July 20, 2007 (Delta, BC) — The Yukon strongman, Zach Bell of Symmetrics Cycling Fuelled by Farm Pure Foods, survived a slippery start on a cold, wet night for a record third victory in the Brenco Hill climb, the opening event of the 7th annual Tour de Delta.

“It was real slick out there,” said the Watson Lake native who now calls Burnaby home. “It was hard transfer the power to the road in the first 15 meters. I spun out three times before I got going.”

Despite his problems with a steady rain that fell all race long, the 24-year-old posted a winning time of 1.09.52, more than three seconds faster than his Symmetrics teammate Will Routley of Whistler. Defending champion, Ryan Hopping (La-Z-Boy) of Fort Mcmurray was 3rd.

It’s the 2nd victory of BC Superweek for Bell who also took the Tour de White Rock criterium. It was the 3rd victory and 9th podium finish of BC Superweek for the men on the Langley-based Symmetrics squad.

“We expected to do well this week,” said Bell. “The wet weather favours us. We’re used to it. I’m a little unhappy because my time was four seconds worse than the record I set a couple of years ago (in 2004) but it was tough out there tonight.”

Women’s Race

A hardy 32 riders of the 36 registered showed up at the start line for the women’s race even though the 700 meter course had turned increasingly slick in the steady rainfall that began only moments before racetime.

“It was a little bit slippery but it wasn’t that bad as long as you took clean lines and were comfortable on your bike,” reported Malindills Maclean (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team.

No one was more comfortable than “You Can Now Call Me Malindy” of Clevedon, New Zealand. The 18-year-old was the fastest of the night, 1.25.92, posting the first win of her road racing career. Leah Guloien (Team Giant) of Port Moody was 2nd and 3rd went to Maclean’s Kiwi teammate Alison Shanks.

“I”ve only been road racing for six months so it feels great to win, especially because now I can use my real name,” she said laughingly. “Malindy is what I’ve been called all my life but my teammates (Jazz Apple Cycling Team) said I would have to be called Malindills until I won a race. It gave me a little extra motivation.”

After two months on the road in Canada and the US, “Malindy” and her half dozen teammates are looking forward to returning home where she’ll enter her 2nd year in pre-law and psychology at the University of Aukland.

“We’ve been on the road for a long time but it’s been great,” said the former Track Sprinter who recently finished in the top-10 at the Junior Road World championships.

“BC Superweek has been fantastic. It’s wonderful to see the support you get here from the volunteers and the fans, to see all these people turn out on a night like this and to see those big crowds in Gastown despite that weather the other night. It’s pretty special. I hope we’ll be back again next year.”

They’ll all be back tomorrow night for the Lehigh Cement criterium from 4.30 to 9 pm in downtown Ladner. The Tour de Delta concludes with the White Spot Road Race at 9 am on Sunday from North Delta to Tsawwassen.

Results

Women

1. Malindills Maclean (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team 1:26
2. Leah Guloien (Can) Team Giant 1:31
3. Alison Shanks (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team 1:31
4. Courtney Albert (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 1:32
5. Leah Goldstein (Isr) Symmetrics Cycling 1:33
6. Jenny Trew (Can) Giant Bicycles Canada 1:35
7. Jaymie McGowan (Can) Oak Bay Bikes 1:37
8. Heather Kay (Can) ERTC/redbike 1:38
9. Shoshauna Laxson (Can) Team Whistler 1:38
10. Megan Rathwell (Can) Independent 1:40
11. Lisa Tasa (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 1:40
12. Anna Webb (USA) A E Sport Development 1:40
13. Jennifer Schultz (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:41
14. Margaret Pugh (Can) Chicks Cycling Club 1:41
15. Gillian Kornell (N/A) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:41
16. Kristine Brynjolfson (Can) Team Coastal 1:41
17. Olga Ast (Can) Independent 1:42
18. Sarah Murdoch (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team 1:42
19. Stephanie Roorda (Can) Giant Bicycles Canada 1:42
20. Lee Darling (Can) Team Integrale 1:44
21. Alena Radomsky (Can) Giant Bicycles Canada 1:45
22. Karen Watson (Can) Team Integrale 1:45
23. Stella Carey (USA) Velo Bella-Kona 1:45
24. Fiona MacLeod (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 1:45
25. Heather Gerth (Can) Chicks Cycling Club 1:48
26. Marie-Claude Gagnon (Can) Team Integrale 1:50
27. Monica Nelson (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:53
28. Sarah Kerlin (USA) Velo Bella-Kona 1:54
29. Barbara Zimich (Can) Team Integrale 1:59
30. Carmen Diges (Can) Independent 2:05
31. Marian Hunting (USA) Velo Bella-Kona 2:08
32. Anne-Marie Lefrancois (Can) Team Integrale 2:40
DNS Sarah Stewart (Can) Symmetrics Cycling
DNS Rushlee Buchanan (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team
DNS Natasha Kuzmak (Can) Synergy Racing Cycle Club
DNS Leslie Vice (Can) Chicks Cycling Club

