July 19, 2007 (Vancouver BC) — One of the deepest fields in recent years toed the line at last night’s 2007 Tour de Gastown. The women’s race saw the full Jazz Apple team from New Zealand towing the line, plus three of Expresscopy.com’s fastest rider’s including recent 2007 National Road Champ Gina Grain, a large continent from Giant Canada as well as a Symmetrics squad that included Leah Goldstein, making a rare appearance in a one-day criterium.

The men’s field was even deeper with full squads from Navigators, Health Net p/b Maxxis, Jittery Joes and Symmetrics all present as well as Canadian road cycling legend Gord Fraser making an appearance after retiring last year.

It had rained all day long in downtown Vancouver and the trademark bricks of the Gastown circuit had a slick greasy feel to them – especially those in the bottom corner around the statue of Gassy Jack. The course was slick enough that some riders, including BC provincial champion Ryan Anderson (Trek/Red Truck Racing) managed to slide out on the warm up laps.

The Tour de Gastown always has a savage attrition rate and with the rain this was exacerbated even more. Ten laps into the fifty-lap race the field had already shrunk from 119 riders on the start list to less than 40 out on the course and a good number had already been lapped. Hardly a lap went by early on where riders weren’t coming into the pits for free laps.

Twenty laps into the race, a strong breakaway went clear containing the ageless veteran Eric Wohlberg (Symmetrics), Oleg Grishkin (Navigators) and Aaron Tuckerman from the Rubicon squad. The break looked promising, but with Health Net not represented it was eventually clawed back.

With just fewer than twenty laps to go the winning move broke away from the remenants of the field. In it were Svein Tuft (Symmetrics), Grishkin, Vancouver resident Kirk O’Bee (Health Net), Andrew Pinfold (Symmetrics) and Kristian House (Navigators). Pinfold and House were eventually shed from the move, leaving the group of three up front.

The breakaway put nearly forty seconds into the field, and seemed to have the race in hand. Bradley Fairall (SuperSport 35 ACNC) was the sole rider to react to the dangerous move and soloed across to the leaders taking advantage while the break was preoccupied with playing cat and mouse.

Fairall’s ride was probably the most impressive move of the night as he rocketed across to the breakaway in under two laps and then attacked as soon as he got on. Fairall’s inspiring ride continued for the last ten laps as he was far an away the most aggressive rider in the field. Seemingly hell-bent on improving on his second-place performance a year earlier, Fairall cornered with reckless abandon and was consistently gapping his breakaway companions in the corners.

Fairall’s pace in the turns was hot enough that with just over five laps to go Tuft slid out in the bottom corner tearing his white UCI America’s leader kit. Luckily for Tuft it was the last possible corner he could have crashed and still gotten a free lap as he rejoined the break a lap later.

Coming out of the last corner it was Grishkin at the front, but a bit of a bobble opened to the door for O’Bee to charge past and lead out the long uphill sprint.

None of the others were able to come past O’Bee who erased memories of a last lap flat one year earlier with an impressive win in his adopted hometown. Grishkin rebounded for second while Tuft came around a fading Fairall in the final meters.


