Indeed it was the ‘big power’ riders who led the way, as the top three all averaged well over 340 watts – huge!  Riding himself to a third place spot, and making a comeback to the podium in a very competitive field was SBR Coaching Wisconsin’s Kory Seder with a 35:24.5 averaging a massive 364W for the entire stage. The battle for the stage win was down to the wire. Both riders went sub-35mins and were only separated by 3.7 seconds. Finishing in a time of 34:44.9 and ending up second best was the Tri-Fitness Minnesota machine Sam Janicki. This marks Sam’s fourth consecutive podium so congratulations to you Sam. Edging Sam off the top was last weeks stage winner Dwayne Kress from Challenge By Choice Squamish. Dwayne’s time of 34:41.2 allowed him to take another 20 points into the GC standings, which boosts him to third overall. Alexandre Gagnon from the Peak Centre Ottawa remains at the top, but Sam is breathing down his neck after closing the gap to only seven points.

After weeks of back and forth wins for Peak Ottawa’s Kelly Knowles and Peak Vancouver’s Alison Wood, it was actually a surprise to see Alison take consecutive stage wins!  The Vancouver superstar lady had a fantastic race which resulted in her finish time of 38:31.7 being over a minute faster than the rest of the competition. Kelly maintained the close points race between the two as she came in second place, after racing to a finish time of 39:49.8. Pushing Kelly all the way, and maintaining podium form was Challenge by Choice Squamish rider Rua Reid. Rua came within two seconds of Kelly’s time as she finished in 39:51.1.

Men’s B is potentially the category that undergoes the most change week by week – we can never guess who’s going to come out on top. Taking round 7 in championship fashion was Peak Vancouver’s British import Alex Willis, who had his best average watts of the season while coming off the back of a ‘rest week’ and powered through the rolling course in a time of 37:51.7. Close behind was Connor Byway from Peak Ottawa who raced to his first podium of the season finishing in 38:05.6. Connor has showed some real improvement in the last couple of weeks, which could see him battling for a GC podium spot come stage 12. Third place went to another rider earning their first podium ride of the season, Chad Olson from SBR Coaching Wisconsin. Chad’s finish time of 38:19.9 was enough for a spot on the podium and 15 points into the GC standings. With the top two guys in Men’s B not making the podium this week, it gave a chance for others to catch up. Alex Willis sure capitalized on this jumping back into the bronze spot, a mere nine points away from gold. Shawn McCleery from Peak Ottawa drops to second place, whilst Peak Vancouver’s John Forsyth is your current leader, with a 3 point lead over Shawn.

Michelle Newton from Peak Vancouver races sparingly throughout the season, but when she does she poses a real threat to the rest of the Women’s B field. She did just that in stage 7 as she went over 40 seconds faster than any other rider in this category!  Michelle’s finish time was on the cusp of the Women’s A finest, as she rode to a time of 41:34.7. Coming in second place in her second appearance of the season was Peak Ottawa’s Wendy Blagdon with a finish time of 42:18.0. If these two ladies race this fast for the remaining five stages, we could see some disruption at the top  of the GC!  Rounding out the podium, Candace Anderson from Peak Ottawa once again came in third place, with a time of 43:16.0. The top riders in the GC remain unchanged, with Emily Flynn from Peak Ottawa sitting pretty in first, and Melanie Shields from Peak Burlington lying in second. Third place is as close as can be, with Jessica Ulrich from SBR Coaching Wisconsin sharing the podium with Peak Vancouver’s Grace Menning!

Here is the link with the full results of the stage and updated GC results:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhXrz7isgo7NdDg2LWZrNS01dmlwMTZocE9vR3MxQXc&hl=en_US#gid=1

So there we have it for another week. Next we head back to the Original Time Trial Course in which riders will be batting not only each other, but themselves as there are bonus GC points available for personal best times for the season!

To Register for Racing in Vancouver:

If you want to race you have to book in. You can do this via phone (604-299-7959), email (info@peakcentrevancouver.ca, or booking online (please call to set up a password).

Vancouver heats take place at times of:

Saturday 1pm & 2.30pm,

Monday   5pm, 6.30pm & 8pm

Tuesday 9am, 10.30am & now 6.30pm! 

All the best, and see you next week!

The top race times for stage 6 were seriously fast, and it was the three riders to go sub-36 minutes that earned themselves a podium spot in the Men’s A category.  Our first surprise was that the course may not have been steep enough for Peak Ottawa’s Climbing Class Act  and current GC leader, Alexandre Gagnon, whose awesome power to weight ratio could only push him into a third place finish this week with a zippy finish time of 35:42.7.  Alexandre was not far off second place, as a gap of just 1.9 seconds separated Sam Janicki from Tri-Fitness Minnesota who was the second fasted rider this week, and finished in 35:40.8. Just over 25 seconds ahead of Sam, and cementing a dominant first placed ride was last weeks runner up Dwayne Kress from Challenge By Choice, Squamish. Dwayne seems to be ever improving and a hot shot in the game, so look for him to keep rising up the GC standings. Alexandre remains 15 points ahead of Sam in the overall standings. Glenn Budgell from Peak Ottawa jumped up to third spot with an excellent ride. With three points separating three riders gunning for the bronze medal position, Glenn is going to have to work hard to keep his placing!

