June 21, 2015 (Ottawa, ON) – It was a year for first-timers at the 43rd edition of the Preston Street Criterium presented by eQ Homes in Ottawa on Father’s Day Sunday. The victors in the elite women’s and elite men’s events had never raced Preston Street before, and they both came out on top of the strongest fields in years.
But the biggest winners were the spectators who turned out in force for the elite races as the sun came out after a wet start to the day and were treated to an exciting day of racing.
Elite Women
The elite women’s race was stacked with talent. The Cyclery-Opus, which has won the event for the last five years running, lined up with 2013 and 2014 champion Annie Foreman-Mackey backed up by talented teammates including Ellen Watters, Emily Flynn and Ariane Bonhomme.
They faced a field with plenty of out-of-town riders on their way to the Canadian Championships next week. These included Vancouver’s Trek Red Truck Racing (Leah Guloien, Kinley Gibson, Sarah Coney, Sara Bergen and Suzanne Hamilton), Montreal’s SAS-Mazda-Macogep_Specialized, 2014 world team time trial champion Karol-Ann Canuel (Velocio-SRAM) and 2012 Olympian Joëlle Numainville (Bigla Pro Cycling Team).
The racing was aggressive from the start. The riders from The Cyclery-Opus had clearly been given instructions to go on the attack to try to avoid a field sprint and they started launching moves from the first lap. Catherine Dessureault of SAS-Mazda also initiated several breakaway attempts and Canuel got in the mix too, but nothing was able to stay away for more than a lap as the high pace took its toll on the field, whittling the main group down to fewer than 20 riders going into the final laps.
Numainville, who struggled in 2014 with a lingering concussion, has returned to top form recently, finishing second in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau two weeks to go. She was clearly the sprinter to beat but spent much of the race chasing primes, so the big question on the final lap was whether she had anything left for the finish. But she erased any doubts by coming around Jamie Gilgen (Rise Racing p/b Cyclepath Woodbridge) after the final corner to take the win. Independent rider Rebecca Beaumont was third, Canuel finished fourth and Guloien fifth.
“I’m really happy that I came – I didn’t expect such a strong field and so many spectators,” said Numainville. “This gives me lots of confidence that I have good form going into the national championships.”
ELITE MEN
The men’s race had almost as much depth as the women’s, with strong contingents from Team NCCH p/b DEC Express, Ride With Rendall p/b Biemme, Sante Universelle/Marin Bikes and H&R Block Pro Cycling Team, along with smaller entries from Garneau Quebecor, Silber Pro Cycling, Transports Lacombe/Devinci and, racing on his own, heavy hitter Pierrick Naud of Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies.
The attacks started almost as soon as the flag dropped. Adam de Vos and Bailey McKnight of H&R Block both made several attemps, as did Jack Burke and Brandon Etzl of NCCH, Ben Andrew of Santé Universelle and Matteo Dal-Cin and Derrick St. John of Silber Pro Cycling.
But nothing stuck until a group of nine riders moved slightly off the front after about 50 minutes of racing. St-John used this as a launch pad for a solo move that quickly gained 10 seconds on the peloton. Recognizing the danger, the riders in the pack stabilized the gap, and it stayed the same for the next 10 laps. St-John has won Preston St. from this position before – in 2009 – but it was not to be this year as he was brought back with five laps to go, setting up a bunch sprint won by Australian Jason Lowndes of Garneau Quebecor, just ahead of Naud and Etzl.
Lowndes, 21, came to Canada to join his new team this March, bringing with him a reputation as a sprinter. He came through today, winning the $1,000 top prize and his weight in Kichesippi beer.
