June 14/17 15:56 pm - Masters Road Championships Attracts Riders from Across Canada

Posted by Editoress on 06/14/17
 

Close to 400 riders competed at the 2017 Global Relay Canadian Masters Road Championships p/b Lexus in Vancouver, ranging in age from 30 to 74 years.  Championship titles were awarded for women and men in Time Trial, Criterium and Road Races across multiple age categories.

The Championships opened on Friday with the time trial events, with riders from British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec winning titles.  Conditions were perfect, with a sunny and warm evening, and a stunning mountain backdrop as the athletes raced along Spanish Banks and English Bay.

Dalton Fayad (Fresh Air Experience/Concept) of British Columbia took the Men's Master B title. "The course was tough with a climb right before the turnaround.  I knew there would be a lot of competition with most of the top time trial riders here.  I just muscled through it and went hard up the climb; I didn't know how it would turn out but just left it all out there.  That's all you can do."

Jennifer Bell (Thunder Bay Cycling Club) of Ontario, in the Master E Women's category, commented "It was absolutely amazing and the worst thing ... in a good way.  I tried not to go out too hard, but the second time around was definitely painful."

On Saturday, the Criteriums were held, with B.C. and Alberta riders dominating - B.C. taking four titles and Alberta two.  Andrew Davidson (The Lead Out Project) of Alberta won the Master A Men's race in a solo breakaway.  "It's the first time I've done that [gone on a break].  I didn't have any team mates and some of these guys did, so I wanted to get up the road early.  No one else came across so I just kept chugging away.  I overdid it in one corner and went down, but got back up and saw that the group wasn't going that hard so I attacked again."

The road races were held on Sunday, with riders from Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and British Columbia all winning national titles.  Ian Scott (Wheels of Bloor) of Ontario won the Master C Men's 104 kilometer race, just one second ahead of a 12 rider chase group.  "Honestly, I felt terrible all race!  It was a race of attrition.  The climb wasn't steep but doing it ten times; it was just a question of surviving it and playing to my best hand, which was the sprint."

Results