For the second week running, Bill Martin from SBR Wisconsin prevailed in the Men’s B race. Bill has clearly found his groove and finished in super fast time of 39:04.2. Coming in second place was Peak Vancovuer’s powerhouse Chuck Fortier. Chuck improved upon his stage 2 ride and rode straight to the podium this week, finishing just behind Bill in a time of 39:17.5. Regular podium finisher John Forsyth of Vancouver completed the Men’s B podium this week. John was a mere 6 seconds behind Chuck, laying down a time of 39:23.6. The surprise this week was that Peak Ottawa’s Shawn McCleery was knocked off the podium for the first time! This allowed the rest of the competition a chance at closing the point gap with John Forsyth capitalizing the most as he has now closed the gap behind Shawn to a single point. Bill Martin’s second consecutive win places him on the GC podium, a reachable 13 points behind John.

Just when we thought the fight for the Women’s A win cannot get any better, Kelly Knowles and Alison Wood just keep bringing the goods. The gap between the two this week was it’s closest to date, at only 2.6 seconds. Picking up the win this week was Peak Vancouver’s Alison Wood, making the contest as tight as can be as now Kelly and Alison are even at three wins a piece. Alison’s finish time was 40:38.3 whilst Peak Ottawa’s Kelly Knowles took second with 40:40.9.  Thrid place was taken by Sarah Zirkle from Tri-Fitness Minnesota who exploded onto the series with her first race to date. Sarah’s time of 41:14.9 was enough to mark her debut with a podium finish and 15 points in the GC standings.  In the Overall GC results Alison took back first place from Kelly by just 2 points, with Peak Ottawa rider Carol Deavy keeping consistent week by week and holding strong to third spot. Who will come out on top in six weeks time?  It is anybody’s guess but we, for one, cannot wait to find out.

Another fantastic debut ride was witnessed in the Women’s B category. Taking the win on her first outing was Veronik Bourgon from Peak Ottawa with a time of 43:52.2.  Back to business was Melanie Shields from Peak Burlington who finished second, just over 10 seconds behind Veronik in a time of 44:03.1. Rounding off the podium was Candace Anderson from Peak Ottawa. Candace has scored high points in all of her three rides, so look for her to challenge for an overall podium soon!  These results allowed Melanie to overtake Peak Vancouver’s Grace Menning for second spot in the GC standings pushing Grace to third, while Emily Flynn from Peak Ottawa remains the lady at the top!

With King of the Mountain points up for grabs this week, it added yet another element to the stage. Peak Ottawa dominated the women’s battle by having riders occupy all three podium spots, a mirror image of Stage 2’s KOM racing. Taking maximum points was Kelly Knowles. Kelly averaged a huge 3.96 watts/kg which most riders would kill for – awesome Kelly!  A shade behind was teammate Carol Deavy who averaged 3.84 watts/kg, whilst Ali Wilson came in third with an average of 3.60 watts/kg. Peak Ottawa just seem to love the KOM points as two of their riders scored the podium in the men’s contest. Making up for not taking the stage win, Alexandre Gagnon made it two for two in the KOM battle, after averaging a gigantic 4.70 watts/kg. Coming in second was this week’s winner Dwayne Kress, capping off a great week for the Challenge by Choice Squamish rider with an average 4.32 watts/kg. Glenn Budgell was the third most powerful man, with a 4.27 watts/kg average, only just missing out on the second spot!

Here is the link with the full results of the stage and updated GC results:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhXrz7isgo7NdDg2LWZrNS01dmlwMTZocE9vR3MxQXc&hl=en_US#gid=1

That’s right guys, we have now reached the halfway point of the Winter Series! Six more stages remain and that means six more fabulous stage reports.  It really still is all up for grabs in the GC standings and we have some excellent courses in store. Next week we head back to a Rolling Course (profiles now available on our website), so It’s anyone’s game!

To Register for Racing in Vancouver:

If you want to race you have to book in. You can do this via phone (604-299-7959), emai (info@peakcentrevancouver.ca, or booking online (please call to set up a password).

Vancouver heats take place at times of:

Saturday 1pm & 2.30pm,

Monday   5pm, 6.30pm & 8pm

Tuesday 9am, 10.30am & now 6.30pm! 

All the best, and see you next week!

Onto the racing, and again what a week it was. In Men’s A, Peak Ottawa superstar Alexandre Gagnon shredded the tough course this week, averaging over 300 watts while being one of the lighter guys in the competition. Alex separated himself from the rest by almost a minute, finishing in a time of 34:18.5. Second and third place was more of a battle between Squamish and Minnesota. With less than four seconds to separate the two riders, it was Dwayne Kress from Challenge by Choice Squamish that got the better of Sam Janicki from Tri-Fitness Minnesota, as they finished in 35:10.6 and 35:14.0 respectively. Seven of the Men’s A riders were separated by less than a minute this week, showing how competitive and variable the points can be from week to week. Alexandre further extends his overall lead by a margin of 17 points over Sam Janicki, with Peak Vancouver’s Roger Lee maintaining a closely contested third spot.

