July 15, 2007 (White Rock, B.C.) – Even the early 8:00am start could not deter the large numbers of spectators from coming out to cheer on the dedicated riders competing today in the 28th annual Tour de White Rock Peace Arch News Road Race. The riders got their wake up call early grinding up steep, unforgiving grades, and careening down sharp descents.

The 11km course (completed eight times by the women and 11 times + 6 short laps for the men) is claimed to be one of the toughest in Western North America and can crack even the strongest of riders if caught in the wrong headspace. One only had to watch how quickly the race changed, and to see the looks of intensity on the faces of the riders, to know that the Tour de White Rock RR once again lived up to its reputation.

Following the first climb up Columbia Rd (Queen of the Mountain points were awarded to the top rider up this hill on each lap), the women’s pack was splintered as a “survival of the fittest” battle ensued to determine who could stick with the lead group. By lap 3, Leah Goldstein (Symmetrics), Rushlee Buchanan (Jazz Apple), Shelley Olds (Proman/Paradigm), Alison Testroete (Expresscopy), and Erinne Willock (Expresscopy) had established a solid and 1:13 gap on the peloton that was steadily increasing.

By lap 6, as the hills started to take their toll on the riders, Olds and Testroete dropped back forming a 2-up chase, while Goldstein accelerated and gained a solo 0:16 lead on Willock and Buchanan. Following her crushing 2-lap time trial effort, Goldstein crossed the finish line solo for the win. Just less than a minute later, Buchanan rode in for a strong 2nd place and close behind, Willock took 3rd. Testroete and Olds came in soon after in 4th and 5th place respectively. The peloton crossed the line 9:30 after Goldstein with a commendable sprint finish.

Following her impressive 3rd in the Hill Climb, 2nd in the Crit, and 5th in the RR, Shelley Olds of Proman/Paradigm was awarded first place in the points omnium for the Tour de White Rock. Coming from a soccer background and having only started bike racing in 2005, this is yet another impressive accomplishment to add to her growing list of podium finishes. – FM

Men’s Race

The powerful Symmetrics squad put their mark on stage three of the Tour de Whiterock today, as Will Routley and Christian Meier powered away from the field to finish one two, while National Champion Cam Evans out-sprinted Kristian House (Navigators) to round out the podium.

Durango Colorado rider Matt Shriver riding for Georgia based pro-team Jittery Joes held on for the overall win with a 9th place finish on a day that saw the sun return after early laps were marred by light rain.

With the win Routley reclaimed the overall lead in the BC Cup, of which only the road race today counted towards the season-long points standings. Rob Britton (La-Z-Boy) wore the jersey going into the punishing 134km road race, that featured 11 laps of a long course with two significant climbs per lap, on Columbia and Magdelan streets, before entering a shorter finishing circuit for six laps.

Britton battled gamely to finish 6th on the day, but with three rounds remaining (including the Delta road race) the ball appears to be in Symmetrics court.

Dave Vukets (Trek-Red Truck) spend the bulk of the winning break with Meier and Routley but the tall rider from Ontario eventually cracked under the relentless tempo on the tough course. A similar fate met many riders as a significant portion of the 94-rider field failed to make the finishing circuit. At day’s end only 23 riders finished the grueling race.

BC Super Week continues on Wednesday, July 18, with the Tour de Gastown, which should showcase a similar field as in White Rock but with the addition of a contingent from the powerful Health Net p/b Maxxis squad as well as Canadian cycling legend Gord Fraser.

Results

Women

1. Leah Goldstein (Isr) Symmetrics Cycling 24:47.9
2. Rushlee Buchanan (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team 25:28.1
3. Erinne Willock (Can) Expresscopy.com 25:49.9
4. Alison Testroete (Can) Team Expresscopy.com 28:27.6
5. Shelley Olds (Usa) PROMAN/Paradigm 29:11.2
6. Gina Grain (Can) Expresscopy.com 34:16.8
7. Malindills Maclean (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team 34:17.2
8. Marni Hambleton (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 34:17.4
9. Jenny Trew (Can) Giant Bicycles Canada 34:17.4
10. Sarah Stewart (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 34:18.5
11. Gillian Kornell () Total Restoration Cycling Team 34:19.0
12. Marie-Claude Gagnon (Can) Team Integrale 34:19.1
13. Megan Rathwell (Can) Independent 34:19.5
14. Courtney Albert (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 34:20.1
15. Leah Guloien (Can) Team Giant 34:20.9
16. Alison Shanks (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team 34:21.0
17. Sarah Murdoch (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team 34:22.3
18. Stephanie Roorda (Can) Giant Bicycles Canada 34:22.8
19. Susy Pryde (Nzl) JAZZ Apple Cycling Team 34:23.7
20. Jennifer Schultz (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 35:37.5
21. Heather Kay (Can) ERTC/redbike 36:06.1
22. Leslie Vice (Can) Chicks Cycling Club 36:06.5
23. Claire Cameron (Can) Giant Bicycles Canada 37:36.0
24. Stella Carey () Velo Bella-Kona 42:06.5
25. Carrie Eller (Usa) Avanti Racing/Ti Cycles 42:50.5
26. Lisa Tasa (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 43:00.9
27. Monica Nelson (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 43:19.8
28. Alena Radomsky (Can) Giant Bicycles Canada 43:53.9
29. Natasha Kuzmak (Can) Synergy Racing Cycle Club 43:55.2
30. Heather Gerth (Can) Chicks Cycling Club 43:56.2
31. Kristine Brynjolfson (Can) Team Coastal-1 lap
32. Ryan Hostetter (Usa) Velo Bella-Kona-1 lap
33. Michele Conrad (Usa) Avanti/TiCycles-1 lap
34. Carmen Diges (Can) Independent-1 lap
DNF Lisa Howard (Can) Giant Bicycles Canada
DNF Laura Brown (Can) Giant Bicycles Canada
DNF Anna Webb (Usa) A E Sport Devolpment
DNF Sarah Kerlin () Velo Bella-Kona
DNF Anne-Marie Lefrancois (Can) Team Integrale
DNF Marian Hunting () Velo Bella-Kona
DNF Jaymie McGowan (Can) Oak Bay Bikes
DNS Lee Darling (Can) Team Integrale
DNS Alex Wrubleski (Can3) Colavita / Sutter Home
DNS Julie Beveridge (Can) Bicisport
DNS Lisa Dorian (Can) CHICKS CYCLING
DNS Fiona MacLeod (Can) TREK-RED TRUCK ALE
DNS Karen Watson (Can) Team Integrale
DNS Sarah Nathan (Can) Chicks Cycling Club

