September 15, 2015 (London, ON) – The younger members of the Centurion-Next Wave Cycling Team ended their season on a high note with stellar performances in the Tourism London Gran Prix road cycling races this past Saturday. In the overall tally after eight races, the team walked away with two Provincial Championship Jerseys, three second place finishes and two third place finishes.
With the Junior Team taking a well-deserved weekend off racing, it was the Youth Cup Team’s turn to showcase the regions up-and-coming talent. Boys and girls ages 9-15 years raced in all categories and found their way to the podium in most of the day’s races.Racing was held on a flat loop in East London which was closed to traffic. The rain which poured down all night cleared up just before the start and weather conditions were ideal – cool, dry, and a light wind. All racers started with a time trial (an individual race against the clock) followed by a road race (mass start).
The Squirt Girls (age 9-10yrs) proved unbeatable in the time trial once again with Ava Holmgren taking Gold, followed by Elli Clark and Isabella Holmgren. They would repeat that performance in the road race with the exception of Clark taking first ahead of Isabella Holmgren and Ava Holmgren. In the final points tally combining the two events, Elli Clark was awarded the 2015 Provincial Champions jersey. The future looks bright for these girls as they advance next year to the Peewee category.In the Cadet category (age 15-16yrs) Dana Gilligan won Silver in both the time trial and road race, resulting in a second place overall.
Amongst the boys, Owen Clark won the time trial in the PeeWee category, while Colton Woods, Paul Mysko and Dylan Kerr placed 3rd, 4th and 5th in the Minime category time trial. Tyler Clark placed second in the Cadet men’s time trial. Owen Clark would bolster his final points tally with a second place in the road race and thus placing the 2015 Provinical Championship jersey on his shoulders. Colton Woods placed third in the road race, a performance that resulted in a third overall placing. Similarly Tyler Clark placed 4th in the Cadet road race sprint finish and would claim second overall in his category.Paul Mysko’s performance in the minime road race was noteworthy as he broke away from the peloton early in the race and would create a huge gap for the other teams to close. As those teams eventually reeled him in, Mysko’s team-mates could sprint for the finish with fresh legs and obtain a podium result. “This is the kind of team work and smart strategy that we look for in these riders”, said coach Holmgren of Mysko’s move, “This bodes well for the future”.
Indeed, the team is already looking forward to next year and even greater success as it continues to prove that this area’s cyclists are amongst the best in the province.