Courtenay's Nigel Ellsay was the top Canadian finisher in the junior men's time trials at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships in Limburg, The Netherlands.
The championships opened Sept. 16 and run through to Sept. 23. The junior men rode 26.6 km starting in Landgraaf. Norway’s Oskar Svendsen was the fastest of the day, winning the world title with a time of 35:34.
Ellsay finishing ranked 31st at +1:37 off the winning time. Benjamin Perry of St. Catharines, Ont., finished 37th. Full results can be found at www.uci.ch.
The 18-year-old Ellsay has been having a great season. The Team BC member won the Canadian TT championship in June in Quebec after taking silver the previous year. “I have been working for the last six months. I am really happy to get it over with,” Ellsay told a reporter, addding a trip overseas proved beneficial.
“I headed over to France in the March, and spent 3.5 months in a French club team. Midway through, a rider dropped out and I had the privilege to go race at a Nations Cup in Germany with the national team. I gained valuable experience and finished 13th in the General Classification," the Mark Isfeld grad said.
Cycling Canada says the national team at this year's UCI Road World Championships is one of the strongest ever.
“We have more depth than ever to select our teams for major international events. This is a great sign that cycling in Canada is moving in the right direction, and is growing rapidly in popularity. The team we have is experienced competing against the best in the world. We are travelling to Limburg to be competitive and have a shot at winning,” said Gord Fraser, who is heading the Elite Men team at the event.