May 08, 2013 (Nanaimo, B.C.) – Here is the report from yesterday’s MIVA Tuesday Criterium held at Arbutus Meadows Equestrian Centre in Nanaoose Bay. It was a 30-lap points criterium with sprints every 5 laps. The top three were awarded 5, 3, and 2 points with double points on the 15th lap and final lap.

All youth, women and senior riders competed in the same event tonight as there were only thirteen participants. The pack immediately spread out but reformed by lap four, ready for the first of six primes. As they came round towards the finish, a trio comprising Menno Jongsma, Paul Thompson and junior, Andrew Grant had a slight lead and they took the initial points in that order.

Menno continued out front, forcing the pace but then Paul, Ron Hewitson, James Grant (J) and Nick Kupiak controlled the front of the pack, with the remainder still close behind. As they rounded the sharp turn after the finish line and surged up the hill, cadet woman Jessica Reynolds lost contact but rode on solo, only losing a few metres per lap.
The second prime points on lap ten went to Jongsma who again had edged away from the bunch. Paul Thompson and James Grant took the rest of the points and then things settled down for the next couple of laps. By this time, Charlene Hay and Mike Gill had been lapped but, to their credit, they kept on gamely and eventually finished the race.

The fast-moving pack continued on until the mid race prime which had double points up for grabs. Menno again gapped the field taking Paul and James with him. All three garnered the double points and then eased back to the pack until prime number four which again was won by Menno with James Grant and brother Mark earning the rest of the points.

With nine laps left, Jessica was finally lapped but managed to hang on to the bunch for a couple more laps before dropping off the back, very tired.The bunch eased off a little for the next four laps but with five to go the pace picked up again and Menno took the penultimate prime. Charlene Hay was being lapped again at this point and crossed the line in second place, getting three points but not altering her position as she was not on the same lap as any of the other points winners. Third in this fifth prime was Vipyrs cadet .Brodie Hay.

With five laps to go until the final sprint, Menno time trialled off the front and opened up a sizable gap on the field. The rest of the bunch kept together attempting to organise a chase but still dropped back. Just a couple of hundred metres before the last lap Brodie Hay touched Evan Earp Jones’ wheel and came down heavily. Evan and Ron Hewitson stopped to check that he was OK and reported a case of road rash but nothing broken.

At the line, it was Menno Jongsma adding to his total with yet another ten points for a perfect score of forty. James Grant was second with six points and Paul Thompson third with four points. The points winners were placed in order with the rest of the riders placed according to their finishing postion on the final lap. Any lapped riders were placed according to the number of times they were lapped and any riders not crossing the finish line were recorded as DNF.

The Vipyrs showed tonight that they were well able to stay with a senior pack and even to challenge them. The Grant brothers were third and fourth – quite an achievement with at least two second category riders in the race tonight.

Thanks to Hillary Grant for bell and lap board operation, to Iain Hay for course set-up and to Patrick Burnham for offering first aid service.

RESULTS
1. Menno Jongsma (MIVA) 40 points
2. Paul Thompson (MIVA) 17 points
3. James Grant (Vipyrs) 15 points
4. Mark Grant (Vipyrs) 2 points
5. Nick Kupiak (MIVA)
6. Jessica Reynolds (Vipyrs) lapped
7. Mike Gill (MIVA) lapped
8. Charlene Hay (MIVA) lapped (3 pts)
Andrew Grant (3 points) DNF
Brodie Hay (Vipyrs) DNF
Ron Hewitson (MIVA) DNF
Evan Earp Jones (Victoria Wheelers) DNF