Men

1. Zach Bell (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 1:10
2. Will Routley (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 1:12
3. Ryan Hopping (Can) La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries 1:12
4. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 1:13
5. Cameron Evans (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 1:14
6. Kirk Carlsen (USA) Team Rubicon-ORBEA 1:15
7. Jeff Sherstobitoff (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 1:15
8. Tim Sherstobitoff (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:15
9. Brandon Crichton (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 1:15
10. Matt Shriver (USA) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team 1:15
11. Kyle Wamsley (USA) Navigators Insurance 1:16
12. Stefan Rothe (Ger) MERCY Cycling Team 1:17
13. Tyler Trace (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team 1:18
14. Matt Potma (Can) Team Integrale 1:18
15. David Richter (USA) Ital Pasta/Transport Belmire 1:18
16. Cory Forrest (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:18
17. Craig DeBellefeuille (Can) Synergy Racing 1:18
18. Nic Hamilton (Can) Aviawest/Rocky Mountain Bicycles 1:19
19. Dan Harm (USA) Team Rubicon-ORBEA 1:19
20. Owen Harrison (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:19
21. Brad Kerr (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:19
22. Marcel Aarden (Can) independent 1:19
23. Thorben Wieditz (Can) Ital Pasta/Transport Belmire 1:20
24. Ryan Anderson (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 1:20
25. Evan Elken (USA) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team 1:20
26. Jamie Sparling (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team 1:21
27. David Veilleux (Can) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team 1:21
28. Philippe Abbott (Can) Ital Pasta/Transport Belmire 1:21
29. Rob Britton (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team 1:21
30. Daniel MacDonald (Can) Masi-Adobe 1:22
31. Austin King (USA) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team 1:22
32. Carlos Capela (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:22
33. Chris Reid (Can) Masi-Adobe 1:22
34. Ciaran Power (Irl) Navigators Insurance 1:22
35. Jesse James Collins (Can) Bicisport Gruppo Sportivo Campione 1:22
36. Doug Ollerenshaw (USA) Health Net 1:22
37. Kirk O’Bee (USA) Health Net 1:22
38. Christian Meier (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 1:23
39. Andrew Randell (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 1:24
40. Dave Brooks (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team 1:24
41. Shaun Adamson (Can) Juventus/RVC/Kona 1:24
42. Cyrus Kangarloo (Can) Team H&R Block 1:24
43. Jonathan Gormick (Can) Masi-Adobe 1:24
44. Ryan McNamara (Can2) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team 1:25
45. Mike Bidniak (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 1:26
46. Jeff Castenmiller (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 1:26
47. Jason Thompson (Can) Escape Velocity 01 1:26
48. James Larmer (Can) Sudbury Cycling Club 1:26
49. Jonathan Page (Can) Escape Velocity 01 1:27
50. Hunter Anderson (Can) FloraGlo-Norco-StreetHawkExpress 1:27
51. Dave Vukets (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 1:27
52. Steve Kraetzer (Can) Fresh Air Experience 1:28
53. Brad Payne (Aus) Team Rubicon-ORBEA 1:28
54. Dan Skinner (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:28
55. Sean Williams (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 1:28
56. Kristian House (Gbr) Navigators Insurance 1:30
57. Gord Fraser (Can) Carmichael Training 1:30
58. Bjorn Ossenbrink (Ger) Team Glotman Simpson 1:31
59. Evan Flater (Can) Aviawest/Rocky Mountain Bicycles 1:31
60. Peter Sanowar (Can) Ital Pasta/Transport Belmire 1:31
61. Marco Sabatino (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team 1:33
62. Matthew Martyniuk (Can) Boh’s Cycle/Moose Jaw Pavers 1:34
63. Attila Hajdu (Can) Independent 1:34
64. Chris Squire (Can) Escape Velocity 01 1:35
65. Roman Kilun (USA) Health Net 1:36
66. Logan Hunn (Nzl) Team Rubicon-ORBEA 1:48
67. David O’Loughlin (Irl) Navigators Insurance 1:58
68. Aaron Tuckerman (Nzl) Team Rubicon-ORBEA 2:01
69. Oleg Grishkin (Rus) Navigators Insurance 2:12
DNS Jay Hawranik (Can) Team Integrale
DNS Damien Waugh (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNS Simon Craig (Can) Spoke N Motion
DNS Murray Solem (Can) Team Integrale
DNS Jackson Buehler (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale
DNS Jack Okuniewicz (Can) CVC-Central Vancouver Cycling
DNS Owen Sturgess (Can) Escape Velocity 02
DNS Mike Elliston (Can) CVC-Central Vancouver Cycling
DNS Stephen Ferris (Can) ERTC redbike
DNS Ryan Olson (Can) Team BH/Integrale
DNS Anthony Steenbergen (Can) Team H&R Block
DNS Nathan MacDonald (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale
DNS Zachery Garland (Can) Masi-Adobe
DNS Tim Abercrombie (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNS Bradley Fairall (Can) SuperSport 35 ACNC
DNS Teron Singh (Ind) Ciclowerks
DNS Jim Tsilemos (Can) Team Coastal
DNS Scott Laliberte (Can) Team Intregrale
DNS Shane Savage (Can) Mighty Cycling
DNS Nick Rowe (Can) Volkswagen-Trek
DNS Kenneth Johnson (USA) Harley-Davidson/Baselines Pub
DNS Robin White (Can) Aviawest-Rocky Mountain Bicycles
DNS Josh James (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale
DNS Allan Prazsky (Can) Team Glotman Simpson
DNS Chris Reynolds (Can) CVC-Central Vancouver Cycling
DNS Kevin Noiles (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale
DNS William Goodfellow (Can) Volkswagen-Trek