Results

1. Kirk O’Bee (USA) Health Net p/b Maxxis 25:04.3
2. Oleg Grishkin (Rus) Navigators Insurance 25:04.8
3. Svein Tuft (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 25:05.0
4. Bradley Fairall (Can) SuperSport 35 ACNC 25:05.1
5. Kristian House (Gbr) Navigators Insurance 25:42.3
6. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 25:42.5
7. Zach Bell (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 25:42.9
8. David Veilleux (Can) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team 25:43.1
9. Jonathan Sundt (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifa 25:43.2
10. Hilton Clarke (Aus) Navigators Insurance 25:43.4
11. Gord Fraser (Can) Carmichael Training 25:43.6
12. Brandon Crichton (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 25:43.7
13. Jacob Erker (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 25:44.5
14. Morgan Schmitt (N/A)) Priority Health Presented by Bi 25:44.6
15. Roman Kilun (USA) Health Net 25:44.6
16. Eric Wohlberg (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 25:45.1
17. Kirk Carlsen (N/A)) Team Rubicon – ORBEA 25:45.3
18. Alistair Howard (Can) Masi-Adobe 25:45.5
19. Doug Ollerenshaw (USA) Health Net 25:47.0
20. Rob Britton (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team 25:48.3
21. Aaron Johnson (N/A)) independent 25:49.7
22. Jonathan Gormick (Can) Masi-Adobe 25:49.7
23. Cameron Evans (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 25:52.4
24. Andrew Randell (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 25:56.4
25. Martin Lazarski (Can) Ital Pasta/Transport Belmire 26:06.6
DNF David O’Loughlin (Irl) Navigators Insurance
DNF Ciaran Power (Irl) Navigators Insurance
DNF Kyle Wamsley (USA) Navigators Insurance
DNF Jeffery Hopkins (Aus) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team
DNF Evan Elken (USA) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team
DNF Austin King (USA) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team
DNF Matt Shriver (USA) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team
DNF David McCook (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast Pro
DNF Zachery Garland (Can) Masi-Adobe
DNF Chris Reid (Can) Masi-Adobe
DNF Daniel MacDonald (Can) Masi-Adobe
DNF Aaron Tuckerman (Nzl) Team Rubicon – ORBEA
DNF Brad Payne (Aus) Team Rubicon – ORBEA
DNF Logan Hunn (Nzl) Team Rubicon – ORBEA
DNF Dan Harm (N/A)) Team Rubicon – ORBEA
DNF Trevor Haaheim (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Cory Forrest (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Tim Sherstobitoff (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Dave Vukets (Can) TREK – Red Truck Ale
DNF Jackson Buehler (Can) TREK – Red Truck Ale
DNF Josh James (Can) TREK – Red Truck Ale
DNF Kevin Noiles (Can) TREK – Red Truck Ale
DNF Ryan Anderson (Can) TREK – Red Truck Ale
DNF Bjorn Ossenbrink (Ger) Team Glotman Simpson
DNF Chris Worsfold (Can) Team Glotman Simpson
DNF John Perkins (Can) Team Glotman Simpson
DNF Maurice Worsfold (Can) Team Glotman Simpson
DNF Robin White (Can) Aviawest – Rocky Mountain Bicycles
DNF Scott Laliberte (Can) Team Intregrale
DNF Murray Solem (Can) Team Integrale
DNF David Dunnison (Can) Team Integrale
DNF Jay Hawranik (Can) Team Integrale
DNF William Goodfellow (Can) Volkswagen – Trek
DNF Nick Rowe (Can) Volkswagen – Trek
DNF Chris Torgerson (USA) Excel Sports Boulder
DNF Aaron Levin (USA) Excel Sports Boulder
DNF Kenneth Johnson (USA) Harley-Davidson/Baselines Pub
DNF Chad Nichols (USA) Axley sports eyewear
DNF Thorben Wieditz (Can) Ital Pasta/Transport Belmire
DNF Stefan Rothe (Ger) MERCY Cycling Team
DNF Simon Craig (Can) Spoke N Motion
DNF Jim Tsilemos (Can) Team Coastal
DNF Trevor Connor (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team
DNF Tyler Trace (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team
DNF Chris Squire (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNF Jason Thompson (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNF Jeff Ain (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNF Joe Lepine (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNF Jonathan Page (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNF Tim Abercrombie (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNF Brad Kerr (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Carlos Capela (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Dan Skinner (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Owen Harrison (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Sean Williams (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Attila Hajdu (Can) Independent
DNF Cyrus Kangarloo (Can) Team H&R Block
DNF Zane Westerbeek (Can) Team H&R Block
DNF Matthew Martyniuk (Can) Boh’s Cycle/Moose Jaw Pavers
DNF Rob Evans (USA) BPG/Montano Velo
DNF Teron Singh (Ind) Ciclowerks
DNF Chris Reynolds (Can) CVC – Central Vancouver Cycling
DNF Stephen Ferris (Can) ERTC redbike
DNF Brian Nelson (USA) First Rate Mortgage
DNF Grant Boursaw (N/A)) Gregg’s Lemond
DNF Marcel Aarden (Can) independent
DNF Shaun Adamson (Can) Juventus/RVC/Kona
DNF James Larmer (Can) Sudbury Cycling Club
DNF Craig DeBellefeuille (Can) Synergy Racing
DNF Ryan Olson (Can) Team BH/Integrale
DNF Marco Sabatino (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team
DNF Jeff Castenmiller (Can) TREK – Red Truck Ale
DNF Nathan MacDonald (Can) TREK – Red Truck Ale
DNF Anthony Steenbergen (Can) Team H&R Block
DNF Philippe Abbott (Can) Ital Pasta/Transport Belmire
DNF Peter Sanowar (Can) Ital Pasta/Transport Belmire
DNF Jamie Sparling (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team
DNF Ron Klopfer (Can) Team Integrale
DNF Mike Elliston (Can) CVC – Central Vancouver Cycling
DNF Jesse James Collins (Can) Bicisport Gruppo Sportivo Campione
DNF Dave Brooks (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team
DNF Owen Sturgess (Can) Escape Velocity 02
DNF Mike Scheske (Can) Escape Velocity 02
DNF David Richter (USA) Ital Pasta/Transport Belmire
DNF Mike Bidniak (Can) TREK – Red Truck Ale
DNF Dana Williams (Can) TNA
DNF Ryan Hopping (Can) La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries
DNF Carlos Calcerrada (Uru) Mighty Cycling
DNF Ryan McNamara (Can2) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team
DNF Jack Okuniewicz (Can3) CVC – Central Vancouver Cycling
DNS Andrew Kyle (Can) Aviawest – Rocky Mountain Bicycles
DNS Brett Boniface (Can) CHAZAL/Chambery Cyclisme
DNS Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Health Net
DNS Max Plaxton (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team

Fined for not obeying Commissaire
50. Trevor Haaheim (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
100. Tim Abercrombie (Can) Escape Velocity