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.