Prime road conditions, zero wind, and a shady, flat Squamish Valley course made for some fast times during Saturday's (Aug. 14) B.C. cycling time trial championships.
A total of 89 cyclists powered the pedals of their finely-tuned 27-speed bikes along the 38.5-km return course, with Vancouver's Svein Tuft smashing the course record en route to the provincial title (and first in the Elite Men's category) in a time of 46:14.42.
Tuft, who won last month's Canadian title by dethroning eight-time national champ Eric Wolberg, broke the record by a full two minutes, beating the next finisher by more than three and a half minutes.
"It was a massive gap," said race director Brian Storey. "It's indicative of a national champion and an incredible time - probably a mark that will stand for a few years."
Moriah MacGregor took the Elite Women's division, while Jeff Sherstobitoff claimed the Under-23 title.
Squamish's Neal Kindree further established his reputation as a strong all-around cyclist by taking first place in the Junior Men's category, posting an impressive time of 52:26.99, good enough for 18th place overall.
Brennan Covey, another Squamish rider and one of the top Test of Metal finishers in past years, finished 53rd overall.
Lisa Tasa, one of 12 women in the field, took the Junior Women's title.
"Everything went really smoothly," said Storey. "It was cool in the trees and no wind made for some really fast times."
Because so many racers commented on the great atmosphere of the event, which was made possible by staging the registration and awards banquet at Sunwolf, event organizers are already planning to come back next year.
"It's pretty well-liked all around," said Storey of the race and its location. "We'll be looking to come back next year - it's already in the works."