Women’s A showed just how strong they are again this week, with the top three ladies putting in times that would score them big points in Men’s B! The battle for the top continues as this week it was Kelly Knowles from Peak Ottawa nudging herself to the win over Peak Vancouver’s Alison Wood. The times were close, but Kelly found the legs to go seven seconds faster than Alison finishing in 38:19.4. The fierce battle between Kelly and Alison continues as Kelly’s win puts her back at the top of the GC standings, only one point ahead of Alison. Finding podium form once again was Challenge by Choice Squamish rider Rua Reid, who took third place and is really starting to impress. Rua went sub 39 minutes as well as the rest of the podium, finishing in 38:55.5.

Following on from Rua’s great performance was fellow Challenge by Choice Squamish rider Renee Brickner. Renee was the one to beat in the Women’s B race this week, winning the stage and taking 20 points in the GC standings. Renee’s finish time was 41:02.3. Coming in second this week, and doing Peak Vancouver proud was Grace Menning. Grace managed to hold off last week’s winner Emily Flynn as she rode to a time of 42:06.1. A further 15 seconds behind was Peak Ottawa rider Emily Flynn, who scores another podium for the season with a time of 42:21.1. Emily maintains her 10 point lead at the top of the Woman’s B overall standings, whilst Grace Menning jumps into the second spot, only two points from Peak Burlington’s hot shot Melanie Shields who lies in third.

The rest of Men’s B did indeed step it up as requested, and the rider who took the biggest leap was SBR Coaching Wisconsin rider Bill Martin. It is rumored that Bill took a rest day prior to the race this week, and his tactics paid off as he took the stage win in style, finishing in a time of 37:04.1. This was enough to earn him a 20 second gap over last week’s winner Shawn McCleery from Peak Ottawa. Shawn did himself justice coming in second place in 31:24.7. Close on Shawn’s wheel was Peak Vancouver’s John Forsyth, a previous stage winner himself. John took well to the tough course and finished a mere six seconds behind second place, with a time of 37:30.6. In the overall standings all three podium riders are only separated by 10 points! Shawn McCleery retains the top for another week, six points ahead of John Forsyth, who is another four points in front of Peak Vancouver’s Alex Willis. Alex did manage to win some accolades with this week’s Golden Bucket award – nice to see you duffer buddy!

Here is the link with the full results of the stage.

Onto the halfway point we go, and next weeks course is one for the climbers. We face an Uphill Mountain Stage where it will be average watts/kg that matters most. More King of the Mountain points available next week as well.

The overall winner of the week was Tri Fitness Minnesota’s finest, and Stage 1 winner, Sam Janicki. After two stages without a win, Sam came back strong this week, laying down some huge watts and achieving the only sub-39 minute time with a zippy 38:35.2. Sam’s time was almost 40 seconds faster than SBR Coaching Wisconsin’s big gun, Kory Seder who was the second fastest rider this week. Kory used his tree trunk legs to secure the silver finishing in 39:13.4. Rounding off the podium, making it four in a row, was Peak Centre Ottawa’s superstar Alexandre Gagnon. Alexandre showed he has more than just climbing strings to his bow, taking 15 points to the overall standings after finishing in 39:16.2, a mere three seconds behind Kory. Alexandre remains the leader of the overall standings, whilst Sam’s stage win takes him back above Roger Lee from Peak Vancouver who occupy the second and third spots.

The Women’s podium was a mix of familiar and new faces this week. Usual suspect Kelly Knowles from Peak Ottawa placed third this week, maintaining her 100% podium record for the season. Kelly once again showed her strengths with a finish time of 44:02.4. After coming in fifth last week, Challenge by Choice Squamish rider Rua Reid stamped her mark on the competition with a second place finish this week, coming in 13 seconds in front of Kelly, finishing in 43:49.3. Taking the illusive Women’s A win this week was Peak Vancouver’s superstar lady, Alison Wood, securing her second consecutive win. Alison went over a minute faster than her competition, finishing in a time of 42:34.8. This win for Alison gives her the lead in the overall standings by two points over Kelly Knowles, while Carol Deavy from Peak Ottawa still hangs on to the third spot.

The top dog in Men’s B this week was Shawn McCleery from Peak Ottawa for the third time this season. The only time Shawn has not won a stage was when he didn’t race, so come on Men’s B lets step it up! Shawn finished in a respectable time of 41:28.7 which was only five seconds quicker than his Ottawa teammate Mark Parsons who finished in 41:33.2. Rounding off the Men’s B podium and maintaining the tight racing was Ben Eksteen from Challenge by Choice Squamish. Ben came in another four seconds back from Mark, finishing in 41:37.6. The overall podium for Men’s B could not be much tighter as the top three are all separated by four points. Shawn’s win puts him at the top, but Peak Vancouver’s Alex Willis is hot on his tail only one point behind, followed by Peak Vancouver’s John Forsyth a futher three behind!