Men Pro 1/2

1. Will Routley (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 35:43.3
2. Christian Meier (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 36:03.7
3. Cameron Evans (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 36:40.8
4. Kristian House (Gbr) Navigators Insurance 36:40.9
5. Ryan Anderson (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 37:01.3
6. Rob Britton (Can) La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries 37:02.8
7. Jeff Sherstobitoff (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 37:09.7
8. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 37:10.0
9. Matt Shriver (Usa) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team 37:10.6
10. Trevor Connor (Can) La-Z-Boy Cycling Team 37:43.9
11. Zachery Garland (Can) Masi-Adobe 37:52.2
12. Kenneth Johnson (Usa) Harley-Davidson/Baselines Pub 37:54.3
13. Philippe Abbott (Can) Ital Pasta / Transport Belmire 38:15.1
14. Mike Scheske (Can) Escape Velocity 02 38:25.8
15. David Richter (Usa) Ital Pasta / Transport Belmire 38:30.6
16. Jamie Sparling (Can) La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries 38:34.5
17. Cory Forrest (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team 40:01.2
18. Jonathan Gormick (Can) Masi-Adobe 40:01.8
19. David Veilleux (Can) Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team 40:04.1
20. Zach Bell (Can) Symmetrics Cycling 41:33.5
21. Kevin Noiles (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale 41:57.7
22. Marcel Aarden (Can) independent 42:54.9
23. Jackson Buehler (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale -1 lap
DNF Hilton Clarke (Aus) Navigators Insurance
DNF Oleg Grishkin (Rus) Navigators Insurance
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 Andrew Randell (Can) Symmetrics Cycling
DNF Brandon Crichton (Can) Symmetrics Cycling
DNF Alistair Howard (Can) Masi-Adobe
DNF Chris Reid (Can) Masi-Adobe
DNF Daniel MacDonald (Can) Masi-Adobe
DNF Trevor Haaheim (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Tim Sherstobitoff (Can) Total Restoration Cycling Team
DNF Dave Vukets (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale
DNF Josh James (Can) TREK-Red Truck Ale
DNF Allan Prazsky (Can) 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 Jay Hawranik (Can) Team Integrale
DNF Thorben Wieditz (Can) Ital Pasta / Transport Belmire
DNF Stefan Rothe (Ger) MERCY Cycling Team
DNF Shane Savage (Can) Mighty Cycling
DNF Simon Craig (Can) Spoke N Motion
DNF Bradley Fairall (Can) SuperSport 35 ACNC
DNF Jim Tsilemos (Can) Team Coastal
DNF Chris Squire (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNF Damien Waugh (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNF Jason Thompson (Can) Escape Velocity 01
DNF Jeff Ain (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 Chris McNeil (Can) Team H&R Block
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 Hugh Trenchard (Can) Island Racing Club
DNF Shaun Adamson (Can) Juventus/RVC/Kona
DNF James Larmer (Can) Sudbury Cycling Club
DNF Ryan Olson (Can) Team BH/Integrale
DNF Marco Sabatino (Can) La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries
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 Peter Sanowar (Can) Ital Pasta / Transport Belmire
DNF Mike Elliston (Can) CVC-Central Vancouver Cycling
DNF Jesse James Collins (Can) Bicisport Gruppo Sportivo Campione
DNF Owen Sturgess (Can) Escape Velocity 02
DNS Eric Wohlberg (Can) Symmetrics Cycling
DNS Andrew Kyle (Can) Aviawest-Rocky Mountain Bicycles
DNS Craig Richey (Can) Aviawest-Rocky Mountain Bicycles
DNS William Goodfellow (Can) Volkswagen-Trek
DNS Stephen Ferris (Can) ERTC redbike
DNS Brian Nelson () First Rate Mortgage
DNS Max Plaxton (Can) La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries
DNS Ron Klopfer (Can) Team Integrale
DNS Martin Lazarski (Can) Ital Pasta / Transport Belmire

Omnium

Men

1. Matt Shriver (Jittery Joe’s Pro Cycling Team) 25
2.Kristian House (Navigators Insurance) 23
3. Cameron Evans (Symmetrics Cycling) 21
4. Will Routley (Symmetrics Cycling) 21
5. Andrew Pinfold (Symmetrics Cycling) 18

Women

1. Shelley Olds (Usa) PROMAN/Paradigm