July 09, 2011 (Delta, BC) – After being part of a four-rider breakaway that spent half the race building a 30-second lead, it came down to the final corner for Ryan Anderson at the first race of BC Superweek at the Tour de Delta on Friday night. He almost didn’t make it.

Anderson got his front tire almost sideways and clipped a pedal before straightening out just in time to win a sprint to the finish line just ahead of Columbia’s Andres Diaz and Aldergrove native Marsh Cooper at the first ever MK Delta Lands Criterium.

“It was a pretty exciting finish, got a little jumpy out of the last corner but happy to win,” said Anderson, a Vancouver native who rides internationally for Team Spidertech, the professional cycling team started by Canadian cycling legend Steve Bauer with the goal of competing in the Tour de France. “That’s not too normal, but it happens.”

Anderson managed to avoid an early crash that took down close to a dozen riders, and completed 40 laps around the 1.3-kilometer closed-street circuit in North Delta in one hour, five minutes and 11 seconds. He spent half the race in a break with Diaz, who rides for the Boise-based Team Exergy, Cooper, another local cyclist who races professionally in North American with the Minnesota-based Kelly Benefit Strategies-Optum Health Pro Cycling team, and Sebastien Salas of the locally based Team H&R Block.

But a pack that included several top international pros like Christian Meier and Andrew Pinfold from United Healthcare, Columbian Olympian Carlos Alzate (Team Exergy) and current US Criterium champion Daniel Halloway (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Optum Health) reeled in the break on the final climb up the back stretch, forcing Anderson and company to make a mad dash into that tight final corner just before the finish line.

“I kind of had the best seat in the house for Ryan’s little maneuver in the last corner,” said Cooper. “I was secretly hoping they would fall over and I would sneak through for the win but it didn’t work out this time.”

Diaz was surprised the break stayed away as long as it did, setting up a sprint to the finish line that played away from his strengths as a climber.

“I was very surprised because the last 13 laps we were not working very good, we were not helping each other and the Spidertech guy was not helping us,” Diaz said. “That was pretty scary at the end in the that corner. I braked but I should have kept going. I got scared because I’m not a sprinter, but then after it was like `what did I do.’”

The 30-lap women’s race also came down to a sprint to the finish, one that pitted a pair of up-and-coming 19-year-old Canadians against a 40-year-old mother of three, who just happens to be married to a Canadian Olympic medal winning cyclist.

Karlee Gendron, a Winnipeg native riding for the local Trek Red Truck team won the 30-lap women’s race in 57 minutes and 56 seconds. Gendron, who recently raced in Europe on a Team Canada project, beat out Dana Walton, the wife of Tour de Delta co-founder and Olympian Brian Walton, who was announcing the race. Jasmin Glaesser, another young rider who recently competed in Europe, celebrated her 19th birthday by finishing third while representing the Local Ride Racing/ Dr. Vie Superfoods team.

“It as a tough day, all the teams kept the pace really high,” said Gendron, admitting a hill on the backstretch was not what a Manitoban wants to see.  “I’m not a hills rider at all, every time through was hard, but out team cane through and it came out really well.”

Walton was just happy to finish, saying she thought about packing it in a couple of times only to be spurred on by her cheering kids – ages 5, 7. 9. Considering she was out of racing for 12 years – almost as long as her competitors have been alive – and only started training last winter after racing casually the last two years, it was an impressive finish.

“I’m really happy. I hate to say surprising but in a way it is,” said Walton, riding for Cadence/Alliance Environmental. “It was a very hard race. There weren’t too many down periods. At one point I was gapped and thought `this is it,’ but I heard my kids yelling and I thought         ok I got to at least finish’ but I was able to pull out second.”

Glaesser, who won the 2010 Canadian junior Road Race and Time Trial championships but wasn’t recognized because she was born in Germany and is still waiting for her Canadian citizenship, would have preferred a time trial-style prologue like last year’s BC Superweek kick-off race. But she was happy with a podium in the criterium.

“It wasn’t my best race but we had some good moments as a team,” said Glaesser, who spent a month in Europe before the recent national championships. “This is for sure one of the best races in Canada all year. I can’t think of another race that gets this audience and this good a set up so it’s great publicity for our team and for us riders.”

BC Superweek and the Tour de Delta continue with the Brenco Criteirum on Saturday night and the White Spot Road Race on Sunday. BC Superweek continues with the inaugural UBC Grand Prix on Tuesday, the return of the Giro di Burnaby Thursday, and the historic three-race Tour de White Rock July 15-17.

Results

Women 1/2/3

1. Karlee Gendron (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes 0:57:56.00
2. Dana Walton (Usa) Cadence/Alliance Environmental
3. Jasmin Glaesser (Ger) Local Ride Racing/Dr. Vie Superfoods+
4. Shailie Sanbrooks (Can) Russ Hays Bike Shop
5. Shani Laxson (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
6. Patricia Bailey (Usa) Keller Rohrback
7. Laura Brown (Can) Local Ride Racing/Dr. Vie Superfoods+
8. Stephanie Roorda (Can) Local Ride Racing/Dr. Vie Superfoods+
9. Amy Dearden (Can) Russ Hays Bike Shop 0:58:01.10
10. Kristine Brynjolfson (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes 0:58:03.10
11. Noe Cooper (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
12. Jessica Hannah (Can) Local Ride Racing/Dr. Vie Superfoods+ 0:58:05.70
13. Catherine Varland (Usa) independent 0:59:25.30
DNF Rachel Canning (Can) Local Ride Racing/Dr. Vie Superfoods+
DNF Julia Garnet (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
DNF Shannon Baerg (Can) Russ Hays Bike Shop
DNF Erin Redl (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling
DNF Meghan Grant (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling
DNF Diane Campbell (Can) CVC Racing
DNF Tamasin Reno (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling
DNF Jennifer McMahon (Can) independent
DNF Nik Vogler (Can) Westwood Cycle/Cannondale p/b Vision Sports