In the second week of Women’s B racing, we have a completely different look to the podium. Coming in third place for stage four was Tri Fitness Minnesota rider Jane Deppert, who had the ride of her life this week to finish in a time of 47:03.8. Just over 20 seconds ahead was Renee Brickner from Challenge by Choice Squamish. Renee finished in a time of 46:41.5 which was only 16 seconds off of the top spot, which went to Emily Flynn from Peak Ottawa this week. Emily did Ottawa proud with a time of 46:25.8 and took the full 20 points into the overall standings. This result actually boosts Emily to second place in the GC standings, but it is still Melanie Shields from Peak Burlington who keeps the top spot by a margin of three points. Occupying the final place on the Women’s B overall podium is Jessica Yurchich from SBR Coaching Wisconsin.

Stage four also provided riders with their second chance at sprint points for this seasons racing. The lady with the most power this week was Summer Ohlendorf from SBR Coaching Wisconsin with a huge 7.99 Watts/Kg sprint. Second place was Carol Deavy from Peak Ottawa who managed to max out at 7.70 Watts/Kg, and Carena Dean from Challenge by Choice Squamish came in third with a max sprint of 7.46 Watts/Kg. The men’s contest was as close as can be, as we had two Peak Centre riders sharing the exact same power legs this week. Alex Willis from Vancouver and Alexandre Gagnon from Ottawa both hit a gigantic 12.53 Watts/Kg sprint and took 20 points a piece into the overall standings. Taking the third spot was Warren Sheridan from Peak Burlington who maxed out at 11.70 Watts/Kg, another impressive sprint!

Here is the link with the full results of the stage

Next week we race a challenging set of plateaus that have to be earned. The first Plateaus and Climbs course of the Winter season will challenge riders to sustain power. It’s anyone’s game so we could be in store for some new faces at the top!

While no records were broken this time, there were some fantastic results as this week’s Mens podium consisted of the only three riders that went sub 38 minutes!  Coming in third with a time of 37:48.3 was Challenge By Choice Squamish rider Dwayne Kress, marking his first appearance to this season with a podium spot. Coming in just over 20 seconds ahead was SBR Coaching Wisconsin powerhouse Kory Seder, with a time of 37:26.2. Kory reports he is recovering from the Black Plague so expect him to be making a run at the GC!  Taking the win for the second week in a row was Alexandre Gagnon from the Peak Centre Ottawa. Showing he is not just a climber, Alexandre extends his lead at the top of Men’s A with a time of 37:19.7. Roger Lee from the Peak Centre Vancouver and Sam Janicki from Tri-Fitness Minnesota swap around to claim 2^nd and 3^rd in the Men’s A overall standings. A noteworthy mention goes out to Marcel Lavoie and Darrin Grace from the Ottawa Peak Centre, as their times earned them a promotion to the Men’s A category.

The Women’s competition has also undergone a makeover. With now over 50 ladies competing we have created an A and B category. A-status was defined by any time under 45 minutes  in the time trial, and the newly formed category contains 9 riders currently.  If you’d like to compete in the “A” Cat just drop us a line and we’ll move you in. The fastest woman of the week was Peak Vancouver’s Alison Wood. It took her a few stages but she finally got the edge on her main rival Kelly Knowles from the Peak Ottawa, who in finished second this week.  Their  times were 40:53.4 and 41:35.0 respectively. Rounding off the first Women’s A podium was Ali Wilson from the Peak Centre Ottawa with another great time of 43:02. Kelly maintains a three point lead over Alison at the top of the GC, with Carol Deavy from Ottawa still occupying the bronze position, a further 12 points back.

After Marcel’s and Darrin’s promotions, the Men’s B stage and overall standings were to undergo a change this week. The new podium was an all Peak Centre affair; maybe we have a slight ‘home course’ advantage over our new affiliates since we have been racing this course for 8 years!  Last week’s winner John Forsyth from the Peak Centre Vancouver rode to another podium finish placing third, with a time of 40:50.2. Peak Centre Vancouver’s intern Alex Willis got the better of John by 26 seconds and took the silver spot after finishing in a time of 40:24.0. After a week off, Shawn McCleery from the Peak Centre Ottawa took the win in Men’s B with a time just 16 seconds short of promotion at 40:16.7. This win boosted Shawn back onto the overall podium, occupying the third spot, nine points behind Alex Willis in second, who is only one lonely point behind John Forsyth.  A special mention goes to Bob McLaren who, on the way to a 3yr PB on the TT, earned this week’s Golden Bucket Award with a sprint finish that shook loose his competitors and his lunch… We love the intensity Bob! 

