May 01, 2014 (Maple Ridge, BC) – Race the Ridge, the second round of Cycling BC’s BC Premier Road Series, saw the province’s top racers vie for the overall stage race victory and the coveted series leader’s jersey last weekend over two days of furious racing in Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge.

“Spectators and fans were treated to some great racing and we definitely lucked out with the weather,” said Race the Ridge organizer and Cycling BC Race and Event Coordinator Barry Lyster.

April showers hit the later starts as Race the Ridge kicked off on Saturday morning with the Thorn Hill Road Race on some of Maple Ridge’s beautiful rural cycling roads, but the riders prevailed and were greeted by sunshine in the afternoon.

The seven-lap, 68.25-kilometre Cat 1/2/3 women’s race was dominated by the six-woman strong Trek Red Truck Racing presented by Mosaic Homes Team who attacked from the start and left the remaining riders to chase. World Junior Track Cycling Championships silver medalist Kinley Gibson’s (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes) of Edmonton, Alberta, was the first escape to stick as a result of the barrage of attacks by her squad. She held on to the take the solo victory, while fellow teammates Leah Guloien of Port Moody and Shoshauna Routley of Abbotsford, BC escaped later in the race to finish second and third, respectively.

The 10-lap, 97.5-kilometre Cat 1/2 men’s competition saw a similar show of control from the Accent Inns/Russ Hay’s presented by Scotia Bank team that launched Jacob Schwingboth of Surrey into top spot, finishing 14 seconds ahead of the rest of the podium, fellow teammates Canadian Time Trial Champion Curtis Dearden of Victoria and Dylan Davies of Newmarket, Ontario, rolled across the finish in second and third place, respectively.

Local Ride Racing’s Brett Wakefield of Maple Ridge pulled off an amazing solo win in the seven-lap, 68.25-kilometre Cat 3 Men’s contest, executing an early breakaway that he held to the end.

“Race the Ridge has always been one of my favourite races on the calendar,” said Wakefield. “Not only does it take place in my hometown, but the road race course really favours my abilities. Winning here was extra-special for me, because it was also my first ever road win.”

Christopher D’Arcy (Todd’s Racing) of Vancouver won the bunch sprint for second place, while Trevor Stothard (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes) of Victoria finished third in the race and top Junior. Mike Elliston (Speed Theory) of Vancouver was the top Master 40+ finisher in seventh.

Maple Ridge native Maggie Coles-Lyster (Local Ride Racing) went on the attack in the Cat 3/4 women’s race, breaking away from the field, only to be reeled in by eventual winner, Musette Caffe’s Louisa Scarlett of Vancouver and third place, Gillian Ellsay (Trail Bikes) of Courtenay. Fifteen-year-old Coles-Lyster was the top Junior finisher of the five-lap, 48.75-kilometre competition, placing second.

Stage two of Race the Ridge was a challenging 12.5-kilometre individual time trial in Pitt Meadows. Despite the flat terrain, riders faced a constant headwind as they powered north towards Pitt Lake along the area’s scenic agricultural roads. Justine Clift (Glotman Simpson Cycling) of Vancouver managed to break the Trek Red Truck stranglehold with her time trialing prowess to take the Cat 1/2/3 women’s stage win in a time of 18 minutes and 30 seconds. Road race winner Gibson clocked the second-fastest time, trailing Clift by 21 seconds, while Morgan Cabot (Glotman Simpson Cycling) of Vancouver finished third.

The winner of the Cat 1/2 men’s time trial was no surprise as the Canadian champ and obvious favourite Dearden stamped out his competition with a time of 16 minutes, 37 seconds. His Accent Inns/Russ Hay’s presented by Scotia Bank teammate, Cody Canning of Victoria finished second, trailing by only four seconds, while IRC’s Jordan Landolt of Victoria finished third, only seven seconds off of Dearden’s time.

Ellsay pedaled to top spot in the Cat 3/4 women’s time trial, followed by fellow junior rivals Clara Mackenzie (CSI Pacific) of Victoria in second and Coles-Lyster in third.

Alex Langley of Vernon stopped the clock in 17 minutes and 58 second for the Cat 3 men’s victory, followed by Fulgas Racing’s Matthew Van Nostrand of Vancouver in second, and top junior Cordell Dickie (Cycling BC) of Kelowna in third. Richard Wooles (Cycling BC) was the fastest Master 40+ man with a time of 18:06.

The third and final stage of Race the Ridge 2014 was the much-anticipated Town Core Criterium, which took place on a technical 800-metre course in the heart of downtown Maple Ridge on Sunday morning. Once again, spring showers struck briefly, but the rain held off for the majority of the event that included a free kid’s race for the next generation of cycling champions.

In the Cat 1/2/3 women’s race, the Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes squad once again used their numbers to whittle down the field and force their competitors onto the defensive. Despite numerous attacks from Local Ride Racing’s Sandra Walter of Coquitlam and time trial winner Clift, the Trek Red Truck team managed to shut them down and sent their own riders into the clear. Walter, Clift, and Mighty Riders racers Sara Bergen of Vancouver and Jennifer Gerth, also of Vancouver, worked together to reel in the break and force the dominant team into chasing, but they were unable to breach the Trek Red Truck sweep. Routley came out on top, followed by teammates Gibson and Jenny Lehman of Victoria.

In the end Gibson captured the overall Race the Ridge victory, followed by Guloien in second, Routley in third, Lehman fourth, and Clift in fifth. Walter was awarded the Jeremy Storie Most Aggressive rider award for her efforts in animating the road race and criterium.

Bergen pulled on the BC Premier Series leader’s jersey as the top-ranked rider in the series after the first two rounds.

Schwingboth secured his second stage victory, winning the criterium and thus the overall classification in a thrilling high-speed 45-minute criterium that saw the Accent Inns/Russ Hay’s presented by Scotia Bank armada shut out their rivals with move after relentless move that shattered the field. The team’s Cid Martinez of Burnaby took the second podium spot, while Canning sprinted to third. The BC Premier Series jersey rests on the shoulders of Dearden, who will be tasked with defending it in next month’s third round.

“The battle for the BC Premier Series title is getting more intense. I’m really looking forward to seeing how round three unfolds,” said Lyster. The Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series, the third event of the five-race BC Premier Road Series, takes place May 30 to June 1 in Victoria.

Coles-Lyster earned the Jeremy Storie Most Aggressive Rider award after a very savvy Cat 3/4 women’s criterium that saw her win both primes and launch a breakaway in a counterattack off of her Local Ride Racing teammate Kelsey MacDonald’s (Pitt Meadows) own move. Coles-Lyster also sprinted to win the race and defend her junior women’s BC Premier Series lead.”Winning the criterium at Race the Ridge was the best feeling. I came around on the final lap, and could barely make myself stand to sprint for the finish, my legs were so tired. Though, I was so proud of myself and couldn’t stop smiling when I came across the line in first!” said Coles-Lyster.