Riders from Trail Bikes Eatmore Sprouts Cycling Team and Comox Valley Cycle Club competed in Race the Ridge, a three-event stage race last weekend in Maple Ridge.
Eatmore was represented by U17 brothers James and Mark Grant and men’s Cat3/4 riders Doug Merrick along with Andrew and Steve Grant. CVCC riders included Jordan Duncan (Cat3/4m), Thomas Andrew (Cat3/4m), Jake Van der Vliet (Cat 3/4m), John Van der Vliet (Cat1/2m), Kia Van der Vliet (Cat3/4w) and Gillian Ellsay (Cat3/4w).
Riders contested a hilly time trial at Golden Ears National Park. In the 10K, the Grant brothers smashed course records as they took their first 1-2 of the weekend. In the 21.5K TT Jordan Duncan powered to the fastest Cat3/4 time of the day to take a 39-second lead over second-place Doug Merrick. Jake, Thomas, Steve, and Andrew all finished on the faster times of the 70-rider group.
In the Cat1/2 field John Van der Vliet finished 1:46 shy of the winning time. In the Cat3/4 womens TT young Riders Gillian and Kia took sixth and eighth against a tough field.
In the evening criterium Gillian and Kia lined up for their race under cold, wet conditions and threatened to worsen. Halfway through the race, hail pelted the riders as Gillian took 5th and Kia 12th.
As the Cat3/4 mens race lined up, a storm drain clogged up and covered a crucial section of the course with water ranging from three inches to 1.5 feet. After waiting in the cold conditions for 25 minutes, and allowed to ride a couple of neutral laps of the course with the flooded sections, riders voted to neutralize the stage as the concerns for safety were too great.
Later. on a smaller, modified course brothers Mark and James Grant used excellent teamwork in the U17 race to splinter the field and take a 2-3 on the more technical course.
Sunday morning featured the Thorn Hill road race; a tough course with a long step-up series of climbs, a huge descent with a tight right hand corner, and a short, but steep uphill finish.
In the Cat3/4 mens race Jordan, Doug, Andrew, Steve, Jake, and Thomas lined up for their 68K road race that featured time bonuses for the top finished of every lap to make up for the cancelled criterium the night before.
After the 68K road race that held a furious pace due to the time bonuses, with over half the field being run off the back, Jordan Duncan and Doug Merrick held onto their overall leads to take a 1-2 on the podium.
In the Cat3/4 womens race Gillian and Kia took 8th and 12th after a tough race that splintered the pack from the start and led to all riders finishing alone.
In the U17 race brothers James and Mark attacked from the start and only a single rider was able to hold on as they raced around the course. When it came to the finish James and Mark took their second 1-2 of the weekend to secure the overall 1-2 podium after smashing course records in the Saturday morning time trial, working together in the criterium, and attacking from the start in the road race.
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