Results
Elite 3/4, Junior, U17 Men – 36 km – avg. speed 41.0 kph
1. Raphael Couturier (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme – RME.4) 52:42
2. Max Rubarth (Tekn_ Cycle Club – RME.4)
3. Jesse Jarjour (Ind. – RME.3)
4. Frederick Gates (Sante Universelle // Marin Bikes – RME.3)
5. Thomas Oliver (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme – RME.3)
6. Bernhard Isopp (Bateman’s Bicycle Company Ltd. – RME.4)
7. Derek O’Farrell (Ind. – RME.4) 0:03
8. Carson Miles (West of Quebec Wheelers – RMU17) 0:06
9. Louis Kremer-Short (Ottawa Bicycle Club – RMU17) 1:33
10. Sebastian Brooks (Ottawa Bicycle Club – RMU17) 3:11
DNF Matthew Dickson (Ottawa Bicycle Club – RMU17)
DNF Connor Gregory (Bateman’s Bicycle Company Ltd – RME.4)
DNF Warren Shiau (Dark Horse Flyers – RME.3)
DNF Carey Dedo (Gearheads – RME.4)
DNF Stuart Theron (Ind. – RME.4)
DNF Tony Jacques (Ind. – RME.4)
DNF Zachary Kader (Martin Swiss – RME.3)
Master 2/3 Men – 38 Km – Avg. Speed 43.3 Kph
1. Nicholas Bundza (Tekn_ Cycle Club – RMM.2) 52:40
2. Brent Atkins (West of Quebec Wheelers – RMM.2)
3. Andrew Olive (Euro-Sports – RMM.2)
4. Zoltan Liptak (Ind. – RMM.2)
5. Robert Orange (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme – RMM.2)
6. Carl Kiiffner (The Cyclery – Opus – RMM.2)
7. Ian Dalling (Cyclery Racing – RMM.2)
8. Enrico Traini (Radha Cycling Club – RMM.2)
9. James Mcguire (Tekn_ Cycle Club – RMM.2)
10. Bruce Camacho (Full Throttle CC – RMM.2)
11. Brian Kennedy (Mojo Cycles Racing – RMM.3)
12. Mike Avery (First Capital Cycling Kingston – RMM.3) 0:05
13. James White (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme – RMM.2)
14. Brad Martel (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme – RMM.2)
15. Glendon Thomlinson (MBRC – RMM.3)
16. David Charles (Tekno Cycle Club – RMM.2)
17. David Hendrycks (Euro-Sports – RMM.3)
18. Wesley Morgan (Cyclelogik – RMM.3)
19. Grzegorz Wojtowicz (Petawawa Gearheads – RMM.3)
20. Jeff Johnston (Ind. – RMM.3)
21. Scott Martin (Ind. – RMM.3)
22. Peter Schuck (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme – RMM.2)
23. David Bilenkey (Euro-Sports – RMM.2) 0:12
24. Richard Grieve (Tekn_ Cycle Club – RMM.2) 0:14
25. Michel Ostiguy (Golden Sports – RMM.3) 0:18
26. Arthur Jedson Tommy (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme – RMM.2) 1:22
27. Siavash Atighetchi (Ottawa Bicycle Club – RMM.2)
28. William Trischuk (D’Ornellas CC – RMM.3)
DNF Adam Eikenberry (Euro-Sports – RMM.3)
DNF Stephen Michael Deabreu (Full Throttle CC – RMM.3)
DNF Jeff Foy (Ind. – RMM.3)
DNF Dominic Melancon (La Roue Libre – RMM.3)
DNF Emmanuel Eriksson (Ottawa Bicycle Club – RMM.3)
DNF James Brooks (Ottawa Bicycle Club – RMM.3)
DNF Ian Port (Preston_Euro_Sports – RMM.3)
DNF Rick J. Bourgeault (West of Quebec Wheelers – RMM.2)
DNF James Brooks (West of Quebec Wheelers – RMM.2)
DNF Stefan Czaban (West of Quebec Wheelers – RMM.2)
DNS Rodrigo Diaz (Euro-Sports – RMM.2)
DNS Doug Hoover (Euro-Sports – RMM.3)
DNS Ian Hobson (Ind. – RMM.3)
DNS Christian Voyer (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme – RMM.2)
Elite, Master, Junior Women – 47 Km – Avg. Speed 41.4 Kph
1. Joelle Numainville (Bigla Pro Cycling team – RWE.1) 1:08:04
2. Jamie Gilgen (Rise Racing p/b Cyclepath Woodbridge – RWE.1)
3. Rebecca Beaumont (Ind. – RWE.1)
4. Karol-Ann Canuel (Velocio-SRAM – RWE.1)
5. Leah Guloien (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes – RWE.1)
6. Joanie Caron (DNA Cycling p/b K4 – RWE.1)
7. Ellen Watters (The Cyclery – Opus – RWE.1) o:04
8. Natasha Elliott (SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized – RWE.1)
9. Sarah Coney (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes – RWE.2)
10. Catherine Dessureault (SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized – RWE.1)
11. Sara Bergen (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes – RWE.2)
12. Emily Flynn (The Cyclery – Opus – RWE.1)
13. Katherine Maine (The Cyclery – Opus – RWJ)
14. Ashley Barson (Rise Racing p/b Cyclepath Woodbridge – RWE.1)
15. Isabelle Mayrand (R II R Toguri Training – RWE) 1:08
16. Annie Foreman-Mackey (The Cyclery – Opus – RWE) 1:14
17. Carol Deavy (Les Rouleurs de l’Outaouais – RWMB) 3:26
