Day 1 | Friday June 21st | St Prosper, | Time Trial 28km
The break in the heat wave Friday morning was very welcomed as we set up trainers and settled into the plan for the day. Day rolled out smooth, first rider Aaron Stagg was up at 10:46 with Adam our last rider at 11:20am.
Jr Men’s field was 61 riders and PNW Jr’s were in the mix! Oscar unfortunately flatted just before the turnaround and was done, while the 6 others pushed for some strong results. Adam crushed the course taking second with a time 37.19.7 to Québec rider Carl Tuffer 36.54.2 Times were tight in the top 12 with less than 2 minutes separating riders. Ben 37th, Monty 10th, Aaron 23rd, Colton 24th, Graham 28th. Solid day for PNW.
Day 2Rest Day | Saturday June 22nd | Lac Etchemin
Rest day was chill, it was a beauty of a day and the team rode to the road course to cheer on the Jr Women, specifically the women from the west - Alex, Sydney and Kimberly, then watched Elite Men.
The remainder of the day kept us entertained with a flat tire on the team van. At 3 pm on a long weekend the wonderful people of the Lac Etchemin and St Leon communities made some calls and by 6 the van was rolling! Team Dinner and meeting wrapped up the day just after some clutch air hockey matches 🥅 .
Day 3 | Sunday June 23rd | Saint Georges | Road Race 114k —> Shortened to 86k
Weather | Monsoon ☔️
It was a wet morning! We departed of our airbnb early and headed to Saint Georges to the start, the rain was unrelenting, prompting us to prioritize staying warm. As the weather worsened, Commissaires delayed the Jr Men’s start by 30 minutes and shortened the course by one lap, reducing it to 86 kilometres. With thunderstorms looming, we understood the changes, though there was some disappointment at losing nearly 30 kilometers from the original course. A shorter course made for changes, we anticipated a faster race with fewer opportunities to break away on the now-shortened hilly terrain.
The field of a 100+ riders comprising 74 Jr’s and 32 U17’s stayed closely together on the initial stretch but began to fragment as the race progressed. Feed zone was a busy spot amid torrential rain. Ben emerged as the first rider around the corner after the major climb, amidst a flurry of people, umbrellas, motorcycles, and flying bottles, all seven of our riders were in the bunch with 40+ kilometres to go.
Paul and John in Caravan Car #4 were keeping us informed as a group of 17 riders broke away, with 4 of our team members making the break. Attacks were frequent and tense. From the finish line, updates from the radio tour informed us that Adam, Monty, Aaron, and Ben were in the group of 17. With 4 km remaining, the race regrouped as attacks failed to hold. This set the stage for a group of 17 riders sprinting for the finish line. Adam 4th, Monty 8th, Aaron 12th, Ben 14th, Colton 30th, Graham 37th, Oscar 44th w/battery issues
Solid Day💥 Thank you to our parents who helped out in the rain all day!!
Day 4 |Monday June 24th | Saint Georges | Criterium 40 minutes + 5 Laps
Weather | still raining ☔️
11Am Start, and the team went out strong 💪 with PNW riders near the front helping push tempo, Monty was off the front for a few laps, then gone… with a dropped chain on the backstretch. 😢 Team moved up and Adam got on the front, Ben, Oscar, Aaron and Graham held the line keeping any break from going while Adam started to gain time. Then Mikael Guilbault tried to bridge but with only a few laps to go. Time gap ran between 24 to 14 back to 24 seconds between Adam and the Quebec Team rider. With two laps to go things were looking good. Behind there was a battle for 3rd with Ben and a Quebec rider after breaking away with3 laps to go. Together going into the bell lap we had to wait and see how that would unfold. Tempo was fast and all we could hope was for no mechanicals and every one staying up on the wet corners.
Adam came through off the front to take the Win and Ben with third 💥 then a mass sprint for 5th andOscar rocked it, winning the pack finish with Aaron close behind in 11th.
What a day, PNW’s first National Title!
*Colton didn’t ride the crit due to been ill, sowhile cheering on his teammates he took some amazing crit pictures of the team!
PNWRoad Nationals Team 🇨🇦
Thank you @cyclingcanadaofficial , the organizers and all the volunteers who worked in some damp conditions to put on a safe and great road Nationals. To everyone who believed in this project; parents, friends, our provincial associations and our incredible partners who supported us financially and with equipment, Thank You to all of you!
Now we rest up, keep those legs spinning and get ready for Tour de l’Abitibi in 2 weeks. 🧡
Thank you PNW Partners!
🔸@accentinns 🔸 @kalas_sportswear
🔸 @giantbicyclecanada 🔸 @cycolosolutions
🔸 @birchwoodauto 🔸 @faulknerbrowns
🔸 @bornsportcare 🔸 @sramroad
🔸 @fiziknorthamerica