Skip to content

200 riders in Race the Ridge

Annual cycle race returns all three courses to Maple Ridge
web1_170502-MRN-M-Race-the-Ridge-for-web

Race the Ridge was a truly local event this year.

The cycle race that has seen courses in Mission’s Hatzic are and on Barnston Island, was back in the Thornhill area for the road race and time trial.

“It was awesome to be back in Thornhill,” said race organizer Barry Lyster of Local Ride Racing, who set up his start and finish line on 256th Street.

“It’s hard to find good rural areas in the Lower Mainland for racing.”

And the three-event race’s signature town core criterium was back in the downtown, with cyclists whizzing around the loop through Memorial Peace Park, watched by hundreds of spectators.

One of the best local stories was Brett Wakefield of Maple Ridge, who races for the Giant Vancouver team. He had a second place finish in the elite men’s time trial, and in the omnium finished eighth overall out of 42 riders, based on his points in all three events.

The event was won by Nigel Kinney of Vancouver-based Langlois Brown Racing.

Another local, the race organizer’s daughter Maggie Coles-Lyster, finished second overall in the elite women’s category, after finishing second on the town core criterium course, third in the road race and sixth on the time trial.

Barry said it was a good result for the junior racer, who was beaten by a veteran elite racer in Janna Gillick of Glotman Simpson Cycling, who has won provincial and national championships.

Coles-Lyster is working toward the nationals at the end of June, so Race the Ridge was more of a training race for her.

Kaelen Coles-Lyster was fourth overall in the youth women category.

Another local, 10-year-old Katrin Rytir, raced against older junior racers, and completed three laps, or 30 km of a hilly and tough Thornhill course.

Her brother Patrick Rytir finished third in the youth category.

Vancouver’s Jake Cullen of Smart Savvy+Garneau won the 100 km road race in impressive fashion, finishing the course in just under two hours and 39 minutes, more than two minutes ahead of the second place finisher.

“He went away on the very first lap of the road race, and stayed away,” noted Lyster.

Wayne Bradford, another local racer, finished 13th in an “extremely competitive” masters men category.

Lyster thanked downtown business and Thornhill residence for being patient with road closures during the bike races on Saturday and Sunday.

“They really were welcoming,” he said.

With 200 cyclists coming from across the province and as far away as Alberta and Washington State, he said the event can be an economic generator for Maple Ridge. He is trying to attract more competitors, and take the event “to the next level.”



Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
Read more