Women’s B gets off to a bang with close racing right out of the gate, with the top three ladies being separated by only eight seconds. Michelle Newton from the Peak Centre Vancouver took the win in a time of 45:14.2, with another Vancouver rider Nancy Austin finishing just behind in 45:18.7 to take the second spot. Rounding off the podium was Peak Centre Ottawa rider Laurel Johnson who just edged out a strong ride from Melanie Shields of Burlington by less than three seconds. Laurel finished in a time of 45:22.6. Melanie Shields from the Peak Centre Burlington, Jessica Yurchcich from SBR Coaching Wisconsin, and Emily Flynn from the Peak Centre Ottawa make up your Women’s B podium in that order, with it all to play for over the coming weeks racing!

Here is the link with the full results of the stage:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhXrz7isgo7NdDg2LWZrNS01dmlwMTZocE9vR3MxQXc&hl=en_US#gid=1

Next week it is ‘big guys’ to the front with our first Net Downhill course of the Winter Season.  Rest assured that “Net Downhill” does not mean “Downhill” so there will be plenty to challenge you next week.   Maybe we’ll see some new faces at the top!

A celebration is in order this week as we cracked the100 rider count this season!  But before we get to this week’s results, next week is the Original Time Trial. This course is the only course that is repeated through the series. This is your opportunity to benchmark and compare how you’re doing later on in the series. Speculation abounds about whether the all-time records could be in jeopardy with the influx of new racers to the series. The Men’s all time record for the Original TT is held by Derrick St. John of Peak Ottawa with a 33:45.9. The Women’s record is held by Sue Schlatter, also of Peak Ottawa, at 37:14.6. Are they good enough to stand or is there somebody out there who can take a run at them?

This week’s stage took us to the mountains for the first time since the Fall season. The 20.98km hilly course favoured the climbers this week where power to weight ratio was rewarded.  The first half of the course took riders through a series of climbs and descents as an appetizer to a long sustained climb of challenging grades.  In the back half of the course the climbing continued but offered a little recovery before a last sustained climb to the finish line.

Top dog this time around was last weeks second placed rider, Alexandre Gagnon from the Peak Centre Ottawa.  Alexandre seems to get stronger as the grades get steeper and distinguished himself by being the only  person to go sub 37 minutes this week with a 36:50.4. The rest of the podium spots were occupied by the other two podium finishers from last week, indicating early signs of a series long battle. Roger Lee from the Peak Centre Vancouver improved by one place from last week and took the silver, finishing in 37:19.2. In third was last weeks winner, Sam Janicki from Tri Fitness in Minnesota. Sam was just a shade under 30s behind Roger and less than a minute behind Alexandre with his time of 37:47.1.  Roger maintains third place in the overall standings, whereas Alexandre leaps in front of Sam to take top spot.

The Women’s podium for stage 2 was a repeat of stage 1 - who can stop these ladies?  Kelly Knowles from the Peak Centre Ottawa to top spot for the second week running, putting some early pressure on the rest of her competition. Kelly had another great race, finishing in a time of 41:59.8, a small, sub 30s gap over second placed rider Alison Wood from the Peak Centre Vancouver. Alison finished in a time of 42:21.0, a slight 18s advantage over third placed rider Carol Deavy from the Peak Centre Ottawa.  This week’s Golden Bucket award goes to SBR Coaching Wisconsin rider Summer Ohlendorf.  Her epic 300 watt average sprint for the finish did manage to edge out her teammate however it did also dislodge her lunch.  We at Race Headquarters salute your dedication to twisting out every last watt and appreciate the reminder to go a little deeper into the abyss next week.  Well done Summer!

Men’s B is becoming a tricky category at the moment.  We are expecting to be promoting a bunch of riders after next weeks Time Trial course, as there seems to be some A class talent lurking within B!  It was  Peak Vancouver out in front with John Forsyth taking the stage win and 20points into the GC standings. John finished in a time of 40:27.0, just edging Peak Ottawa’s Marcel Lavoie by 19 seconds who finished in 40:46.2. Bill Martin from SBR Coaching in Wisconsin  rounded out the podium with a time of 40:53.7. Marcel maintains his position at the top of the overall standings, with John’s time boosting him into second place, and Darrin Grace from the Peak Centre Ottawa dropping one place to third.

Here is the link with the full results of the stage:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhXrz7isgo7NdDg2LWZrNS01dmlwMTZocE9vR3MxQXc&hl=en_US#gid=1

This weeks was also the first chance for King of the Mountain points. These points are awarded based on average watts/kg (power to weight) for the whole stage. The top woman of the week was Kelly Knowles from the Peak Centre Ottawa, adding the KOM win to her stage win. Kelly averaged a huge 4.02 W/Kg, the only woman who powered above 4 W/Kg! Second place went to Carol Deavy also from the Peak Centre Ottawa, as she averaged 3.78 W/Kg. Completing the women’s podium and making it an all Ottawa affair was Ali Wilson as she maintained an average of 3.44 W/Kg. On the Men’s side of things there were three riders over 4 W/Kg, who took all the podium spots. Peak Centre Ottawa’s star Alexandre Gagnon had the highest average with 4.61 W/Kg. Second went to Vancouver’s star rider Roger Lee with 4.18 W/Kg, and Peak Ottawa rider Glen Budgell took third place with a 4.05 W/kg average.

