RTR Takes Three Provincial Championship Jerseys

Day 1: Time Trial

The opening stage featured a demanding 20 km time trial on a technical course marked by numerous U-turns and deceptive false-flat climbs. With two laps of a 10 km circuit, pacing became a critical challenge, even though wind conditions were largely favorable.

Cooper, our leading time trial specialist, delivered an outstanding performance, narrowly missing out on the elite men's victory by mere fractions of a second and securing a strong 2nd place finish. Despite a valiant effort from the rest of the men's team, they were unable to break into the podium positions.

The 2025 BC Provincial Championships began Friday evening with the Time Trial where Brenna, Cynthia and Kathryn competed for the Elite title and Kimberly for the U23 category. The evening’s race against time brought low winds, sunshine and a decently flat course by the Victoria Airport with 5 u-turns. Kimberly landed on the U23 podium with a strong ride, Kathryn and Brenna rode fast for 6th and 10th place, while Cynthia defended the team’s Elite TT Championship title!

Day 2: Road Race

Day two saw the riders take on a demanding 120 km road race, consisting of 12 laps on a 10 km loop. The course was not only technical but also featured relentless hills that made for a physically taxing day. To add to the challenge, the race started in cold and wet conditions- far from ideal.

For me, the combination of the weather and the hilly terrain led to cramping early on, which only worsened as the race progressed. Eventually, my legs locked up completely, forcing me to pull out of the race.

Despite the tough conditions, Kolby, Cooper and Owen showed great strength and endurance, managing to stay with the front group and finish in the lead pack. It was a brutal day, but the team showed grit and determination throughout.

This year’s road race was a mental and physical battle to complete 10 laps of a challenging 10 km circuit with two main steep pitches, and some flowy descents and flats. The women’s field started in the cold rain and would quickly be blown apart on the climbs within the first half of the race by the young rider, Sidney Swierenga, coming back from a storming European and North American racing block. Only Larissa and Cynthia would be left working to chase her down while Kathryn did an amazing job leading the collections of riders behind to finish with a Red Truck elite podium sweep. In the U23 category, Kimberly fought it out and used her sprint power to claim another 3rd place finish.

Day 3: Criterium

The final day featured a high-intensity criterium on a short 600-meter circuit with four tight corners. The short course made for a fast and sketchy race, with positioning and timing playing a critical role throughout.

Personally, I found myself out of position in the closing laps and wasn’t able to provide the support I’d hoped for my teammate. However, the rest of the squad came together impressively, forming a phenomenal lead-out train to set Kolby up for the win.

While the plan was strong, it didn’t go entirely as hoped-other teams caught on to our strategy and disrupted the final sprint. Still, the team came away with solid results: Tristan secured 3rd place in the U23 category, and Orien powered to 2nd in the Elite division.

This year the criterium featured a 650-metre, flat, square course. Many local women’s teams brought out their A-games and aimed to set-up for their top sprinters. The Red Truck women had Larissa and Kathryn riding strong to drive the pace from the front. A couple of unfortunate early crashes allowed a small break of 5 to form with Brenna skillfully maneuvering around the crash to make it into the break and ride smart within it. This break would last until the last few minutes of the race, where it was now time for Kimberly to set up for the sprint, finishing 2nd overall and winning the U23 Criterium Title and Brenna, Kathryn and Larissa close by in 6th, 8th and 9th.

Tour de Bloom Race Report

UCI 2.2 Tour de Bloom Pro Women’s Summary

By Kimberly Chen

Stage 1 Waterville Road Race

The opening stage took place in Waterville on an open course known for its tough crosswinds. The women’s field started with 96 racers, making positioning in key points in the race, such as the QOM, extremely crucial. Emma was able to make her way to the top 5 wheels into the first QOM and all of our riders stayed comfortably within the bunch throughout the 90 km race. We supported each other by grabbing extra feeds and working together to close any gaps that formed. While some teams tried sending riders up the road, none stayed away successfully, and the race was going to end in a chaotic bunch sprint. The accelerations would start early, around the 1km-to-go sign, so it was a long way to go at almost top speed. Kimberly fought to position well for the final sprint, and in the end finished 12th place (2nd U23), and following in the pack was Brenna (32nd), Kathryn (49th), Cynthia (52nd), and Emma (73rd).