Pro 1/2 Men

1. Ryan Anderson (Can) Spider Tech 1:05:11.00
2. Andres Diaz (Col) Team Exergy
3. Marsh Cooper (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth
4. Carlos Alzate (Col) Team Exergy
5. Sebastian Salas (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
6. Brad Huff (Usa) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda
7. Michael Smith Larsen (Den) Socalcycling team
8. Andrew Pinfold (Can) United Health Care
9. Daniel Halloway (Usa) Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth
10. Tommy Nankervis (Aus) RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling Team
11. Tyler Trace (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
12. Ben Chaddock (Can) Team Exergy
13. Ian Crane (Usa) Hagens Berman Domestic Elite
14. Adam Thuss (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
15. Jesse Reams (Can) Garneau Evolution 1:05:15.70
16. Cody Canning (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
17. Chris Gruber (Can) Kallisto/Wheels of Bloor
18. Christian Meier (Can) United Health Care
19. Morgan Schmitt (Usa) United Health Care
20. Scott Laliberte (Can) Westwood Cycle/Cannondale p/b Vision Sports
21. Nic Hamilton (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda
22. Jacob Schwingboth (Can) Isorex
23. Adam Carr (Usa) Form Fitness
24. Colter Young (Can) Rideokanagan.com pb Norco
25. Julian Kyer (Usa) Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth
26. Mike Sidic (Can) Cycling BC
27. Bailey McKnight (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
28. Quinn Keogh (Usa) Team Exergy
29. Spencer Smitheman (Can) Hagens Berman Cycling
30. Kevin Mullervy (Usa) Team Exergy 1:05:20.90
31. Zack Garland (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
32. Mike Elliston (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling
33. James Larmer (Can) Westwood Cycle/Cannondale p/b Vision Sports
34. Ted Martin (Usa) Garneau Evolution
35. Curtis Deardon (Can) Garneau Evolution 1:05:22.80
36. Tim Abercrombie (Can) Garneau Evolution 1:05:24.00
37. Eric Wohlberg (Can) Form Fitness
38. Guy Biggar (Can) Garneau Evolution
39. Cameron MacKinnon (Can) independent 1:05:25.40
40. Marvin Guzman (Can) Westwood Cannondale p/b Vision Sports
41. Christopher Wingfield (Usa) Hagens Berman LLP
42. Jeff Werner (Can) Garneau Evolution
43. Dustin Andrews (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
44. Cid Martinez-Arroyo (Can) Team Coastal
45. Raphael Lalumiere (Can) Russ Hays Bike Shop
46. Erik Mulder (Can) independent
47. John Perkins (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling
48. Conor Mullervy (Usa) Team Exergy 1:05:31.40
49. Aaron Schooler (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
50. Garrett Mcleod (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
51. Dustin Macburnie (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
52. Jason Thompson (Can) Garneau Evolution 1:05:35.00
53. Steve Fisher (Usa) Hagens Berman Cycling 1:05:38.40
54. David Gerth (Can) Garneau Evolution 1:05:40.70
55. Alistair Howard (Can) Garneau Evolution 1:05:45.10
DNF Reid Mumford (Usa) Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth
DNF Sean Mazic (Usa) Jelly Belly p/b Kenda
DNF David Stephens (Can) Garneau Evolution
DNF Mike Rothengatter (Can) Garneau Evolution
DNF Kyle Buckosky (Can) Garneau Evolution
DNF Bradley Clilfford (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
DNF Kristofer Dahl (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
DNF Matthew OHagan (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
DNF Nick Friesen (Can) Team H&R BLOCK
DNF David Vukets (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
DNF Bryson Bowers (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
DNF Rory McAdams (Usa) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
DNF Craig Logan (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
DNF Dan Skinner (Can) Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes
DNF Chris Worsford (Can) Rideokanagan.com pb Norco
DNF Maurice Worsford (Can) Rideokanagan.com pb Norco
DNF Carlos Capella (Can) Rideokanagan.com pb Norco
DNF Bart Ludbrook (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling
DNF David Gillam (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling
DNF Stephen Ferris (Can) Calgary Cycle/TOP GEAR
DNF Lachlan Holmes (Aus) independent
DNF Kevin Noiles (Can) independent
DNF Mark Mcconnell (Can) Synergy Racing
DNF Mackenzie Garvin (Can) Cyclemiesters Bow Cycle
DNF Scott Inman (Can) independent
DNF Craig Jones (Can) independent
DNF Remi Mcmanus (Usa) Team Exergy
DNF Russell Stead (Can) Daryl Evans Racing
DNF Julian Base (Can) Westwood Cannondale p/b vision sports
DNF Jakub Wasiela (Can) independent
DNF Paul Berry (Can) Spoke Bike and Ski
DNF Mark Perrot (Can) Glotman Simpson Cycling
DNS Jason Kilmartin (Can) Rideokanagan.com pb Norco
DNS Owen Harrison (Can) Team H&R BLOCK