June 23, 2012 (Lac-Megantic, QC) – Ryan Roth of Cambride, ON is your new Canadian Champion in the road race, thanks to a great performance in the breakaway. Roth fought a tough battle along with Michael Barry (Team Sky), Marsh Cooper (Optum-Kelly Benefit), Sebastien Salas (Optum-Kelly Benefit), Rob Britton (H&R Block) and Antoine Duchesne (Garneau-Québécor) in the last 60 kilometres, and rode together to the very end, as the break stood its ground and lasted throughout the race.

“It feels good to win the jersey. Our only goal for the day was to win the race. I am very happy about that. It’s really special, because you get to wear it all year,” said Roth. “We are the “big team” with numbers in the race, so the pressure is on us. It’s just good we were able to accomplish that.”

With 180 kilometres to go from start to finish, and with over half the race held in pouring rain conditions, the feat of a breakaway was not easy. But Roth was able to bridge, along with Barry, to a previous breakaway on the 7-lap challenging Mont Morne. And on the way back to Lac Mégantic, the breakaway showed composure to the line.

“The team was fantastic. Again, we didn’t have the strongest men in the race, but we focused on racing wisely. It worked!”

Roth has had a great season, taking the first and only win for Team SpiderTech this season, at the Tro Bro Léon 1.1 race in France. Last season, Roth finished off the season on the highest step of the podium at Univest Grand Prix.

“TroBro and today were the goals for me this season. They were two big one-day races I wanted to do well. Today I don’t think I was the strongest man in the race by any means, but I rode the way that we had planned before.”

The break lasted to the end, despite some great pressure from the slimmed peloton, with gaps narrowing to almost 30 seconds in the last few kilometres. Ultimately, with such strong riders in the break, the gap withstood the pressure and made it to the line.

“We weren’t given a lot of information on the gap, and who was behind, so it was tough. Michael [Barry] was so strong I knew he didn’t want the break to come back with no teammates, and he’s not a big sprinter. It certainly didn’t suit him to be in a bunch sprint. Same goes for the two Optum riders. I thought between us the gap would last.”

“I didn’t know I won until I crossed the finish line. I didn’t want to put my hands up as I didn’t want to risk anything. I just focused on my race and not worrying about winning.”

In the U23 race, David Boily, which was in the break since the beginning of the race, stepped on the second step of the U23 podium, next to winner Antoine Duchesne (Garneau-Québécor). Hugo Houle, took the third place.

The race today also marked the return of Keven Lacombe, who suffered major inuries in the Tour of Turkey. François Parisien, which has missed the entire 2012 to date to heal a knee injury, was also in the race, which are good signs of the return to competition for these two riders.

Cycling Canada Cyclisme Report – Ryan Roth Wins Maple Leaf Jersey

June 23, 2012 (Lac-Megantic, QC) – Ryan Roth (Team SpiderTech) will proudly bear the maple leaf jersey for the next year following his victory in the road race at the 2012 Canadian Road Championships, which were held in Lac-Megantic. Antoine Duchesne (Garneau-Quebecor) claims for his part the Canadian champion’s jersey in the U23 category.

Riders with Team Spidertech, with a full contingent, were seen as favorites before the start of the race. They also placed four riders in a breakaway that held on for a hundred of the 180 kilometers that the race lasted. The break even took a lead of six minutes before the peloton decided to close the gap.

The work of Michael Barry (Team Sky), Dominique Rollin (FDJ-Big Mat), Svein Tuft (Orica-GreenEDGE) and Christian Meier (Orica-GreenEDGE), all world class riders, managed to close the gap. David Veilleux (Europcar) has also done extensive work in the bunch, but a flat tire made him lose precious time.

After the seven climbs of the Mount Morne, riders headed back to the municipality of Lac-Megantic with a breakaway of four riders led by Michael Barry. The latter has been very active throughout the race and it was finally at the finish line that the race was decided, with Roth taking the win with a one second lead (4:35:21) on Barry, while Marsh Cooper (Optum-Kelly Benefit) crossed the line in third with the same time for third place.

“It was so tight at the finish line,” said the new Canadian champion. “I did not even raise my arms for fear of being passed. It’s always hard to do a sprint finish, and I wanted the victory. When the peloton decided to react to catch the breakaway, the tempo became very high with the work of Tuft, Barry, Rollin, and Veilleux. When Michael decided to take the lead, I followed him. He worked very hard. With four of our guys in the break, there was Michael and I could try something in the mountain.”

In the U23 race, Antoine Duchesne, also fourth in the Elite race, savored his victory that completed an all-Quebec podium in the category, with David Boily (SpiderTech) in second place and Hugo Houle (Spidertech) in third.

“It’s been four years since I had not won, so this win is very satisfying. I was a little apprehensive at first because I was not feeling well, I had stomach pain. But as the race progressed, I felt better and when we returned to town, I felt fine. When I had the opportunity to breakaway, I did it with François Parisien and Nic Hamilton.

“At six or seven kilometers from the finish, I went alone on a hill and I keep this position to the end.  Fourth place among the Elite and a Canadian title in the U23, I could not ask for a better day.”

Full results HERE.