Stage 2 Twilight Criterium

The second stage was the crowd-favourite Twilight Criterium in downtown Wenatchee. The race was expected to be hard and fast from the gun, with Ace’s thousand-dollar 2nd-lap prime on the line. The women’s team’s focus was to position as far ahead as possible in the massive 95-person field, which proved to be quite difficult as the race was kept at the same high pace the entire 55 minutes, with little to no lulls. One of our goals headed into the race was for Kimberly to try to collect time bonuses for contention for the Best Young Rider’s jersey, and then at the end the team would try to set up for the sprint finish. While we were not able to achieve this goal, we had some good team moments where we would find each other’s wheels and try to protect each other as we moved up in the pack. The team held their own in the bunch finish and would safely continue onto the next stage. Kathryn 22nd, Kimberly 31st/8th U23, Brenna 50th, Cynthia 54th, and Emma 88th.

Stage 3 Plain Road Race

The Plain Road Race takes us on a beautiful rolling course in the forest, and would end on a punchy 6-minute climb for the finish. The women’s team had a strong presence in the pack, often all being in the front half of the peloton. The goal was to get as many of our riders as possible into the top wheels heading into the final climb. We were able to execute this plan well with all five of us finding each other in the final kilometers heading towards the base of the climb. Emma, Kimberly, and Cynthia were able to start the climb in the top 20 wheels and from there it would simply be an all-out effort for each of us. Cynthia would achieve the team’s top result in 21st, followed by Emma (47th), Kimberly (72nd/10th U23), Kathryn (82nd), and Brenna (87th).

Stage 4 Palisades Time Trial

A long 30 km time trial awaited us on day four of racing, with winds that were becoming stronger by the hour. Emma put out a massive effort and landed a top 25 result in the stacked field, Cynthia who rode merckx-style would finish 53rd, Kathryn and Brenna would finish 80th and 84th respectively, and Kimberly would finish 93rd, unfortunately outside of the time limit of 20% of the winner’s time.

Stage 5 Ed Farrar Memorial Road Race

The queen stage consisted of over 2,500 meters in elevation, almost half of which would be tackled in the final 25 km. On the first climb, the field split quickly and the top contenders would begin making time on the main peloton. Cynthia was able to ride closely with the 2nd group behind the leading break. The riders were spread pretty thin; Brenna, Emma, and Kathryn would find their own small groups of riders to conquer the remaining course with. The riders also had to deal with the heat on these long climbs; bottles and ice socks became crucial through the feed zone, where Kimberly would be supporting the women’s team from. Despite all the fatigue from the past four days of racing, our four riders persevered and finished this brutal stage, with Cynthia finishing 34th, Brenna 62nd, Emma 68th, and Kathryn 73rd. The final GC standings for the Pro Women: Cynthia 32nd, Brenna 60th, and Emma 65th. Total GC Finishers: 69.

Pro Men's Summary

By Orien Massey

Last week, the team traveled to Wenatchee, Washington, to compete in one of our favorite events on the calendar: Tour De Bloom. Coming off a strong Spring Series campaign, we entered the five-stage race in the heart of Washington’s apple country with high expectations and solid momentum.

Stage 1: Still Properties Waterville Road Race

**135 km | 1,350 m Elevation Gain **

The race began with challenging conditions, strong crosswinds, and rolling terrain defined the early kilometers. The peloton’s pace was aggressive from the start, completing the first 45 km lap in just 58 minutes. Cooper suffered a front flat at the 10 km mark, which forced him into a long and difficult chase. Despite the setback, the rest of the team remained well-positioned, aiming to support Tristan in a potential sprint finish. Unfortunately, a late-race crash took down Orien with 25 km to go. He showed impressive determination, finishing the stage with road rash and a neutral service bike. A late surge from a rival team brought back a 3-minute gap in the final 15 km, creating a decisive split. While we missed that final selection, Tristan won the group sprint, salvaging a strong result for the day.

