May 31, 2014 (Victoria, B.C.) – It’s going to take a bit more than a finish line battle to wrestle the BC Road Cycling Championship’s title away from Megan Rathwell as she sprinted the last few metres of a gruelling Accent Inns Cycling Classic Road Race to win both the elite women’s race and the provincial crown.

Victoria’s Rathwell, riding for Rumble Drinks, beat Nanaimo’s Janna Gillick (Mid Island Velo Association) in a sprint finish to win her second provincial championship in as many years.

Rathwell and Gillick finished the 80-kilometre Metchosin course in 2:22:20 while Optum Pro Cycling’s Denise Ramsden was third in 2:22:05. The trio broke free about half way through the race, working together until the end.

On the elite men’s side, H&R Block’s Garrett McLeod took advantage of the last hill of the 120-km course to escape from the lead pack with five kilometres to go. The Nova Scotian rider crossed the line by himself in 3:04:21 to win the second race of the 2014 Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series p/b PISE.

McLeod won by 28 seconds, the pack finish line sprint resulting in a second-place finish for Accent Inns/Russ Hay’s Cycling Team Cody Canning from Victoria, while Lead Out Project’s Evan Bayer was third. Except for a four-man breakaway early in the race, the lead pack stayed together the entire way.

As the first BC rider to cross the finish line, Canning takes the 2014 BC Road Cycling Championships elite men’s title. This makes Canning and Rathwell the unofficial King and Queen of BC cycling as they are a long-time couple off the bike as well.

Hotel Zed Dallas Road Time Trial winners Annie Ewart and Craig Richey relinquished their Omnium leaders jerseys to Gillick and McLeod who both now take the jerseys and the total series points lead into tomorrow’s Russ Hay’s / Accent Inns Bastion Square Grand Prix which is also the BC Criterium Cycling Championships. Sunday’s events also include the Tim Hortons Timbits Challenge and the GAIN (German Auto Import Network) Celebrity Challenge.

Victoria’s Mick Bryson, riding for Oak Bay Bikes/Victoria Wheelers, won the BC Road Race Masters Championship, finishing the 70-km race along with a 20-man lead pack in 1:56:20. Cordell Dickie, riding for Chain Line Cycle Club finished first in this non-elite race. No one was registered as a women’s master (40+), but Musette Cafe’s Louisa Scarlett won the 40-km women’s non-elite race.

For more information on the Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series presented by PISE click here.

Results

Women

1. Megan Rathwell (Rumble Drinks) 2:22:20
2. Janna Gillick (Mid Island Velo Association)
3. Denise Ramsden (Optum Pro Cycling) 2:22:05

Men
1. Garrett McLeod (H&R Block) 3:04:21
2. Cody Canning (Accent Inns/Russ Hay’s Cycling Team) 0:28
3. Evan Bayer (Lead Out Project)