Comox Valley cyclists turned in exceptional performances at the BC Youth Road Championships, June 10-12 in Penticton.
The championships involved three races – a 22 km time trial, a criterium, and a road race.
Racing in the U19 category, James and Mark Grant each won a Provincial title. Mark was victorious in the criterium, a short-course event on the streets of downtown Penticton. Mark out-sprinted his brother, who was a close second.
In the road race, a gruelling 105 km hilly course in Oliver, James sprinted across the line comfortably ahead of his teammates Cam Fitzmaurice of West Vancouver and younger brother Mark, who was third, resulting in a clean sweep of the B.C. podium for their elite TaG Racing Team.
In the time trial, held in the hills of Summerland, Mark came second and James third. James and Mark thank their TaG Cycling Race Team and also their personal sponsors for their support – Dr. Ward at Dynamic Spine Sport and Wellness Clinic, The Broken Spoke, Dr. Karamanis, Phil Novecosky, PacificSport VI, Comox Valley Cycle Club, Trail Bicycles, and their coach, Houshang Amiri from Pacific Cycling Centre in Victoria.
In the U17 category, Ben Katerberg and Isaac Vandervliet posted solid results in a large field of 35 riders.
Katerberg won the Provincial title in the time trial, came fourth in the criterium, and second in the 84 km road race after breaking away in the first five kilometres with teammate Conor Martin of Kelowna. V
andervliet came 11th in the time trial and 10th in the criterium.
The Grant brothers are off to Ottawa this week to attend the Canadian Junior Road Championships, where they will compete against the best Junior riders in Canada.
Shortly after, they will be representing B.C. in the Tour de l’Abitibi in Quebec, an international UCI six-day stage race, attended by some of the strongest Junior riders in the world.
Meanwhile, during the first week of July, Katerberg and Vandervliet will be representing B.C. at the Tour de la Releve in Rimouski, Quebec, a four-day stage race for U17 riders.
Anyone interested in sponsoring these self-funded athletes is invited to contact the Comox Valley Cycle Club at http://comoxvalleycycleclub.ca/contact-us/ for more information.