To Register for Racing in Vancouver:

If you want to race you have to book in. You can do this via phone (604-299-7959), emai (info@peakcentrevancouver.ca, or booking online (please call to set up a password).

Vancouverheats take place at times of:

Saturday 1pm & 2.30pm,

Monday   5pm, 6.30pm & 8pm

Tuesday 9am, 10.30am & now 6.30pm! 

All the best, and see you next week!

Stage 1 was 22.8km of rolling hills designed to help riders get rid of the Christmas cobwebs and work off some of that turkey and gravy. The course rolled its way uphill with periodic biting grades for the first half, with moderate climbs and descents as the course rolled through the back half. This course favoured the all-round rider that can climb well and generate some big power on the flats and lower grades.

The first stage win went to Sam Janicki from Tri-Fitness Training in Minnesota. Sam proved he will be fierce competition for the Men’s A class laying down the only sub-38 minute time of the week, finishing in 37:17.5 and taking the full 20 points into the GC standings. The rest of the podium was full of familiar faces. Alex Gagnon from Peak Ottawa took the second spot this week, with a time of 38:11.9 edging out Roger Lee of Peak Vancouver by less than 11 seconds. Roger took the last podium spot with a time of 38:22.0.

The Women’s race has started off as competitive as it finished between the two Peak Centre riders, Kelly Knowles from Ottawa and Alison Wood from Vancouver. Kelly managed to take first blood (and the top spot ) being the only female to go below 42 minutes. Kelly finished in a time of 41:59.8, which was enough for the full 20 points and a 27 second lead over Alison Wood from Vancouver, who finished in 42:27.3. Rounding off the Women’s podium this week was Carol Deavy from Ottawa, who came in just over a minute behind Alison, finishing in 43:29.1.

After promoting Alex Troy, the Fall Series B winner, there were bound to be some change in the Men’s B podium but Stage 1 did not disappoint. The Peak Centre Ottawa dominated the Men’s B podium this week, showing to the rest of us that we need to step up our game! Not only did they dominate but they were only separated by 22 seconds! Marcel Lavoie took the honors this week with a 40:13.1. Marcel was 20 seconds clear of second place rider Darrin Grace who finished in 40:33.2. Less than two seconds behind was Shawn McCleery who finished in 40:35.0. That must have been a fun heat to watch!

Here is the link with the full results of the stage:

This weeks was also the first chance for sprint points. These points are awarded based on maximum watts/kg (power to weight). The most powerful woman of the week was Carol Deavy from the Peak Centre Ottawa. Carol pushed out 7.02 W/Kg which put her clear at the top by 0.24 W/Kg from second placed rider Alysia Withers from Vancouver, who powered to a max of 6.78 W/Kg. Rounding off the women’s sprint podium was Jules Gagnon from Ottawa, who reached a max of 6.58 W/Kg. On the Men’s side of things we had some new faces filling the podium. However that top spot was taken by no other than Roger Lee from the Peak Centre Vancouver. Roger had over a 1 W/Kg lead at the top as he powered to a max of 12.27 W/Kg. In second place was new affiliate rider Mike Wolfgram from SBR Coaching in Wisconsin, who reached a max of 10.84 W/Kg. Taking the final podium spot was Alex Barrette from Tri-Fitness Training in Minnesota, putting out 9.17 W/Kg.

As a final note, it is worth mentioning now that there could be some shuffling of Men’s B riders into Men’s A following stage 3’s Original Time Trial. The criteria is based on finish time, so for all those on the cusp of Men’s A, make sure you put in a hard ride!

Next week we take to the mountains with the first Hilly Stage and the first chance for King of the Mountains points, where average watts/kg is key.

To Register for Racing in Vancouver:

If you want to race you have to book in. You can do this via phone (604-299-7959), emai (info@peakcentrevancouver.ca, or booking online (please call to set up a password).

Vancouver heats take place at times of:

Saturday 1pm & 2.30pm,

Monday 5pm, 6.30pm & 8pm

Tuesday 9am, 10.30am & now 6.30pm!

A couple of the quickest men dipped under 38minutes this week, with Vancouver’s Chris Young in his first Race Series experience coming in just under a second behind the Alex Gagnon of Ottawa. Alex’s time of 37:45.9 was quick even for him- leading to the 3 bonus points. Jumping onto the podium behind Chris was Kory Seder also of Vancouver, just 22 seconds from taking second place. Overall in Mens A, Roger Lee held on for the win by 13 points from Dale Ewanchook (with totals of 161 and 148 respectively). Andy Handford’s consistent podiums in the second half of the season have brought him in 3rd overall, with 115 points. Lee Ryan, Jay Menning and Alex Gagnon were all hot on his heels and I’m sure next season we can expect another close run in from this group!