Stage 2: Rookard Pools Twilight Downtown Criterium

**55 minutes **

The Twilight Crit proved chaotic from the outset, with the men’s race starting 30 minutes late. Our riders were alert and active in the early laps, covering threatening moves and maintaining good positioning. Midway through the race, a major crash involved half the field, including Marc, Owen, and Orien. The race was neutralized for 15 minutes before resuming. Just a few laps later, Cooper was forced into the curb on the back straight and suffered a heavy crash. Despite these challenges, the team remained composed. Kolby delivered an outstanding sprint, finishing second in a photo finish. An excellent result, particularly under the circumstances.

Stage 3: Arlberg Sports Plain Road Race

**120 km | 1,100 m Elevation Gain **

This scenic but demanding stage featured three laps along Lake Wenatchee, culminating in a steep 5-minute climb. After our strong performance in the criterium, team morale was high, and we were motivated to animate the race. The opening lap saw numerous breakaway attempts, with our riders consistently present. Eventually, a small group escaped without our representation, but the break was later reeled in. The race remained steady until the final 20 km, when the GC teams ramped up the pace ahead of the climb. All riders finished safely and showed resilience throughout the stage.

Stage 4: Builders First Source Individual Time Trial

30 km

The time trial featured strong tailwinds on the outbound leg and punishing headwinds on the return. Despite lingering injuries from earlier crashes, Cooper put in an exceptional effort, placing 12th in a competitive field, an impressive ride given the conditions and circumstances.

Stage 5: Biosports–Ed Farrar Queen Stage

90 km | 2,500 m Elevation Gain

The final and most challenging stage featured relentless climbing and intense competition. Cooper made the difficult but wise decision to sit out due to ongoing discomfort. The rest of the squad aimed to join an early break on the initial golf course circuits, but the GC contending teams kept the pace high and neutralized all attacks.

Ultimately, only Tristan and Owen finished within the time cut, rounding out a grueling day of racing.

We entered Tour De Bloom with ambitious goals and showed flashes of brilliance throughout the week, despite an unusual amount of bad luck with crashes and mechanicals. Kolby’s second-place finish in the criterium was a major highlight and a testament to the team’s determination. While the final results didn’t fully reflect the effort and preparation behind our campaign, the riders demonstrated grit, adaptability, and professionalism. We're proud of the way the team handled adversity and are already looking ahead to our next objectives. Tour De Bloom remains one of our favorite races, and we look forward to returning even stronger next year.

Tucson Bicycle Classic Recap

The Tucson Bicycle Classic stage race took place last weekend in Tucson, Arizona. With most of the Red Truck racing team attending the event. The team managed to come together and achieve some positive results, despite it being the start of the season and relearning how to race again, the team strived in improving every stage.

Stage 1: Marana Time Trial

My first race of the season heading into the time trial, I had low expectations coming into this stage as it doesn’t suite me as a rider, I used this stage more so as a leg opener to prep me for the upcoming races. The TT was a 7km course with a few little turns at the start, and the rest being a strait away. Many predicted the time trial was going to be fast, but due to the head wind it ended up being very slow. It was more about maintaining an arrow position, rather than brute force.

Although I didn’t have a significant result, my teammates managed to achieve some solid results with Cooper placing 14th, Orien 68th, and Marc 85th, in a field of 120 riders. On the woman’s side Cynthia placed 9th, Kathryne 21st, Emma 37th, and Kimberly 41st, in a field of 61 riders. A job well done by the team despite being faced with bad luck, everyone persevered.

Stage 2: Rio Nuevo Criterium

Coming into the criterium, I was prepared to do a race that suited me well, fast, punchy, and intense. It consisted of a few corners, one of which was a hair pin corner leading into a climb. So, position was very important from the start.

Because of the unique nature of the course, the peloton broke up very quickly. It became the end of the race for many riders like me to get pulled out. Unfortunately, everyone on the Red Truck racing team got pulled out before we could finish the race. But results were in place, for the woman’s team Cynthia placed 18th, Emma 33rd, Kimberly 34th, and Kathryn 40th. For the men’s Cooper placed 80th, Orien 82nd, Marc 97th, and me 99th. Not what everyone expected, but the course wasn’t in our favour as well as our starting position. Fortunately, no one got caught up in the many crashes.

