Cycling BC Junior Team Arrive for Tour de l’Abitibi
Six of British Columbia’s best junior male road racers have arrived in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec to take on an international field at the Tour de l’Abitibi. The tour includes seven stages over six days, and is rated UCI 2.1. The riders from Cycling BC will be competing for selection spots for Junior Road World Championships in September.
The roster includes current junior national time trial champion, Nigel Ellsay (Courtenay). “I’m really happy with how road nationals went, and I’m excited to show my abilities at such a prestigious junior race,” said Ellsay. “It’s one of the biggest junior stage races in the world, and I’m really thankful to all the staff and sponsors who made this project happen.”
A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this project happen including all the Cycling BC sponsors, staff, and volunteers.
Stage One: Amos – Rouyn Noranda
Amos, QC, hosted the first road stage of the Tour de l’Abitibi. On tap was 117km of racing from Amos to Rouyn Noranda, with three 5km finishing circuits in the town. The pack was incredibly nervous with three crashes happening in the first 10km. The third crash proved the most costly with over 20 riders affected including Trevor Pearson and Henri de Boever. Both would soldier on for the remainder of the stage to finish.
The race was animated by a dangerous move by three USA National Team riders, who were away for 90 of the 117km stage. Cycling BC rider Nigel Ellsay made the initial move, but an untimely flat would put him back in the main bunch. Ellsay, along with Jordan Duncan and Aidan Caves ended up doing a large amount of work along with the Canadian National Team and Team Ontario to eventually bring the break back. Ellsay made a solo move with one 5km lap left but was caught by the USA train two kilometers later. “We can take a lot of positives from the race today,” said Duncan. “We were active throughout the stage and I’m looking forward to the rest of the week!”
The whole team is excited that the week of racing is finally underway, and is looking forward to making an impact again in tomorrow’s 106km stage from La Sarre to Rouyn Noranda. Again, a big thank you to the sponsors who made this project happen, and good luck to Head Coach Richard Wooles with the Canadian Track Team at the London Olympics!
