June 20, 2003 (Delta, B.C.) – It's number one versus number two, a classic showdown between the best in the business. North America's top ranked teams, Prime Alliance and Saturn Cycling will stage a weeklong duel in the streets of Delta, Gastown and White Rock in BC Super Cycling week, July 18 to 27.
“This is going to be a great battle,” promises Prime Alliance Team Director Kirk Wilett. “Our teams are pretty evenly matched. We kind of flip flop. Last year we wound up number one in the US and Saturn was ranked number two. This year so far it's the other way around with them winning the big races, like Redlands and Sea Otter, which we won last year. Whenever we go head to head it's pretty close. It all depends on who has the best legs that particular week.”
Prime Alliance has confirmed it will send four sets of very strong legs to BC to try to end Saturn's monopoly of the men's events. Saturn swept all 5 races last year but is guaranteed a tougher time this year against it's old rival, Prime Alliance, led by a hometown hero, Langley's Svein Tuft.
“We'll definitely be doing all we can to get a win for Svein,” reveals Wilett. “All the guys look up to Svein. He's a leader by his personality, his work effort and the sacrifices he makes. He's so incredible as an anchor for our team. He uses a lot of his efforts for his fellow riders and they'd love to repay him in front of his hometown fans.”
The 23-year-old Tuft has come close to winning on his own in the last two years in BC. In 2001 he was nosed out at the finish line in a furious sprint to the finish in the Tour de Delta White Spot Road Race won by New Zealand's two-time Commonwealth Games Champion, Graham Miller. Last year Mark McCormack needed crucial blocking tactics from his Saturn teammates to hold off Tuft and win the Tour de Gastown. This year Tuft is looking forward to a more even fight.
In addition to Tuft, Prime Alliance will have three other stars in the races which are the climax of the season long SISU BC Cup Series. Alex Candelario, a dangerous sprinter, Ryan Miller of Wenatchee, Washington, a criterium specialist who's won four times in the US this year and the team's top racer, Danny Pate, the under 23 World Champion in 2001 is ranked number 3 in the US in 2003, down one spot >from his second place ranking last year.
“He hasn't had the big result yet this year but Danny's our top rider day in and day out, he's the most consistent, ” says Wilett. “You can't count any of our guys. Depending on how the races shape up with different team tactics we could have anyone win any race. Danny will be a threat in all of them but I think his best race will be White Rock. The hills there suit him really well.”
Wilett knows what it takes to win the Tour de White Rock. He was the champion in 1996, one of his final victories before retiring after a long, illustrious career that included an appearance in Gastown in 1992. The BC races are among his fondest memories. “Racing in front of those big crowds in Gastown and White Rock is as good as racing gets in North America,” he says. “That's one of the reasons we're bringing a team up there. I don't know much about Delta but I hear it is every bit as good as the other races. The buzz down here (in US racing circles) is that you've got something really special happening up there in BC. It's great to see a new race series with unique courses, top quality racing and super fan support. That's one of the things I remember the most about Gastown and White Rock. The quality of the courses and enthusiasm of the communities was top notch. White Rock especially was a classic urban circuit where the whole community turned out to watch the races.You guys up there are creating a must attend event that all the top teams are going to put on their schedule every year.”
Stay tuned for further announcements. There are a lot of top teams that have already added Delta, Gastown and White Rock to their list this year. Organizers are finalizing details and expect to announce in the coming weeks several other prominent teams will be racing here in July.
“It couldn't work out any better,” says Rita Clarkson, Racer Director for the Tour de White Rock. “We set out to get more teams that could compete evenly. We didn't want one team dominating as much as Saturn did last year. It's a better show when you have five or six teams competing instead of just one. This will be one of the best weeks of racing we're ever had.”