Stage 3: Sahuarita Road Race

For the road race, I was hoping to redeem myself after not having he greatest results. The course was 130km with a false flat climb with some rolling hills leading into a long straight descent. I felt confident in my ability to save my legs for the sprint, and the team and I agreed we would try to do a lead out for the end of the race. Unfortunately, as we were moving to the front of the peloton a the end of the race, we were confused if whether or not we got relegated for crossing the center line, taking away our position in moving to the front, leaving us stuck in the bunch on the last kilometre of the race. Despite not getting the best position everyone on the men’s side I managed to get into the top 70 of the riders, and for the woman’s race, they all managed to get into the top 40 of the riders.

Stage 4: Oro Valley Circuit

On the last stage I was a little concerned with my overall health, I couldn’t decipher if I was battling some sort of illness, or if my body couldn’t adapt to the dry and hot environment. I came into this race just to do the best I can and if I could, help my teammates. But my body just couldn’t perform how it should have. The circuit was a 4km loop with a decent climb, good for punchy riders. Orien had a great result despite getting caught in a crash on the last corner placing 24th, while Copper 53rd, and Marc 43rd. For the woman’s Cynthia placed 9th, Emma 26th, and Kathryn 35th. Overall, the team did an amazing job for the start of the season, relearning the ways of how to prep for a race, to race, and to recovery. But, most of all we were learning how to work as a team and to support each the best we can.

The GC standings: Cynthia 10th and Cooper 59th

A strong kick-off to 2025 at Valley of the Sun Stage Race

This past weekend I raced Valley of the Sun Stage Race with my new teammates Kimberly Chen and Marc Sato. The race is located in Phoenix, Arizona and was one of my personal favorites from last year. As a team I think we had some really strong results this weekend that bode for an awesome season to come.

Stage 1: Landis Cyclery Time Trial

This was my first race of the year and I was pretty nervous going into the time trial. I’ve been racing on the Factor Slick TT bike and working on that positioning. I was the third to start in my race, so I only had two people ahead of me to catch, but was able to chase them down. The TT was pretty flat and the wind was kind of all over the place, so it went a bit slower than I expected. I was happy to come away with 21st place, and Kimberly finished strong at 47th. In the men’s race Marc finished 66th in a field of about 125 men.

Stage 2: Silverhawk Private Wealth Road Race

This road race is an interesting course, it’s 25km laps with an all out 5 - 10 min climb, but the rest of the lap is basically just free wheeling. One of my season goals was to podium at this race and I’m excited to say that I achieved that goal! Going into the final climb I moved myself up to the front and was able to sprint to third place in a reduced group of about 18 riders. Kimberly had a great race and really showed off her pack riding skills, being consistently near the front. In the men’s race Marc finished 58th.

Stage 3: Trilogy Veterinary Medical Center Criterium

Kimberly had a great final stage, sprinting her way to 15th place as a first year U23 rider. Super impressive! She had great positioning the whole race and finished strong. Marc also rode super well, with really consistent positioning in a big field. He finished 45th! I had a good race, and tried to maintain my positioning in GC without taking any risks.

Final team GC standings

Emma Dressler: 18th Kimberly Chen: 38th / 9th in Best Young Rider Marc Sato: 54th / 27th in Best Young Rider

Red Truck Women Take on UCI 1.1 Tour de Gatineau

The women's team concluded their season with the UCI 1.1 Tour de Gatineau in Ottawa, Ontario. Joined by two guest riders, Evelyn Gagnon and Jenna Nestman, who shared their experience at the race and with Red Truck Racing.

Evelyn Gagnon

Last weekend I had the opportunity to race Tour de Gatineau. Last time I did that race was in 2017, I got dropped on the circuit after laps in the park and managed to finish inside the time limit. This year, 8 months after giving birth, I had a different approach for that race. I wanted to have fun (if that’s possible when your heart rate is 190bpm) and be proud of myself. I was nervous at the start but happy at the same time. Race started and it was super hard to get to the front. After 2 laps I thought if I can do half of the race I will be happy. Then the half way point arrived and I was still « comfortable » so I thought maybe I could actually finish it in the front group!! That’s what happened and I was very proud of myself! After the race, Sarah, DS extraordinaire was there to congratulate us with her positive energy!

The next day was the crit, something I love and hate at the same time! The day started wonderfully with a coffee in Chelsea with the team and some riding in the beautiful Gatineau park. The crit started and it was a fast race from the gun. I was super pleased to see 2 teammates in the group who weren’t able to make the selection the day before, what a way to finish the weekend strong!!

