Comox Valley cyclist Ben Katerberg won two gold medals at the 2018 Global Relay Canadian Road Championships, June 21 – 24 in Saguenay, Que. His first win of the weekend came in the 25-kilometre junior men’s individual time trial in 33:49 at just under 45 kmh, 47 seconds ahead of teammate Conor Martin.
The 17-year-old’s second win was the junior men’s road race, a challenging 120.9k circuit in hot/humid conditions. The race was decided when a group of nine riders separated themselves from the already reduced peloton halfway into the race. With the pace remaining high, only four riders remained with one lap of 15k to go. The final ascent left only three riders to battle it out. Katerberg claimed the win after a close sprint finish with Robin Plamondon of Team Quebec.
The final event was the criterium: a short, explosive, lap race won by Riley Pickrell of Cycling BC. Katerberg showed that he is a good all-around rider with a strong finish of fourth place, less than a second from the leaders. It was a clean sweep for B.C. in the National Road Series, claiming all three titles.
Katerberg is a three-year member of TaG Cycling, directed and supported by ex-Olympian Lesley Tomlinson. He graduated in January from Isfeld Secondary to travel to Toulouse, France with fellow TaG member Martin to race for three months with U19 Culture Velo. During this time, both riders gained valuable experience training with the team, and competing in international and regional races.
Coached by Nigel Ellsay of Courtenay and Richard Wooles of Vancouver, Katerberg has been a member of the Comox Valley Cycling Club. He competes in Quebec this month with TaG Cycling in Tour de L’Abitibi, an international, six-stage race.
For more information about road riding/racing, visit Comoxvalleycycleclub.ca