The times were smoking in this year’s Jeremy’s Roubaix
The annual spring classic cycle race in Pitt Meadows, now known as Jeremy’s Roubaix, has seen cyclists painted head to toe in a thin layer of goop.
But this year the sun shone, and the 160 road racers who blasted down the roads and along the dikes in a loop through the western reaches of Pitt Meadows were able to push it.
“They were really flying,” said organizer Barry Lyster of Local Ride Racing.
“It made for probably the best racing we’ve ever had.”
The men completed six laps of the course for a total distance of 55.37 km, with the winner completing the race in 1:26:11, for an average speed of 38.55km/h.
That was Paul Moffat of Funeral Cycling.
The top local competitor was the race organizer’s daughter Maggie Coles-Lyster, who won the women’s elite class, doing eight laps in a time of 2:14:20, for an average speed of 33 km/h.
“Considering she just came back from track nationals and winning all those medals, she did really well,” said Lyster. “She’s in really good form right now.”
Right behind her in second place was Kelsey MacDonald, 20, of Pitt Meadows, racing for Team Giant out of Vancouver.
Twelve-year-old Patrick Rytir of Maple Ridge also finished second out of four in the U-13 men’s class that did two laps of the course.
He said registration in the race was up slightly, and he is waiting for the race, which attracts riders from as far as Victoria, to take off.
“We’re still happy with an upward swing in our race, he said.
“You really can’t get a more perfect course,” he said.