May 31/10 7:48 am - Robert W. Cameron Law Corporation Cycling Series: Bastion Square GP

Posted by Editoress on 05/31/10
 

La-Z-Boy Bastion Square Grand Prix, May 30th in Victoria BC

Photos by Duane Martindale
Women
Men

Total Restoration’s Cyrus Kangarloo made a gutsy break for it in the last few laps of the 75-lap La-Z-Boy Bastion Square Cycling Grand Prix, but in the end, it was Victoria’s Tyler Trace (Trek Red Truck/Mosaic Homes) who held off a pack sprint to win the criterium and the La-Z-Boy recliner in 1:19:16.

H&R Block team mates Justin Kerr (Cambridge, New Zealand) and Jacob Schwingboth (Vancouver) finished second and third, respectively.  Except for sporadic breaks – most during prime (races within the race) laps – the pack stayed together the entire time. Twenty-four of 56 Cat 1-2 elite riders finished the race, making it one of the largest Bastion criteria fields in recent years.

On the women’s Cat 1-3 elite side, Port Moody’s Leah Guloien (Total Restoration Cycling Team) spoiled Beijing Olympian Erinne Willock’s (Webcor Builders) try for a Bob Cameron W. Law Corporation Cycling Series hat trick with a sprint finish win in 53:08. The women’s race was never in question – it was going to be one of five women – Guloien, Willock, Amy Deardon (Keller Rohrback), Naomi Cooper (Trek Red Truck) or Julia Garnet (Local Ride). The quintet broke from the 28-member pack in the 13th lap of the 45-lap race and lapped the field with 12 laps to go.

Race regulations allow for packs to stay in the race until the last three laps and then clear the field for the leaders. The five women stayed together these last laps, with Guloien, Willock and Dearden (who finished third) edging the other two by five seconds at the line.

Guloien also received a La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries recliner, along with a share of the more than $5,000 in cash prizes for men and women elite riders this weekend.

Willock won the women’s title in both the ProCity Racing Bear Mountain Hill Climb on Friday and the Russ Hays Sooke Classic Road Race yesterday while Tour de France cyclist Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin Transitions) won the men’s hill climb and Tim Abercrombie (Garneau Evolution) won the men’s road race.

Willock, Hesjedal and Alison Sydor made three-Olympian-star appearances riding with other pro riders and the more than 100 Timbits cyclists (aged 5 to 10) in the Tim Hortons Timbit Challenge which preceded the Intact Insurance High School Race.