After a big crash 15min from the end, my confidence wasn’t there anymore and I got drop with 2 laps to go. I’m still proud because it was one of the fastest crit I’ve done in my life.!

This weekend reminded me why I love racing and why I love being in a team of badass women!

Really enjoyed my few days in Red and already excited to meet again with these ladies next year in a race !

Jenna Nestman

Tour De Gatineau, The only two women’s UCI race’s left in Canada! Emma Dressler, Cynthia Pham and Myself (Guest Rider and Alumni - Jenna Nestman), started day one off with the race of TRUTH, the Tour De Gatineau Individual Time Trial UCI 1.1. The 10km loop was unrelenting, with very technical corners, 7 speed bumps, rough payment, a kicker’ of a hill, that was all completed twice for an overall distance of 20 km's. I was very pleased with how I executed my race, keeping the first half in check, really nailing the third quarter of the race and bringing it home with a strong finish. An absolute win for me was railing corners like never before, truly living on the razors edge and finding every second of valuable speed available. Stopping the clock with a time good enough for 6th, in a World class field, chalked full of Olmpians, TDF riders and World tour Pros alike.

Next up was the Tour De Gatineau RR UCI 1.1, run on the same course as the Time Trial, however this time 12 laps, for a total of 120 km’s! With a blistering pace set from the gun it made for a very hard race. Attack, after attack, after attack, shelling riders through the very technical sections and every single hill climb. The field started with over 100 women, just 62 riders finished and only 45 women were in the reduced lead group. In the end it came down to a bunch sprint, where I placed 20th as the top finisher for our Red Truck squad.

tt was an unforgettable weekend and having the support of Sarah Coney as our DS for the weekend was absolutely amazing, she made it so easy on us. Being able to race in Red again alongside these strong women was such a gift, the community feel on this team is truly, truly unmatched.

Red Truck Racing wins the 2024 RBC Gran Fondo

Women's Race

This year's RBC Granfondo was a fun and fast day of racing. The race started off aggressively, with a fast pace up Taylor Way. Good positioning allowed me to reach the front group. I was able to stick with the group through to Squamish. In Squamish, the race started to get more dynamic with breaks going up the road. My legs felt strong and I was able to be in the first chase group going into Whistler. I was very happy to take first place in the individual women's field and even more happy to stand on the top step as a team, winning the St. Regis Cup! The team fought hard on all the way from Vancouver to Whistler, ending the season on a great note!

Men's Race

The men’s team had a great time finishing off the season with the world-famous Whistler Grand Fondo. It was a hard, but well fought race by the men who ended up just falling short of their goal of a team podium finish. However, they gave it their all on legs tired from a long, hard season, as they climbed up the scenic sea-to-sky highway, although they didn’t have many opportunities to take in the scenery in the heat of the race. The race was a constant battle of covering attacks and trying to shutdown threatening breakaways. Red Truck alum Alexander Fraser-Maraun broke away with another strong rider near the end of the race and were able to stay away. Cooper Langard made a strong solo effort in the last few kilometres to take third place and Celeb Ney took 10 th place from the bunch sprint with the rest of the team not far behind. Untimely, the team all finished in great spirits in Whistler, happy to conclude their successful season.

Red Truck Racing Announces New Leadership After 25 Years of Success Under Steve Engh and Brian Green

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 12th, 2024 – Vancouver, B.C. – After a remarkable 25-year tenure guiding the Red Truck Racing cycling team, Steve Engh and Brian Green are transitioning leadership to a new group of dedicated athletes and professionals. Sarah Clarke will also be ending her time with the team after many years of behind the scenes work. This exciting change marks a new chapter for the team, with Steve Engh committed to assisting through this transition period.

“This team has been my passion for over 25 years. I'm very pleased that a very dedicated group and team alumni riders have stepped up to carry it on. I will give them as much support as they need.” - Steve Engh

This departure marks the end of an era and we thank Steve Engh, Brian Green, and Sarah Clarke for their unparalleled contributions and look forward to this exciting new chapter for Red Truck Racing.