In the final women’s race, the top three riders all set new personal best times. It was the usual names running the show, and despite their improvements, Kelly Knowles from Ottawa and Melanie Shields from Burlington could not take down Vancouver’s Alison Wood. Alison rode to the front of the women’s race once again, finishing in a time of 40:12.4. Just over a minute behind Alison was Kelly who stormed to a time of 41:46.1. After missing out on the podium last week, Melanie returned strong for the last race and claimed the third place finish, with a time of 44:13.6. The overall championship podium consists of the same three women just in a slightly different order! Finishing in third place with a total of 107 points is Kelly Knowles from Ottawa, in second is Burlington’s Melanie Shields with 123 points, and taking the championship win is Alison Wood from Vancouver with a huge 177 points. Alison in fact won 7 of the 12 stages so huge congratulations to her!

In mens B, Brendan Naef hit his stride on the OTT, taking the win and 20 points. Just 20seconds back was Ted Russo with a really strong effort, and Mike McIvor rounded off the podium with a typically dogged display. Despite Mike’s performance there were just not enough points available for him to knock Vancouver’s Alex Troy from the top of the overall championship podium. Big congratulations to Alex who totaled 149 points and seals the men’s B title for the fall season. Mike finishes in second place only nine points behind Alex with a total of 140, and Bob McLaren from Vancouver finishes in third with a total of 115. An honorable mention must go to Zack McLaren- 5 points off beating his dad overall, having only raced 7 times this fall.

As usual, the results link has everything you need to know!

We would like to thank everyone who participated in the racing series over the last 12 weeks, and we hope that you have experienced the benefits from the great workout that the series provides. There has been some classic battles this season so let’s hope for some more of that in 2012. We are going international and welcoming four new centres to the roster and very much looking forward to working with the following:

Infinity MultiSport – Chicago, IL

SBR Coaching – Verona, WI

Challenge By Choice – Squamish, BC

Tri Fitness Training – White Bear lake, MN

The hot time this week was anything below 40mins. Four riders managed this and the gap between first and fourth was only 22 seconds! On top of the podium this week was the King of the Mountain specialist, Mr. Alex Gagnon from Ottawa. Alex once again showed his dominance on the climbing stages, finishing in the fastest time of the week, a 39:08.3. Vancouver’s Dale Ewanchook found himself only 4 seconds off the win this week, finishing in 39:12.5 and taking the second spot. Rounding off the podium was Roger Lee from Vancouver, who just won’t leave the podium! Roger once more put in a solid performance and only trailed Dale by a mere 6 seconds. Such close riding! The overall standings for Men’s A remains unchanged, with Roger still occupying the top spot, 13 points ahead of Dale, who is 33 points ahead of Vancouver’s Andy Handford.

The women’s podium was an exact mirror of last week’s race. Vancouver’s Alison Wood was once more the rider leading the way, taking the stage win and a full 20 points to the overall standings. Alison’s time of 42:57.6 was over 30 seconds ahead of second place rider Kelly Knowles from Ottawa who clocked a time of 43:29.5. Another half minute behind Kelly was fellow Ottawa rider Wendy Blagdon who rounded off the top three with a great time of 43:59.5. Alison seems to have the overall title sealed going into the next week’s Time Trial stage, with the rest of the podium looking equally safe. Melanie Shields from Burlington still occupies the silver position, and Kelly Knowles of Ottawa, the bronze.

Some of the Men’s B riders showed that they can hang with the big guns this week. In my favorite race of the week, two hot shots in Men’s B, Alex Willis and Ted Russo faced up against well established Men’s A rider Jay Menning. The race was incredible with the lead changing between these guys regularly. In the final phase of the race Jay and Alex pulled away a little from Ted and began their own epic battle. I have never seen the lead change so much in the last 500m of a race, but eventually Alex beat Jay by two hundredths of a second! This big ride from the Peak intern gave him the Men’s B win, and Ted the second spot. They finished in 40:45.9 and 40:55.6 respectively. Vancouver’s Brendan Naef impressed and finished less than two seconds behind Ted to take the final podium spot, finishing in 40:57.4.

As usual, the results link has everything you need to know! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhXrz7isgo7NdDlwUkRiT1ZwNzNZVUVadFRsWFk4Vmc

The KOM titles have now been decided after this week’s stage. For this week, the woman with the highest average watts/kg was Kelly Knowles from Ottawa (3.83 W/kg), followed by Wendy Blagdon from Ottawa (3.47 W/kg) and Melanie Shields from Burlington (3.46 W/kg). The third place was enough to crown Melanie the KOM champion with a total of 66 points, while Alison Wood from Vancouver took the silver with 47 points, and Kelly Knowles from Ottawa took the bronze with 40 points! In the men’s contest, this week was owned by Ottawa’s climbing god Alex Gagnon who powered a huge average of 4.36 W/kg. Second and third place was settled in Vancouver with Andy Handford averaging 4.09 W/kg and Dale Ewanchook 4.03 W/kg. Alex Gagnon thus locks in the KOM championship win with a total of 77 points, with a comfortable 18 point margin in front of Dale Ewanchook who takes second place with 59 points. Third place goes to Vancouver’s Andy Handford who’s second place finish this week helped him nudge out Roger Lee by just 1 point!

Just to clear up any potential questions; in the GC standings, the blue results indicate that score has been dropped from the point total, as it is only the best nine results that count to the total.

