) SoCalCycling.com | |
| 75 Nigel Kinney (USA) Langlois Brown Racing | all s.t. |
| 76 Conor Mullervy (USA) GPM Stulz | 1:00:06.18 |
| 77 Curtis White (USA) Rally Cycling | s.t. |
| 78 Camilo Zambrano (USA) Cylance/Incycle p/b Cannondale | 1:00:07.36 |
| 79 Timothy Rugg (USA) Herbalife p/b Marc Pro & Nature's Bakery | 1:00:10.38 |
| 80 Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling | s.t. |
| 81 Arturo Suarez (Mex) Langlois Brown Racing | 1:00:12.73 |
| 82 Shane Kline (USA) Rally Cycling | s.t. |
| 83 David Boily (Can) Garneau-Quebecor | 1:00:13.99 |
| 84 Emile Jean (Can) Silber Pro Cycling | 1:00:16.19 |
| 85 Bruno Langlois (Can) Garneau-Quebecor | 1:00:18.63 |
| 86 Nigel Ellsay (Can) Silber Pro Cycling | s.t. |
| 87 Ayden Toovey (Aus) Subaru NSWIS & MS | 1:00:21.41 |
| 88 Oliver Flautt (USA) Lupus Racing Team | 1:00:22.43 |
| 89 Etienne Samson (Can) Norco/PremierTech pb POD | 1:00:35.45 |
| 90 Michael Van Den Ham (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | 1:01:08.41 |
| DNF Jacob Schwingboth (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| DNF Joel Taylor (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| DNF Lukas Adominis (Can) Giant Langley / Smart Savvy+ Cycling Team | |
| DNF Kellen Viznaugh (Can) Giant Langley / Smart Savvy+ Cycling Team | |
| DNF Chris Macleod (Can) Giant Langley / Smart Savvy+ Cycling Team | |
| DNF Brandon Jones (Can) Giant Langley / Smart Savvy+ Cycling Team | |
| DNF Mason Burtnik (Can) Giant Langley / Smart Savvy+ Cycling Team | |
| DNF Ty Andrews (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| DNF David Manton (Aus) GPM Stulz | |
| DNF Alexis Cartier (Can) Garneau-Quebecor | |
| DNF Darcy Woolley (Aus) Garneau-Quebecor | |
| DNF Brad Huff (USA) Rally Cycling | |
| DNF Jem Arnold (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling | |
| DNF Nicolas Masbourian (Can) Silber Pro Cycling | |
| DNF Benjamin Perry (Can) Silber Pro Cycling | |
| DNF Isaac Niles (Can) Accent Inns/Russ Hays p/b Champion System | |
| DNF Timothy Burton (Can) RealDeal/D'Ornellas p/b Garneau | |
| DNF Cory Greenberg (USA) Cylance/Incycle p/b Cannondale | |
| DNF Nathanael Christensen (USA) CoreTechs Elite | |
| DNF Tony Wolf (USA) CoreTechs Elite | |
| DNF Zack Jensen (USA) Phoenix Cyclery-Orbea Development Team | |
| DNF Brett Boniface (Can) Pender Racing | |
| DNF Dan Gronross (Can) Steed Cycles | |
| DNF Jeroen Rijken (Can) Independent | |
| DNS Bailey Mcknight (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| DNS Chris Prendergast (Can) H&R Block Pro Cycling Team | |
| DNS Craig Richey (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| DNS Christian Shobart-Knapton (Can) Trek Red Truck P/b Mosaic Homes | |
| DNS Harrison Bailey (Aus) GPM Stulz | |
| DNS Rylee Field (Aus) GPM Stulz | |
| DNS Samuel Phipps (NZl) GPM Stulz | |
| DNS Will Routley (Can) Rally Cycling | |
| DNS Bjorn Selander (USA) Rally Cycling | |
| DNS Jacob Albrecht (USA) Herbalife p/b Marc Pro & Nature's Bakery | |
| DNS Ryan Moore (USA) Herbalife p/b Marc Pro & Nature's Bakery | |
| DNS Christopher Bradbury (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling | |
| DNS Ryan Jones (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling | |
| DNS Elliott Doyle (Can) Silber Pro Cycling | |
| DNS Cody Canning (Can) Accent Inns/Russ Hays p/b Champion System | |
| DNS David Gerth (Can) Langlois Brown Racing | |
| DNS Cory Ostertag (Can) Langlois Brown Racing | |
| DNS Jackson Law (Aus) Subaru NSWIS & MS | |
| DNS Andrew Davidson (Can) The Lead Out Project | |
| DNS Brent Dallimore (Can) Independent | |
| DNS Adam Roberge (Can) Accent Inns/Russ Hays p/b Champion System | |
| DNS Devon Moonie (Can) Accent Inns/Russ Hays p/b Champion System | |
| DNS Joao Vitor Oliveira (Bra) Independent |
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