October 09, 2012 (Redmond, Washington) – Maggie Coles-Lyster, 13, of the Local Ride/Dr. Vie Superfoods+ elite women’s cycling team based in Maple Ridge, B.C. and sponsored by Local Ride Bike Shop and Dr. Vie Superfoods+, continued the upward trajectory of her competitive career at the prestigious Starcrossed cyclo-cross race in Redmond, Washington on Saturday, when she topped a field of 30 women aged 19-plus.
But it’s hard to blend in when you are leading the race. All eyes turned to Coles-Lyster as she exploded off of the starting line and never glanced back. Her only threat came from a tenacious Karin Valliant-Saunders of Seattle, who Coles-Lyster was able eventually able to fend off. The next riders finished nearly one-and-a-half minutes behind.
Coles-Lyster has been finding success nearly wherever she rides her bike, regularly winning races in the U15, U17, and U19 categories in track, road, and cyclo-cross disciplines. She chose to upgrade to the Cat 4 women’s field for Starcrossed in order to get more competition, because, believe it or not, for Coles-Lyster, it’s not all about winning, and she’s having a hard time finding races she can compete in closer to home.
“I want to keep improving, and to do that, I need to be able to challenge myself against other people,” said a pragmatic Coles-Lyster. “But the most important part of racing, is that it’s really fun.”
Coles-Lyster’s two younger sisters, Kaelen, 9, and Campbell, 3, also participated in the action, taking part in the popular and well-attended kid’s events. Over 1,000 racers competed in Starcrossed’s wide spectrum of races on Saturday.
Next up for Coles-Lyster and her Local Ride/Dr. Vie Superfoods+ teammates: B.C. Cyclo-cross Championships in North Vancouver on October 21 and Pumpkin Cross presented by Local Ride Bike Shop in Maple Ridge on October 28.