Tripleshot Cycling

See the Club’s Instagram and Facebook pages for video of this electrifying finish two weeks ago at the Cycling BC Track Provincials at the Burnaby Velodrome.

Ever wonder what your Tripleshot fees and fundraising events like the CrossFondo help support? Our Youth Program sees young cycling athletes training and competing year-round in road, track, CX, and MTB.

Here’s Lister’s event report from this year’s track competition:

Tripleshot youth riders scored high in personal bests and medals at the final major goal of the road and track season: the provincial track championships.

U17 and u19 were the only categories offered, so most of the team missed out. But our older riders represented well.

Remy Garrison, a first year Junior won the sprint, against a strong field of older riders, as well as hitting pbs in pursuit and the km. And silver in the keirin against a similar field. Remy is a contender for national championships this fall (postponed from April), and again next April, the selection event for the Junior world championships.

Kimberly Chen was also up against older riders from Alberta and Devo, and became noted by all watching for her blistering acceleration and savvy tactics.

She came away with fourth overall in the sprint (silver among BC) and x in the pursuit (with a pb by 10 seconds). Kimberly was a contender in the omnium until a crash took her out after the first of the four events. A highlight of the meet was taking a ride off Annabelle of Calgary, a national championship medalist(?), in the best of three bronze medal match up. And she did it with a surprise attack early, taking many lengths with her jackrabbit acceleration, and holding off Annabelle off by only .008 seconds. It was the only sprint medal round of all categories in the meet to go to three rides.

Trevor Macfarlane had big pbs in the km and the pursuit, then slid off the banking in the sprint. He was patched up and on the line for the omnium and keirin until he got taken out in a second crash, and had to retire on advice of the doctor. He’s healing up ok.

In the future stars category, Oscar Wong and Isla Rendle, still 14, upgraded to u17 for some experience.

Unfortunately for Oscar, u17 had only him and a huge second year u17 from Alberta (a covid effect, and also that the Burnaby season is usually winter, kept many away), so it was decided to combine u17 with u19, the strongest male field of the meet. (Which CBC had said they wouldn’t.). And what was already a stretch for Oscar, became impossible. Still, he got up and raced, did great in his timed events (3 pbs!) but it was tough; like riding A1 when you’re really a b3.

Not one to get down, he switched out of the omnium with the gorillas, and kept his first year u15 teammates company as a peer mentor in the clinic and casual racing during Saturday lunch. He raced Keirin heats and finals, and was recognized as the best BC u17 with a provincial champions jersey. Which he certainly is to us. (And special mention for the 4 ts first year u15s, Ollie, Mateus, Tim, Eli) who made the trek for the 2 hour session Saturday for u13 and u15 in lieu of championships. And to coach Sam Garber. who picked up the walk-ons at Tsawwassen, then took them back after; 4 drives through greater vancouver is more than enough for anyone.)

Isla however found herself in one of the best u17 girls fields we’ve seen at provincials, with 10 really strong girls. (As Isla noted, the reverse of the usual when she’s often alone.).

Isla had a solid 500, then an over-excited pursuit that saw her start too fast and pay for it later (a pb anyway), then a creditable 200m ride. The sprint tournament though, saw her eliminated by the power house Albertans and older riders. But the omnium the next day was a different story.

The omnium is four massed start events, all in the same day. Scratch, tempo, elimination, and points race.

Isla was xth in scratch, then in the tempo broke away solo while the favourites were watching each other, to take two sprints and 2 points for 5th(?) place. (Who has the courage to break away from riders two years older!?) The elimination saw her hold that position, and go into the final points race in 5th overall, but 3rd bc rider, only 8 points ahead of u17 Elizabeth Khrysanova of Devo- Cannondale for the provincial bronze.

The points race is the most hotly contested event of the omnium, as both the final event, and it carries the most points in the overall. Isla had to stay with pack and not lose more than 8 (?) points to Elizabeth to win the bronze in the bc championship. Points are 5,3,2,1 every 10 laps, 50 laps, double points at the finish.

The sprints were hot; riders were attacking three laps out from the line, and it was give-no-quarter racing. Isla stayed out of trouble, but was losing points most sprints as Burnaby veteran Khrisanova showed her skill and speed. But then Isla won a point. Krisinova responded and got up to one point behind. It was down to the last sprint. As long as Elizabeth didn’t get a point, Isla could still get the bronze.

I could tell she was tired; there were many gaps to close to stay with the leaders as victims of the pace cracked.

Then with three laps to go, in exactly the right move to challenge the leaders, Isla moved up and over the Albertans, getting high on the banking to contest the final sprint. Annabelle on the front was nervous, shoulder checking on Isla above her about 10 times a lap, and flogging up the speed to hold her off.

2 laps to go, Isla was cracking, still alongside the Albertans, but not gaining. But neither was Elizabeth.
Finally, they both blew, gapped in the last of the three lap 600 m sprint. Elizabeth had missed out on the final points! Perhaps even cracked by the challenge Isla had mounted that had forced the speed up early. (I’m filing that strategy for the future!)

Isla came off the track pale, head down, sweat soaked and exhausted. She didn’t really get that she had kept the medal until several long seconds later. A very nice bonus for a project that was just about experience. She went on to finish (4th overall, 2nd for BC riders) in the keirin.

There was a nice moment in the team pursuit, the final event. The Albertans had invited Isla to make up a team with them and a Burnaby girl. While they were in the waiting area to start, they realized that if each if the two teams entered gave up one rider, and instead, entered three teams of three, all 9 girls left in the competition (Kimberly was out after her crash) would have a ride.

So they quickly reconstituted the teams, agreed that instead of calling the traditional “Three!” if one got dropped (the time is based on the third rider, so a fourth can be ‘used up’ earlier), they’d call “Gap!”, as they needed all three together. (Zero coach input by the way.).

Alex and Annabelle, the two older alberta girls, could be heard in the infield encouraging Isla, when she struggled to close small gaps. But the lap splits never fell more than a fraction of a second over the 15 lap effort, a testimony to the team effort.

Nice peeps in bike racing.

Results:

Isla Rendle (U17): 500m TT Bronze, IP Bronze, Team Sprint (with Kimberly) Silver, Team Pursuit (with Anabelle Thomas and Alex Volstad) Gold, Keirin Silver

Kimberly Chen (U17): 500m TT Gold, IP Gold, Team Sprint (with Isla) Silver, Keirin Gold

Remy Garrison(U19): 1km TT Silver, Team Sprint (with Trevor and Manu Moore) Silver, Match Sprint Tourney Gold, Keirin Silver

Trevor MacFarlane (U19): Team Sprint (with Remy and Manu Moore) Silver

Oscar Wong (U17): 500m TT Gold, IP Gold, Keirin Gold