May 31, 2004 – The “Teutonic Terror” and the “Canadian Streak” are the main
attractions in what is expected to be the best, the fastest and the most
competitive BC Superweek of cycling in Delta, Gastown and White Rock this
summer.

“They’ve got a couple of real heavy hitters there,” says Vancouver
cyclist
Marni Prazsky, referring to Germany’s Ina Teutenberg, one of the best
sprinters in the world and Quebec’s Lyne Bessette, the finest road racer in
Canada and a member of the Quark team competing in the Tour de Delta, July
16-18, Tour de Gastown July 21 and the Save On FoodsTour de White, July
23-25.

At 32, Prazsky has developed into a heavy hitter herself. Prazsky, the Lehigh Cement
Criterium champion in the inaugural Tour de Delta in 2000, is having the
best season of her life this year, dominating local events and winning the TST, a
major road race, against a strong field of Americans in Washington. “Marni’s definitely racing better than ever,” confirms her husband Allan. “She’s finally getting around her inability to climb and time trial and
convinced herself she can do both. That win in Washington was on a very
hilly, 85K course on the Olympic Peninsula.”

While she’s pleased with her win and podium finishes in two other major spring
races in Washington and Oregon, Prazsky knows it’ll be tougher than ever to
win at home. “The depth of the field has always been amazing for Superweek,”
she says. “And this year it’ll be awesome. A lot of the girls in the States
told me they’re planning to come up for the races. There’s a real vibe
about the BC races in Delta and White Rock and they’re really stoked about
Gastown. Racing in front of that huge crowd is a real thrill for anyone.
Last year was probably the greatest race I’ve ever been in.”

Unfortunately Prazsky and the rest of the field were just spectators, racing
for 3rd after Teutenberg and North Vancouve’s Allison Sydor lapped the
field. Teutenberg finally outsprinted Sydor, a World Mountain Bike Champion,
to continue her sweep of the Superweek crits in the Tours de Delta and White
Rock.

“I’d never been to Vancouver before and I fell in love with the place,” said
Teutenberg in confirming her return in 2004. “The water. The mountains. It’s beautiful and the racing was great. I plan to come back every year I can.
It reminds me so much of home.” Both of her homes. The native of
Dusseldorf, Germany now lives in the mountains in Park City, Utah. She’s
been racing for 23 of her 29 years, starting when she was six. Her talent, feistiness and competitiveness were obvious immediately. She
crashed in her first race and had to be rushed to hospital. The next day
she was back racing again. Her squat, powerful body, 5’5″, 150 lbs, made
her a super sprinter and great criterium rider. Her star studded career
includes three World Junior titles and more than a hundred criterium and stage
race championships. She won all of the BC Superweek criteriums last year as a member of the
powerful Saturn squad that dominated racing in North America. After Saturn
ended its sponsorship she has been riding independently. At BC Superweek this year, she’ll be racing against former Saturn teammate
Lyne Bessette, a 29-year-old veteran Canadian National team member who won
gold in the 1998 Commonwealth Games Road Race.

“Wow, that’s great for the fans to get to see a couple of great racers like
Lyne and Ina in the same race,” says Marni Prazsky. “Ina’s super strong in
the crits and Lyne is a real road race specialist. It”šs always exciting to
have women like that race against us in our own stomping grounds. It’s
definitely going to push us to another level.”

The strong field of local riders will include the ageless wonder, Sara Neil
who leads the SISU BC Cup standings again at the age of 42, Leah Goldstein,
second to Teutenberg in Delta’s Lehigh Cement criterium and Mandy Poitras who
was third in the same race a year ago.

Burnaby’s Poitras, 29, thinks she has a chance to win this year thanks to a
new team, Symmetrics, and a new teammate, Prazsky. “Marnie and I definitely
work well together,” she says. “The top sprinters like Ina are really well
supported with teams and so with Marnie and I able to support each other the
playing field should be a little more level. It comes down to speed and
positioning. We will work for whoever is going best on that day, with the
best chance at taking a win. Delta, Gastown and White Rock are all a great
part of helping to raise the profile of women’s cycling and the BC riders
are eager to show that we are on equal ground with the best.”

They’ll get that chance in the Tour de Delta (July 16-18), Gastown (July 21),
and the Tour de White Rock (July 23-25).