Next week is the final stage of the series, and we head back to the legendary ‘Original Time Trial’ course. Not only is this the last chance for points, but bonus points are also available for a PB, so give it everything you have people!

Up Coming Events:

January 2012: New in 2012 the Winter Racing Series is going international! We will be welcoming 5 other multi-rider centres from all over North America to race with us making the series the only international time trial series of it’s kind. It is going to be awesome! Welcome to:

Revolutionary Velo-Watts – Clifton Park, NY

Infinity MultiSport – Chicago, IL

SBR Coaching – Verona, WI

VR Cycling Centre – Magnolia TX

Challenge By Choice – Squamish, BC

This week was the final Sprint stage of the 2011 Fall series, which took place over a 22.10km long course consisting of a mix of plateaus and climbs. There was a good mix of moderate climbs, with a few steep ones in the middle and at the end of the course, accompanied with periods of flat sections for riders to maintain a high power output. There were a good few downhills this week which switched some of the advantage toward the bigger guys, and allowed some much needed recovery periods.

After a couple of races to settle into the series, Kory Seder out of Vancouver took the stage win this week. Kory will be moving back to Wisconsin after Christmas and will be racing out of newly affiliated centre ‘SBR Coaching.’ He assures me there is some great talent down there so the intensity of the competition will only increase for the winter series. Kory’s 353 average watt ride took him to a finish time of 33:54.8, which was the only sub- 34 minute time this week. The rest of the podium was occupied by Vancouver talent, with Roger Lee finishing in second place with a time of 34:25.5, a slight six seconds ahead of third place rider, Andy Handford, who finished in 34:31.5. The third place finish by Andy gave him enough points to shoot into third place in the Men’s A overall standings, only two points ahead of Jay Menning from Vancouver, and only three points ahead of Lee Ryan from Vancouver. The top two spots remain unchanged, but the contest for the bronze medal seems to be shaping up nicely for a exciting finish!

Back after a week off, Alison Wood stamped her mark once more in the women’s race. Alison was the only female under 38 minutes this week, finishing in 37:10.9, and taking the 20 points in the overall standings. Ottawa rounded off the final two spots on the podium, with regular front runners Kelly Knowles and Wendy Blagdon. Kelly’s finish time of 38:31.0 was over a minute ahead of Wendy’s who finished just under the 40 minute mark, with a time of 39:57.5. After a run of good form and great results, Kelly now finds herself in the bronze medal position in the overall women’s standings, making it a current Vancouver, Burlington, Ottawa 1-2-3, with Alison Wood, Melanie Shields, and Kelly Knowles occupying the top three spots.

Men’s B was dominated by Peak Centre Vancouver’s staff roster! On Saturday, intern Alex Willis went hard, riding to a personal best for average watts, and finishing in a great time of 36:28.7. On Monday, intern Adam Brazil went 20 seconds faster than Alex, finishing in 36:07.0. Just when Adam thought he had finally beat his boss, Mike managed to finished in 35:52.4! Look out for Adam and Alex for the Winter series, the Fall has just been a warm up! This result has boosted Mike to second place in the men’s B podium, one that is dominated by Vancouver. Alex Troy seems to have the overall crown wrapped up, with only a show of face needed to secure this. Behind Alex, Mike is only one point ahead of Bob Mclaren, and this rounds off the podium.

As usual, the results link has everything you need to know! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhXrz7isgo7NdDlwUkRiT1ZwNzNZVUVadFRsWFk4Vmc

The sprint titles have now been decided after this week’s stage. For this week, the most powerful woman was Kelly Knowles from Ottawa (6.17 W/kg), followed by Melanie Shields from Burlington (5.60 W/kg), and Kim Seder from Vancouver (5.30). The maximum 20points helped Kelly win the overall sprint crown with 37 points, a mere three points ahead of Vancouver’s Alison Wood who maxed out at 34 points! Rounding off the women’s sprint podium was Vancouver’ KJ Sadler and Alysia Withers who tied for 3rd place. In the men’s contest, this week was owned by Vancouver’s speed skating golden boy Zack McLaren who powered a huge 12.74 W/kg. Jay Menning from Vancouver took second with 11.88 W/kg, and again from Vancouver, Alex Willis took third with a peak of 11.01 W/kg. This weeks results was not enough to shake Vancouver’s Roger Lee from the top of the championship as he secured the overall title with 50points. Jay Menning just sneaked second place ahead of Alex after this weeks results, with Jay totaling 35points, and Alex 34points!

Next week is the final King of the Mountains stage taking place on the second ‘Hilly’ course of the season. Make sure you book your CompuTrainer

Up Coming Events:

January 2012: New in 2012 the Winter Racing Series is going international! We will be welcoming 5 other multi-rider centres from all over North America to race with us making the series the only international time trial series of it’s kind. It is going to be awesome! Welcome to:

Revolutionary Velo-Watts – Clifton Park, NY

Infinity MultiSport – Chicago, IL

SBR Coaching – Verona, WI

VR Cycling Centre – Magnolia TX

Challenge By Choice – Squamish, BC