VeloNorth
Cool, overcast and windy conditions greeted the 16 riders who showed up for the Yukon ITT Championships on Wednesday.
The individual time trial, which, within cycling circles, is called the “race of truth” doesn’t allow drafting or riding in a group. It’s just you, your bike, the course and the clock — there is no place to hide.
Starting at 30-second intervals, the racers rode south on the Alaska Highway just over 8.5 kilometres, at which point they turned and returned to the start for a total distance of 17.5 kilometres.
In the women’s expert class Allison Furniss was first in a time of 29:57.
John Berryman, recent winner of the sport men’s class in the Tour de Whitehorse, continued his winning ways by putting in an excellent ride of 26:36.
However, it was second-place Bob Bowerman’s time of 27:02 that impressed most of his fellow competitors. Bowerman is new to cycling and his improvement this year has been quite amazing.
Sport women winner Monika Melnychuk had an excellent result covering the course in 29:48.
In the men’s expert class Mike McCann took top spot with a 24:28. But it was junior riders David Greer, second in 24:42, and Troy Henry, third in 25:35, who really shone, both setting personal bests on the course.
Results:
Sport women
1st Monica Melnychuk,
29:48
2nd Leslie Vander Maas,
35:31
Sport men
1st John Berryman, 26:36
2nd Bob Bowerman, 27:02
3rd Darren Holcombe,
27:33
4th Bill Curtis, 28:06
5th Dan Reimer, 28:16
6th Graham Riske, 28:58
7th Randy Lamb, 30:19
Expert women
1st Allison Furniss, 29:57
Expert men
1st Mike McCann, 24:28
2nd David Greer, 24:42
3rd Troy Henry, 25:35
4th Jonah Clark, 25:51
5th Glen Iceton, 26:03
6th Derrick Hynes, 26:24
Coming up for VeloNorth is the Discovery Day Weekend Criterium.
Criteriums are bicycle races held on short courses, generally less than a kilometre in length. The event is a combination of time and distance — riders will race the course for 45 minutes and then be given a “three laps to go” signal.
Also during the race riders will be signaled by the ringing of a bell that they are on a prime-lap. The person who is leading at the end of that lap generally wins a prize.
Criteriums tend to be fast and furious and definitely worth watching, as anything can happen as groups of riders jockey for position and dive into the tight corners at speeds approaching 50 kilometres an hour.
On August 21st starting at 2 p.m. VeloNorth will be hosting its first ever Discovery Day Criterium.
The race will start on Main Street in front of Sam and Andy’s restaurant. Registration will be on site starting at 1 p.m.
The course is run in a clockwise direction; after Sam and Andy’s, it turns right onto Sixth Avenue, goes past Steele to Wood, then travels east on Wood to Fifth, turns right Fifth to Main Street, where it goes right again, onto Main and back to the start.
Working in conjunction with the city of Whitehorse, and in order to ensure this is a safe event, the inside lane of this course will be closed to traffic and parking between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on the 21st of August.
Intersport
championships
Twenty-eight runners and walkers competed in Athletics Yukon’s Intersport 5-kilometre Road Race Championships on Tuesday. The fastest male on the five-kilometre Riverdale course was Rodney Hulstein in a time of 16:08; the fastest female was Keltie Hollingdale in a time of 20:34.
Here are the results:
Bantam men
1st Thomas Mills, 29:02
Junior men
1st Robbie Westberg, 18:55
2nd Boris Hoefs, 19:58
Open men
1st Rodney Hulstein, 16:08
2nd Brent Langbakk, 16:46
3rd Scott Westberg, 17:32
4th Glen Iceton, 18:50
5th Trevor Mead-Robins,
21:21
Masters men
1st Jean-Francois Latour,
23:38
Masters I men
1st Don White, 19:03
2nd Ross Knox, 21:45
3rd Grant Macdonald, 22:36
4th Jim Bell, 23:11
5th Tim Shoniker, 27:32
Men’s 5-kilometre walk
1st Phil Gibson, 33:53
Midget women
1st Ateca Mills, 29:05
Juvenile women
1st Leah Anderson, 26:06
Masters women
1st Keltie Hollingdale, 20:34
Masters I women
1st Mary Ann Ferguson,
25:07
Women’s 5-kilometre walk
1st Arlene Ogden, 34:23
2nd Karen Mills, 40:56
3rd Doris Dart, 41:04
4th Karin Keeley, 41:55
Women’s 2.5-kilmetre run
1st Jasmine Fitzsimmons,
13:47
2nd Sarah Anderson, 4:38