Wednesday, July 18, 2012 NewsLeader A3
Infocus
OpInIOn page 6 | Letters page 7
Hairpin at Madison a Giro-watchers hot spot ⫸
continued from frOnt paGe
By 2002, she had turned cycling into a full-time profession enabling her to ditch working in her family’s restaurant in Pocono Pines, Pa. She went on to win two United States road and two cyclocross titles, amongst the hundreds of other races she’s been in. “I hope so,” she said when asked if she can hit the 400 win mark. “There’s going to be a day when I’m not mentioned on the podium.” Just six days before the Giro, Van Gilder was back home in Pocono Pines surfing cycling Facebook sites and found out about BC Superweek. She was scheduled to race in Boise, Idaho on Saturday (July 14), and realized this was an opportunity to race some more while out west. She quickly made flight arrangements and recruited her Mellow Mushroom teammate Kristen LaSasso to go with her. “Things fell into place and we said, ‘Let’s do this,’ ” said Van Gilder. They hopped on a plane and arrived in time for the UBC Grand Prix on Tuesday, although Van Gilder’s bike didn’t arrive with her. So she used a borrowed one to finish fourth. By Wednesday, she had her own back and came in second at the revived Gastown Grand Prix behind Rowney, who rides for Specialized Lululemon, the team Canadian Olympian Clara Hughes races for. “I’m already planning for the trip next year,” said Van Gilder, who figures the field will be much bigger in 2013 when she starts spreading the word south of the border. Van Gilder, Rowney and Jean Ann Berkenpas, who lives in Maple Ridge, broke away from the rest of the 28-rider field early and maintained their considerable distance through the remainder of the race. Berkenpas finally faded with about seven laps left leaving Van Gilder and Rowney
Laura Van Gilder, left, treated herself to a mint-flavoured ice cream after winning the women’s Giro di Burnaby last Thursday. Above, crews stand by with spare tires during the race. Grant GranGer/newsLeader
ChrIs reLke/COurtesy GIrO dI BurnaBy
Ken Hanson followed up Wednesday’s sprint win at the Gastown Grand Prix with another late burst to win the Giro di Burnaby on Thursday night.
to battle it out on their own. Van Gilder said she knew if the three “got away we could put the power to the pedals” and lose the rest of the pack. “More often than not being aggressive like that pays off,” said Rowney, who wasn’t bothered by losing to someone more than twice her age. “I’ve looked up to her. She’s a fantastic athlete and a fantastic rider. She’s not just a sprinter. I was happy to get the win [in Gastown].” New Zealander Joseph Cooper led for much of the men’s 45-lap, 55-km race, racking up five primes lap wins totaling at least
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$700 before the peloton caught up to him. They jockeyed back and forth with many in the audience keeping their eyes on locals Christian Meier and Svein Tuft— who has ridden in the Tour de France and won the UBC Grand Prix on Tuesday. But on the final sprint neither could catch up to Hanson, who emerged victorious despite not being on the race announcers’ radar the whole race. The race lasted just a shade under 80 minutes, with the last lap being the fastest of the night at one minute and 37 seconds. Hanson and his Optum
teammates were not only coming off a victory the night before, but a bachelor party for the squad’s Sebastian Salas of Delta that ended in the wee hours of Thursday morning. “My teammates suffered a lot more than I did tonight. They did a lot of work. I did minimal work and it set me up for the sprint. This was a win for the team,” said Hanson. “Winning races is amazing. Winning two days in a row is extra special. Everyone steps up and is doing their job … Just winning [in Gastown] took some pressure off of us. We really
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wanted it so [the Giro] was a little bit more relaxed.” Hanson collected the $2,000 top prize for his team, to go along with the $15,000 he won at Gastown, with second-place finisher Tommy Nankervis of Melbourne, Australia winning $1,100 and another Aussie, Hilton Clarke, who won the inaugural Giro in 2006, picking up $800 for his third-place finish. Rowney got $800 for being the women’s runner-up while Berkenpas took home $500. The night before, Rowney won $8,000 while Van Gilder picked up $6,000. By the late stages of the men’s race, spectators were lined up three and four deep behind the barriers strung along Hastings Street in The Heights. A particularly popular spot was at the hairpin turn at Madison Avenue, a new feature added to this year’s Giro.
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