Introducing the New Leadership Team:

Brenna Pauly

A valued member of Red Truck Racing for over five years, Brenna Pauly has been and will continue to be an integral part of the team’s leadership.

Sian Barraclough

Sian Barraclough brings a wealth of experience from her extensive career in the corporate world, including significant roles in project management and financial strategy, along with experience in cycling as an athlete, race organizer and team manager.

Henry Dressler

Henry Dressler’s background in forensic accounting and financial investigations, combined with his extensive experience in competitive cycling, positions him as the ideal candidate for managing the team's finances and budgeting.

Kolby Mullen

Kolby Mullen, who raced for Red Truck in 2024, will take on the role of Men’s Team Captain. With experience leading the UBC Cycling team and a strong passion for the sport, Kolby is dedicated to maintaining the team's high standards and excellent culture.

Emma Dressler

Emma Dressler, who has managed the team’s social media and website with dedication, will continue to manage Red Truck Racing’s online presence and community engagement, ensuring the team remains connected and visible.

Our Mission:

Red Truck Racing’s core mission remains unchanged: to nurture local cyclists, especially student-athletes, to become their best selves both on and off the bike.The new leadership team is dedicated to preserving Red Truck Racing’s legacy and advancing its impact on the local and national cycling scenes.

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Emma Dressler

E-mail: edressler4@gmail.com

Phone: +1 (613) 816-4176

Red Truck Racing

Cycling Team

Vancouver, B.C.

Website: redtruckracing.squarespace.com

Two Podiums at Tour de Concord

Tour de Concord is always a challenging race, feared by many as the most technical course of any local criterium. As an added challenge, this year’s race took place in the blazing sun during an official heat warning. The Men’s lineup consisted of Aidan, Kolby, Matthew, Caleb, Casey, and Oliver, who all tried their best to stay cool before the race. As the race kicked off, everyone tried to stay near the front as Ribble Rebellion’s five-man squad drilled the pace on the front. Everyone knew the accordion effect would result in a full-gas sprint out of the hairpin every lap if not in the top 10 wheels. Halfway through the race, the heat became unbearable for most of the Red Truck squad, with everyone except Kolby and Aidan pulling out. Two or three Ribble riders had also crashed or pulled out due to the heat. In the second half of the race, splits were happening left and right which we expertly closed down. With only 10-15 riders remaining in the race, Ribble kept it fast hoping to keep Al close to the front to sprint for the win. Coming into the last lap, Kolby was slightly out of position, sitting in around 7th wheel. As the riders came back into sight for the finish, the front runners were all gone, leaving two riders on the front with a gap, and Kolby leading the pack in third. It turned out that the leaders had overcooked the hairpin, bringing down the top four riders. Kolby managed to ride through the carnage into great position, bringing home the sprint for third place. Aidan finished just behind in fifth. Considering the conditions and course, this was a brutal race and we were happy to walk away with a podium. The team is feeling primed and ready to take on Gastown next week!

The women’s team lined up for Vancouver’s fourth annual Tour de Concord. The course consisted of tight, technical cornering and fast straight aways, in 25 degree plus temperatures. The team kept their presence in the front of the group, pushing the pace through the corners. Brenna and Emma fought hard in the heat and finished the race together, while Cynthia, Larissa, and Kathryn stuck with the group and finished the race with a sprint placing 8th, 6th and 2nd!

Red Truck Racing Goes East for Road Nationals

In Red Truck Racing's 30th year as a team, Road National Championships took place in Beauce, Quebec. The team competed in the Time Trial, Road Race, and Criterium.

Time Trial

The 2024 National Championship course was a tough course with lots of hills. Despite that and shaking out some travel legs, the team performed impressively, achieving the following results:

7th Elite Men - Cooper Langard 9th Elite Men - Aidan Oliphant 17th U23 Women - Kathryn Ayroud 17th U23 Men - Mathew Ney 20th U23 Men - Caleb Ney

Road Race

The challenging weather conditions for the 2024 Canadian Road Nationals women's road race made for a tough and technical race. The women’s team embraced the 115km course consisting of significant climbing and fast descents. Emma, Cynthia, Kathryn, and Larissa had a strong start to the race all sitting comfortably in the peloton for the first 40km. Cynthia and Larissa were able to fight hard to make the chase group to finish 12th and 17th in the Elite Women’s field. Emma finished an impressive 27th in the Elite Women’s field despite getting a flat tire. Kathryn also experienced mechanical issues but still finished with an impressive 15th place in the U23 Women’s field.

