It was a 21C clear, perfect evening for a Criterium Bicycle race in Mississauga, Ontario. Craig Fagan, Andrew Paradowski, and the Midweek Gang, did not disappoint. We had a significant wind blowing downhill from the NW, making the climb to the finish line just a little bit more fun.
Breakaways were the theme tonight.
About 40 racers clipped in for the early beginner/intermediate "B" race. Duke's Cycle/Lapdogs Race Team S3 Captain, Philip Cates of Toronto, found himself in a very early, lap one break with two others. After shortly reintegrating with the pack, Cates then headed back out on his own. By Lap 3, Cates was soloing for good. He was nearly nipped at the end by Kurzawinski Coach's Dawid Kurzawinski.
Several efforts to catch Cates were unsuccessful. Kurzawinski's efforts, which brought the race to an exciting and unexpectedly close conclusion, were laudable. But Cates held Kurzawinski off and prevailed.
This was Philip Cate's debut race with us at Midweek. Good Job! Have fun in the "A" race next week.
Cates in dark, Kurzawinski in the yellow helmet.
About 100 of Toronto's fastest lined up for the Elite "A" race. An early breakaway formed with the lethal trio of Ed Veal, Chris Freeland – both of La Bicicletta/J. Lindberg – and Kevin Hazzard of Jet Fuel Coffee. This long-lasting break nearly lapped the entire field. After establishing a 1 minute lead, they came within 20 seconds of catching the back of the pack.
This was a fast race early as the lap times were nearly 1 minute (1km/1min = 60 km/hour average = lickety split). The unfortunate timing of a bothersome knee ailment removed Chris Freeland from the break, unavoidably slowing the remaining duo and after about 50 laps, the break was reintegrated. But not, it must be noted, until after a valiant 3 lap solo attempt to maintain the break by Veal. The wind from the NW helpfully slowed making it a tad easier for the chasers to catch the escapees. A few late escape attempts were mounted, to no avail. The race finished with a literally howling sprint by winner La Bicicletta/J. Lindberg's Ed Veal. It was a stellar performance, especially after spending the majority of the race in a breakaway!
Ed Veal sprinted himself out of the frame of this race-finishing shot. This is the race for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Forgive me, I was using an unfamiliar camera.
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