Rally Cycling continued its long run of podium places north of the border at the Canadian Road National Championships while on the east coast the team dominated the Longsjo Classic. As the team racked up wins and podiums, Jasmin Glaesser and Kirsti Lay were named to Canadian Olympic Team.
Taking place in the capitol city of Ottawa, Ontario, the Canadian Road National Championships were held from June 25 – 29. Sara Poidevin was first to put the team on the podium with an impressive second place in the 110-kilometer Elite/U23 combined Road Race. A noted climber, Poidevin showed her overall strength by sprinting against Ariane Bonhomme (The Cyclery-Opus) for the gold medal amongst the remnants of the field following an aggressive day of racing. She narrowly missed the win, taking her first U23 silver while Poidevin’s Rally teammate Catherine Ouellette finished in fifth, giving the team two riders in the top ten.
Will Routley was denied a national title after a crash in the final corner
In the 180Km Men’s Road Race, Will Routley, Rob Britton and Pierrick Naud rode aggressively as the peloton shattered under the pressure of constant attacks. In the chaos, a group of ten including Routley and Britton created a sizable gap and would fight out the finish amongst themselves having distanced the peloton by some twenty minutes. The group split again over the final few circuits with Routley going clear with 3 others. In the closing meters, Routley was second wheel going into the final corner. In the apex of the turn, Matteo Dal-Cin (Silber Pro Cycling) washed out taking down Routley and Dal-Cin’s teammate Ben Perry. In the crash, Routley rolled his tire, making his bike unrideable. With his bike in tow, Routley bravely ran across the line for third claiming bronze just 2 seconds ahead of a charging David Boily (Garneau-Québécor). Britton escaped the remnants of the breakaway with Boily to finish in fifth.
“It was down to four of us, two Silber, one Garneau and myself,” recounted Routley. “At that point it was a matter of a lot of attacking one another and for me that is a perfect scenario. I am happy with a ton of accelerations. I was analyzing the other three and saw them losing snap in the legs and decided to go for the sprint. I felt really confident and was placed in the right spot entering the final corner of the race, but Dal-Cin took a huge crash with me on his wheel. I somehow managed to slide to a halt, rolling my tire and skidding across the road on the carbon rim. I had it in my head I was going to win nationals, but suddenly realized I had to pick up my bike and run to the finish line to salvage a podium. I can't say I've ever ran my bike to a podium before.”
“I was definitely gutted afterward, but today is a new day. We had three guys there and did a perfect job. Pierrick was on point in marking out key strong players which enabled Rob and I to be in the break.”
The Canadian National Championships continued on Tuesday with the individual time trial. Sara Poidevin doubled down on silver, finishing second in the U23 race by a mere 0.4 seconds, again to Bonhomme, and equaling her placing in Sunday’s road race. Catherine Ouellette finished in sixth. In the elite races, Jasmin Glassier finished fourth, while Rob Britton crossed the line in fifth. Canadian Nationals wrapped up on Wednesday with the Criterium. After a long season the men chose to save their strength and rest ahead of the upcoming BC Superweek. In the women’s race Poidevin rounded out her incredible weekend with a solid sixth place.
As Canadian Nationals came to a close, Cycling Canada announced its roster for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, August 5 -21. Headlining its team pursuit squad are Rally Cycling teammates Jasmin Glaesser and Kirsti Lay. Glaesser was a member of the 2012 Canadian team that took Bronze in London and looks to lead the squad to gold. Both have been splitting time between the road and track this season with impressive results. Glaesser and Lay started their roads seasons at the Redlands Bicycle Classic where Glaesser finished third in the time trial before winning stage two of the Tour of the Gila, finishing third overall and claiming the Best Young Rider jersey. On the track both have played key roles in Team Canada’s World Cup efforts and at the World Track Championships Glaesser and Lay took home a silver medal in the team pursuit while Glaesser doubled down by claiming another silver in the points race.
“We are incredibly lucky to have medal potential across the board,” said Glaesser. “This group has a wide range of experienced athletes – some that have stood on the podium at every level in international events. Congratulations to everyone involved that has made it possible for us to be here today.”
Brad Huff broke free to lap the field solo during day three of the Longsjo Classic
While the Canadian roster was fighting for Maple Leaf jerseys, Rally Cycling was dominating the Longsjo Classic. On day one, Curtis White won the stage solo to take the leader’s jersey. Day two again saw White on the podium, this time in second with Brad Huff in third. On day three, Huff smashed the field, lapping the peloton solo with White finishing third and taking the overall title. Not to be outdone by her older brother, Emma White landed on the podium all three days and finished third in the omnium.
“The Longsjo Classic has always been a monument race for the east coast, to join the list of names of those who have won it is a real honor,” said Curtis White. “It was also great to share the podium with Brad Huff. We worked really well together. He's a fantastic mentor and a great teacher. It would have been much more difficult to win without him.”
When asked about his solo move Huff was quick to credit his teammate’s performance as inspiration for his bold move. “From the first lap of the Longsjo Classic to the last lap, Curtis was on a mission. I was just trying to not get left behind.”
Canadian National Championships Women’s U23 Road Race
1 Ariane Bonhomme (The Cyclery-Opus)
2 Sara Poidevin (Rally Cycling)
3 Kinley Gibson (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes)
Canadian National Championships Men’s Road Race
1. Bruno Langlois (Garneau-Québécor)
2. Benjamin Perry (Silber Pro Cycling)
3. William Routley (Rally Cycling)
Canadian National Championships Women’s U23 Time Trial
1 Ariane Bonhomme (The Cyclery-Opus)
2 Sara Poidevin (Rally Cycling)
3 Kinley Gibson (Trek Red Truck p/b Mosaic Homes)
Longsjo Classic Day 1
Men
1. Curtis White (Rally Cycling)
2. Cole Archambault (GREEN LINE VELO driven by Zipcar)
3. Michael Margarite (CRCA/The Weather Channel Giant Cycling Team)
Women
1. Ellen Noble (Aspire Racing)
2. Amy Cutler (Fearless Femme Racing)
3. Emma White (Rally Cycling)
Longsjo Classic Day 2
Men
1. Bobby Bailey (1K2GO SPORTS RACING)
2. Curtis White (Rally Cycling)
3. Charles Huff (Rally Cycling)
Women
1. Ellen Noble (Aspire Racing)
2. Emma White (Rally Cycling)
3. Amy Cutler (Fearless Femme Racing)
Longsjo Classic Day 3
Men
Charles Huff (Rally Cycling)
Marloe Rodman (PSL Cycling)
Curtis White (Rally Cycling)
Women
1. Amy Cutler (Fearless Femme Racing)
2. Emma White (Rally Cycling)
3. Ellen Noble (Aspire Racing)
Longsjo Classic omnium
Men
1. Curtis White (Rally Cycling)
2. Charles Huff (Rally Cycling)
3. Marloe Rodman (PSL Cycling)
Women
1. Ellen Noble (Aspire Racing)
2. Amy Cutler (Fearless Femme Racing)
3. Emma White (Rally Cycling)