The men's Canadian National Road Championships were set to play out on one of the hardest parcours in North America featuring 3400m of climbing over the rolling 200km course with all of the biggest names in Canadian cycling here to play. The peloton fractured immediately once the flag dropped as every rider fought tooth and nail over each punchy climb just to make the group with Caleb, Matthew, and Aidan making the very reduced “main” group with 15 riders up the road. Aidan tried multiple times to escape but was frustrated to be marked out; however, in a wiley move, Caleb snuck away and went on to catch those dropped from the breakaway to finish 12th u23. After making one last-ditch effort to break away, Aidan and Matthew rolled in with the bunch sprint for 21st elite and 26th u23 respectively. Despite finishing outside the time limit, hats off to Cooper and Kolby for both finishing their first National Champs road race on the hardest parkour of the year.

Criterium

The 2024 criterium course was far from your typical crit. With a large and decisive climb, the race shattered within a few laps. But the challenging nature of this course suited our team well. Larissa Black was our top female finisher coming in 7th place.

The 2024 road nationals crit started in some rainy weather on monday with 6 Red Truck riders lined up on the start. The course consisted of a short lap with a one minute hill raced for 60 minutes. It started off very hard and fast with lots of crashes on the first lap. Unfortunately this included Remy who fractured his collarbone but is now recovering well. The rest of the team managed to stay upright in some sketchy conditions. The pace didn’t let up all race and attacks went up the climb on almost every lap. The team raced aggressively for in the opening stages of they race but eventually tired legs caught up to them all and as the race continued to accelerate up the climb all of the riders were eventually distanced and pulled from the race. The team did well to fight it out but in such a hilly crit it became a race of attrition with only 17 finishers from a large field. All in all a somewhat disappointing way for the men’s team to end a good weekend but the boys left it all out there on a brutal course to finish off the nationals campaign for 2024.

RTR Takes 4 Provincial Titles at B.C. Championships

Road Race

The women’s team brought their squad of 5 (Brenna, Emma, Kathryn, Larissa and Cynthia) to take on the BC Provincial Road Championships. The race had 7 laps of a 16 km loop down in South Langley where the team worked together to launch attack after attack from the very first lap to make for a fun race on a flat road with a strong field. First we had our captain, Brenna, with a textbook attack taking her on a solo breakaway. When this came back, we countered immediately with Emma and Kathryn riding strong leading the front and finally sending off Larissa, riding an impressive 2 laps on her own. The final bit let Cynthia get away but to be caught with a lap to go for a field sprint finish where Cynthia snuck through and took the Provincial Road Championship title and Kathryn took the U23 third place! The elite women’s team had a great race together and are excited to improve more upon their team tactics into the Canada Road Nationals coming up in June.

For the junior women’s team, Holly Davies raced 60 km in the rainy, cold morning and won the U17 Provincial title!

The men's race saw a breakaway go not too soon after the start with Oliver Dowd representing Red Truck, unfortunately Oliver was unable to stick with the breakaway through a mishap. Once Oliver rejoined the main peloton it was a team effort to bring back the remaining riders still up the road and largely the sole responsibility of Team Red Truck. Thanks to the hard work of Kolby Mullen, Casey Hill, Remy Garrison, Josiah Ney, Oliver, and Cooper Langard the team was successfully able to pull back the Red-Truck-less breakaway while also leaving Aiden Oliphant, Matthew Ney, and Caleb Ney relatively fresh to go for the win in the decisive latter portion of the race. Rather unexpectedly in the last 30-odd kilometers of the race Mattew, the team sprinter, and Cooper found themselves in a promising breakaway and were in high hopes of making it to the finish from the selection to set Matt up for the winning sprint. However, the breakaway was caught by the peloton with nearly 2km to go and the race turned into a field sprint for the line with Matt unfortunately crashing out but luckily only sustaining minor injuries. Caleb skillfully navigated his way through the chaos of the field giving one last strong sprint to snag a 3rd place finish in the U23 classification.

