Pro bike racer Adam de Vos of Oak Bay will wear the maple leaf jersey in the Tour of Delta next week as CanadaB次元官网网址檚 2019 national road race champion.
ItB次元官网网址檚 de VosB次元官网网址� first national elite road race win and it was in perfect weather conditions at the 2019 Canadian Road Championships on Saturday. The 186.2-kilometre course ran from Saint-Georges to Saint-Odilon in Quebec, where they rode about 30km to a a steep 15km circuit that they did eight times, then rode the 30km back. De VosB次元官网网址� time was four hours, 31 minutes and two seconds.
B次元官网网址淚t was pretty amazing, I was pretty pumped crossing the line, especially with my parents came out to watch the race,B次元官网网址� de Vos said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e been super amazing supporters, though all the years of amateur racing when youB次元官网网址檙e not making money, and itB次元官网网址檚 costing you money, they were there for me.B次元官网网址�
De Vos, now 25, switched to riding with Tripleshot Cycling club. He is in his fourth season with Rally UHC.
Adam de Vos is your Canadian champion!!!!!! 馃弳馃嵕
B次元官网网址� Cycling Canada (@CyclingCanada)
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De vos said that with seven members from the Rally UHC team in the menB次元官网网址檚 elite race, there wasnB次元官网网址檛 really a plan as to who would be prioritized. They just felt the onus was on their team to win, and anything less wouldnB次元官网网址檛 cut it.
B次元官网网址淎s a team we knew we were the strongest and the biggest, so we were making sure we covered our bases getting as many guys up ahead in the race,B次元官网网址� de Vos said. B次元官网网址淲e definitely had to win the race to live up to our expectations. The win was the only way it would be a success for us.B次元官网网址�
The rider James Piccoli attacked solo with about 100km left to go and it was such a superb effort, de Vos said it was touch-and-go whether anyone would catch Piccoli.
De Vos chased in a nine-man group that eventually whittled down to four others including Rally UHC teammate Nigel Ellsay, 25, from Courtenay and , 23, currently of Toronto Velodrome Club. The other two were Alexis Cartier of Velo 2000/Rhino Rack and promising 21-year-old Nickolas Zukowsky of FloydB次元官网网址檚 Pro Cycling.
The group caught the early breakaway rider James Piccoli with 10km to go. Shortly after Ellsay attacked and held a lead. With about 3km to go de Vos then bridged ahead to Ellsay, and out-sprinted his pro teammate for the victory.
(Inset photo: De Vos points to his tattoo of a fox (Vos in Dutch) chasing a rabbit as he celebrates a one-day race victory at the 2018 Tour of Delta. Photo by Chris Relke)
B次元官网网址淓llsayB次元官网网址檚 attack was strong, but I saw the chance to go across,B次元官网网址� de Vos said. B次元官网网址淚n the end, I knew we could go 1-2 [on the podium], and not let the guys we just dropped to catch up, wanted to get away from those guys,
Just two days earlier, on Thursday (June 28), current Victoria resident Rob Britton, another Rally UHC rider, won the 34km national individual time trial in 42 minutes and 54 seconds. It was 14 seconds ahead of Rally UHC teammate Svein Tuft, of Langley, former national champion a veteran of the Tour de France and world tour. Britton averaged 39.2km per hour across the 34km course. Ellsay finished 11th and Lamoureux 19th.
FernwoodB次元官网网址檚 Sarah Van Dam finished second in the junior womenB次元官网网址檚 criterium while SaanichB次元官网网址檚 Riley PickrellB次元官网网址檚 best finish was ninth in the junior menB次元官网网址檚 road race.
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- This story was updated to include an interview with Adam de Vos a few hours after it was initially published.
