April 15, 2014 (Pitt Meadows, B.C.) – Local Ride’s spring road cycling races drew nearly 200 competitors, including some of Canada’s top cyclists, to Pitt Meadows this past sunny weekend to contest the popular Barry’s Roubaix and Airport TT.

“Racers and volunteers were loving the heat and sunshine in Pitt Meadows this weekend, especially after last year’s frigid April rainstorm,” said event organizer Barry Lyster of Maple Ridge. “It didn’t quite have the same epic factor that Roubaix is known for, but we were more than happy with what we got.”

The Airport TT, a 12.5-kilometre individual time trial, featured a flat out-and-back course along some the most popular and scenic cycling roads in Pitt Meadows. Olympic Bronze Medalist Jasmin Glaesser (Team TIBCO) of Coquitlam unsurprisingly threw down the fastest elite women’s time, completing the course in 17 minutes and two seconds, setting an average speed of a blistering 43.12 kilometres per hour. Justine Clift (Glotman Simpson Cycling) of Vancouver finished second, followed by teammate Morgan Cabot, also of Vancouver, in third.

In the elite men’s race, it was Canadian Time Trial Champion Curtis Dearden (Accent Inns/Russ Hays presented by Scotia Bank) of Victoria who claimed victory in a time of 15 minutes and 37 seconds. Jordan Landolt of Victoria snapped up second place, with Dylan Davies (Accent Inns/Russ Hays presented by Scotia Bank) of Newmarket, Ontario in third.

“We were thrilled to have such high-calibre riders come out and race,” said Lyster. “Having an Olympic medalist and a National Champion was a great opportunity for young developing racers in BC to rub elbows with the best of the best and learn from them.”

Local Ride Racing’s Maggie Coles-Lyster of Maple Ridge logged the top result in the Open Women’s category with a time of 19 minutes and five seconds, followed by teammate Kelsey MacDonald of Pitt Meadows in second place.

Kelly Jablonski (Just Giver 4PD) of Richmond took the win in the Open Men’s race in a time of 17 minutes and six seconds, while Local Ride Racing’s Brett Wakefield of Maple Ridge finished a scant two seconds behind for second place.

Sunday’s Barry’s Roubaix road race, the weekend’s main event, was uncharacteristically mild, and riders crossed the finish line sweating and scorched with sunburn as opposed to shivering and caked in grime as is often the case. The unique road race, which uses a large portion of the community’s beautiful dyke network, has a strong 13-year history in Pitt Meadows.

Riders raced laps of the 9.16-kilometre course, with the number of loops dependent on category, which ranged from Novice and Youth to Elite.

The event paid homage to a historic spring cycling classic in France that saw its 112^th edition happen on the same day as its Pitt Meadows tribute. The gravel dykes mimicked the bone-jarring sections of cobblestone for which the French event, Paris-Roubaix, is infamous.

Local Ride Racing came out on top in the Cat 1/2/3 women’s race on Sunday, courtesy of Coquitlam’s Sandra Walter, 2012 and 2013 Canada Cup Mountain Bike Champion, whose late race attack was just enough to deliver her to the finish line first. Allie Guenther (Accent Inns/Russ Hays presented by Scotia Bank) of Victoria sprinted to second place, followed by Claire Cameron (Glotman Simpson Cycling) of Vancouver in third.

The Accent Inns/Russ Hays presented by Scotia Bank squad dominated the Cat 1/2 men’s competition, sweeping the top three spots, led by race winner Greg Christian of Saint Simons Island, Georgia, USA. He and second place finisher Dearden arrived at the line together in a two-man breakaway, while third place, Davies, rolled across in third place, alone, more than four-and-a-half minutes later. The rest of the field was similarly splintered after 12 laps of intense racing.

Local Ride Racing’s Jackson Pickell, 17, of Port Coquitlam powered to a stellar 10^th-place in the top ranks. The young up-and-comer chose to compete with the big guns in order to gain valuable high-level race experience. Fellow teammates, Rich Machhein of Maple Ridge and Julian Base of Vancouver were also amongst the fray.

Another promising young Local Ride Racing crew member, MacDonald, used home turf advantage to reach the top of the podium in the seven-lap Cat 3/4 women’s race. Vancouver’s Heidi Manicke (Giant Vancouver) rode to second spot, followed by Local Ride Racing’s Coles-Lyster in third, despite a nasty tumble in a gravel corner.

The eight-lap Cat 3 men’s competition saw a heated battle filled with attacks and counterattacks that whittled the peloton down to a hardy few. Seventeen-year-old Max Duso (TAG Cycling) of Vancouver grabbed victory in a bunch sprint finish, followed by Alex Langley of Vernon in second and Local Ride Racing’s Wakefied third.

Fellow Local Ride Racing teammate Carsten Ivany of Abbotsford finished hot on his heels in fourth, while the squad’s Ryan Newsome of Port Moody crossed the line in 16^th.

Vancouver’s Jeff Gardner (Triple Crown Racing) won the Cat 4 men’s event, while Jack McKillop (Escape Velocity p/b Catalyst Kinetics) of North Vancouver sprinted to second place. Fifteen-year-old James Grant (VIPYRS) of Merville won the bunch sprint for third.

Andrew Kerr of Pitt Meadows delivered Local Ride Racing’s top result in 17^th, followed by Team Manager Paul Craig, also of Pitt Meadows, in 22^nd.

Conor Martin (Norco) of Kelowna was the top finisher in the U19/U17/U15/U13 category. North Vancouver’s Eric Inkster (DEVO) pulled into second spot, while Ethan Pauly (Tripleshot Cycling) of Victoria grabbed the final podium spot. Sarah Van Dam (Tripleshot Cycling), also of Victoria, was the top female finisher in the category.

This fantastic weekend of cycling events was made possible with the generous support of Local Ride Racing, Kicking Horse Coffee, Q Energy Drink, Golden Ears Physiotherapy, Superior Glass, Power 2 Max, Cycling BC, City of Pitt Meadows, Pitt Meadows BMX, and Cycles Lambert.

Find the full Airport TT results here.

Find the full Barry’s Roubaix Road Race results here.