Sunday Time Trial

The men's team performed exceptionally well in the time trial despite very rainy conditions. Caleb Ney took 2nd place and Mattew Ney 4th in the Mens U23 classification. Cooper Langard was able to secure the win and Aidan Oliphant came in with a 5th place finish for the elite category. Unfortunately, Josiah Ney lost his chance to get a good result sliding out in one of the slick wet corners but was luckily left with only some mild road rash.

The time trial was wet and slippery but the women’s held it down and found their speed on the 37 km course. They ended the BC Championships weekend off strong with all three riders finishing on the TT podium - Kathryn 3rd U23, Emma 3rd Elite and Cynthia a double provincial win for the women’s team.

Closing out the Spring with Tour de Bloom

Stage 1: Ed Farrel Memorial Joe Miller Road Race

The women’s Tour de Bloom started with the Ed Farrel memorial Joe Miller Road Race. The race began with 4 laps of a shorter loop and finished with 1.3 laps of a longer loop which consisted of a 5 mile climb. The team stayed consistently in the front for the 4 laps of the shorter loop which allowed for two riders (Cynthia and Larissa) to get into the front chase group for the last 1.3 shorter loops. Brenna, Emma, and Kathryn raced to an impressive 27th, 33th, 34th respectively!

The men completed 4 smaller laps and then 3 times up a large climb gaining 500m elevation each lap. After a fast and furious start in which Matthew Ney managed to claim the first sprint points, Kolby Mullen powered himself into the breakaway. When the climbing started to get intense our boys were up near the front with Aidan Oliphant and Cooper Langard the first two red truckers across the line in 12th and 24th respectively.

Stage 2: Waterville Road Race

Strong crosswinds during Stage 2 of Tour de Bloom (The Waterville Road Race) made for challenging race conditions. The team fought the winds in the peloton and finished in a bunch sprint securing 17 (Brenna) 18 (Emma) 19 (Larissa) and 20 (Cynthia).

Longer day at Tour de Bloom stage 2 today with the boys tackling a 140km course with rolling hills and crosswinds. It was a viciously fast day out with an average speed of almost 43kph. Our men’s team was very active at the front of the race with Matthew taking the first intermediate sprint after some of impressive teamwork. The team committed to a lot of moves with Caleb and Matthew even getting 35 seconds up on the peloton at one point but ultimately missed the decisive move. The team rolled across the line with 3 riders in the top 30 and ready to race again tomorrow.

Stage 3: Pallisades Time Trial

Day 3 of Tour de Bloom started with a wet and windy Stage 3 Palisades TT. Cynthia earned a top ten finish while Larissa, Brenna, and Emma placed 20th, 21st, and 22nd respectively.

Remy was our first men's rider to start and he and the rest of the squad put down solid performances in difficult conditions. The race ended with 4 Red Truck riders inside the top 22 finishers, Aidan and Cooper 15th and 18th respecitvely, and some super strong riding from the team members racing on their road bikes.

Stage 4: Criterium

The team then raced stage 4 (Twilight Criterium) in downtown Wenatchee with Cynthia leading the team to a 15th place and Larissa, Brenna, and Emma not far behind placing 20th, 21st and 25th.

Day 3 finished with the night crit around downtown Wenatchee. With a race start at 9pm it was almost entirely raced in the dark on wet roads to make for very challenging conditions. The team put down some solid performances and picked up some sprint points. Despite some big attacks the field stayed together for a bunch sprint with Matthew and Caleb both finishing within the top 15 and the rest of the team sprinting through in the main group to round out another good day for the team.

Stage 5: Plain Road Race

The team finished off tour de bloom with stage 5, the Plain road race. The race consisted of two laps around the lake and a steep hill climb to the finish. The girls fought hard to the end which concluded the 4 days of racing!

Day 4 was a rolling 120km with a steep five minute climb to the finish line. Caleb and Matthew attacked as soon as the neutral zone ended and established a four man breakaway. The team members in the main group worked hard to ensure the break stayed away. With one 40km lap to go they had just over 90 seconds on the main group but with just 5km to go the breakaway was caught by the highly motivated peloton. When we arrived at the climb the pack splintered with Adian riding up in the front group to finish 16th. The rest of the team put in a good effort to finsh off a super solid 4 days f racing