18. Heather Tkalec (Euro-Sports – RWMB) 5:00
19. Angela Beauchamp (Euro-Sports – RWMA) 6:40
DNF Carrie Cartmill (The Cyclery – Opus – RWE.1)
DNF Am_Lie Bruneau (The Cyclery – Opus – RWE.1)
DNF Ariane Bonhomme (The Cyclery – Opus – RWE.1)
DNF Robyn Angeles (Ind. – RWE.3)
DNF Jill Messier (Ind. – RWE.3)
DNF Stephanie Skoreyko (Rise Racing p/b Cyclepath Woodbridge – RWE.1)
DNF Roxanne Päpin (SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized – RWE.1)
DNF Rosalie Cardin Houde (SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized – RWE.1)
DNF Kinley Gibson (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes – RWE.1)
DNF Adriane Provost (SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized – RWE.1)
DNF Suzanne Hamilton (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes – RWE.2)
DNS Lisa Meyer (Euro-Sports – RWMB)
DNS Kaitlyn Steeves (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express – RWE.2)
Elite 1-2, Master 1 Men – 63 Km – Avg. Speed 45.8 Kph
1. Jason Lowndes (Garneau Quebecor) 1:22:28
2. Pierrick Naud (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
3. Brandon Etzl (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express )
4. Anton Varabei (Garneau Quebecor)
5. Jacob Schwingboth (H&R Block Pro Cycling Team)
6. Willem Boersma (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosiac Homes)
7. Matteo Dal-Cin (Silber Pro Cycling)
8. Kevin Massicotte (Jet Fuel Coffee)
9. Stephen Keeping (Transports Lacombe/ Devinci)
10. Julien Brazeau Sequin (Velo-Station)
11. Jean Sebastien Perron (Sante Universelle // Marin Bikes)
12. Matt Surch (Tekn_ Cycle Club)
13. Gevan Samuel (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme)
14. Robert Hargrove (Sante Universalle // Marin Bikes)
15. Doug Van Den Ham (Nine2FivePro.com)
16. Ben Andrew (Sante Universelle // Marin Bikes)
17. Jack Burke (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express)
18. Osmond Bakker (Wheels of Bloor)
19. Etienne Samson (Norco/PremierTech p/b ChewPOD)
20. Marc Boudreau (Cyclery Racing) at :08)
21. Eric Johnston (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express)
22. Martin Rupes (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express)
23. Justin Purificati (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme)
24. William Hurley (The Cyclery – OPUS)
25. Conor O’Brien (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme)
26. Simon Ouellet (Norco/PremierTech p/b ChewPOD)
27. Bailey Mcknight (H&R Block Pro Cycling Team)
28. Mike Reeves (Tekn_ Cycle Club) 0:24
29. Derrick St John (Silber Pro Cycling) 0:32
30. Trevor Stothard (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes) 0:35
DNF Aaron Thomas (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express)
DNF William Dal Pra (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express)
DNF Simon Fothergill (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express)
DNF James Orton (Team NCCH p/b DEC Express)
DNF Gerard Yeates (Full Throttle CC)
DNF Josh Tyrrell (Golden Sports)
DNF Steven De Jongh (Golden Sports)
DNF Travis Samuel (H&R Block Pro Cycling Team)
DNF Matt Deluco (Lapdogs Cycling)
DNF Warren Macdonald (Nine2FivePro.com)
DNF Charlie Gorman (Nine2FivePro.com)
DNF Hans Loeffelholz (Nine2FivePro.com)
DNF Maxime Le Pluart (Norco/PremierTech p/b ChewPOD)
DNF Kevin Archambault (Norco/PremierTech p/b ChewPOD)
DNF Joel Desgreniers (Norco/PremierTech p/b ChewPOD)
DNF Peter Tregunno (Ottawa Bicycle Club)
DNF Jim Tsilemos (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme)
DNF Casey Roth (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme)
DNF Dennis Cottreau (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme)
DNF Brian Trafford (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme)
DNF Wyatt Galley (Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme)
DNF Shawn Clarke (Sante Universelle // Marin Bikes)
DNF Frederick Gates (Sante Universelle // Marin Bikes)
DNF Todd Fairhead (Tekn_ Cycle Club)
DNF Marc Hunt (Tekn_ Cycle Club)
DNF Logan Cornel (Veloselect Racing Team)
DNF Patrick Pelda (West of Quebec Wheelers)
DNF Adam De Vos (H&R Block Pro Cycling Team)