June 18, 2019 (Thornbury, Ont.) – On Saturday, June 15, the Blue Mountains Gran Fondo (BMGF) took place starting and ending in the lovely town of Thornbury, Ont. For a fifth consecutive year the BMGF was the sole Canadian qualifier event for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championship.

Rainy and cool conditions did not deter the 600 participants from enjoying the quiet roads and scenic views of this charming region. The event was divided into three groups with the first two waves competing for an entry to the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships – the top 25% of riders in each category earned an entry to the worlds.

Men under fifty started in the first Wave and completing a 152-kilometer course with 1092 meters of elevation gain. Greg Moore (40-44 – Morning Glory Cycling Club) dashed out into a solo break just eight kilometers into the race and was soon joined by Chris Polett (40-44 – To Wheels Racing).

The duo was able to build a lead of over 12 minutes at the start of the Epping climb for a second time (km 70). The lead was reduced to 10 minutes by the time the two-man break started climbing Bowles Hill (km 110), when Moore distanced Polett and rode the final 40 kilometers solo to take the victory finishing 4:13 ahead of Polett and 4:35 ahead of Gaelen Merritt (19-34 Toronto Hustle Cycling Team) in 3rd place.

Wave 2 featured all women riders and men 50+ who rode the 112km course with 795 meters of climbing. Dan Martin (50-54 – Pete’s Coffee Racing Team) the 2016 Road UCI GFWS World Champion took off as soon as the neutralized section ended riding solo out in front of the peloton for the first 20 kilometers. A group of five riders led by Kevin Simms (50-54 – Sound Solution) and including Olympian Sue Palmer-Komar (W50-54 – Wheels of Bloor/AutoStyle Collision) crested the Epping climb first with riders splintered into several groups pedaling hard to get back in contact with the leaders.

By the time the group started the second loop it had swollen to around 50 riders. With a 30kph head/cross wind and no one wanting to drive the pace, attacks began with Wheels of Bloor, Sound Solutions and Pete’s Coffee riders taking turns trying to separate themselves from the sticky peloton. Ultimately it was the newly minted Canadian National Road Champion, Steve McKee (50-54 – Wheels of Bloor), who broke free. The chase efforts were taken up by a surging Dan Martin who could not find enough help to sustained effort.

The peloton rode conservatively leading up to the Bowles Hill Climb, while McKee quickly built up a 5-minute lead and then sailed home to victory. McKee’s teammate Bruce Bird (50-54 – Wheels of Bloor) finished 31 seconds back. Third place was won in a sprint with UCI GFWS Time Trial Champion from 2016 Dan Bryant (50-54 – Pete’s Coffee) finishing just ahead of hard working at Simms 4:31 behind McKee.

Four strong women fought for the top three spots in the women’s race with the 2019 Ontario Cup Points Co-Winner Joyce Spruyt (19-34 – To Wheels Racing) crossing the line first ahead of Sue Palmer-Komar, Stephanie Martinek (45-49 – Collingwood Cycling Club) and Nicole Lentini (35-39 – First Draft P/B Mercedes-Benz Oakville).

The third wave rode the Medio Fondo distance of 72 kilometers and included a Hill Climb KOM/QOM Challenge. The top three women finishers were: Jasmin Jackson (Newmarket Eagles), Karri Beck (B1 Evo Cycling) and Natalie Wright. The top three men were: Theron Inglis (Ride with Ryan P/B Cycling Elements), Zakariya Jackson (Toronto Hustle) and Krzysztof Kurzawinski (Win Cycling Centre). The Hill climb QOM was won by Melissa Hardy and the KOM was taken by Zakariya Jackson.

All participants were entered into a random draw at the end of the awards ceremony for a chance to choose an item from the prize table with over 10k in cycling gear generously provided by the event sponsors.

Expect a strong Canadian Team at the 2019 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships later this summer in taking place in Poznan, Poland from Aug. 29th-Sept 1st.

A complete list of results can be found here.