EDMONTON, Alberta — Will Routley won the Canadian national road championship on Sunday, sprinting to the line ahead of Spidertech p/b Planet Energy’s Andrew Randell to claim the maple leaf jersey.
“I’m totally ecstatic about the win,” said the 27-year-old from Whistler. “I yelled so loud as I crossed the finish. It was a win I’d been searching for for 10 years, ever since the days of junior mountain biking.”
The race covered 14 laps of a circuit with three hills, totalling 182 kilometers.
“It started out really fast and aggressive with a lot of attacking, and that is exactly what I was hoping for. It’s better for me if the race is a tough one,” Routley said.
After four laps, a break got away and there was a little hesitation in the main bunch. Routley saw an opportunity and bridged across to make it nine guys. The group rolled well together for a few laps, but things started to get disorganized when three Spider Tech riders started to attack the break and sit on a bit.
A chase group soon caught up, expanding the pack to about 25 riders. Attacks started flying again – Routley threw in a few himself – and the group quickly split and whittled back down to 11 guys, with several chasers close behind. From there on out it was just a series of attacks and disorganized racing.
With two laps to go, Randell got away and opened a gap of about 30 seconds. Routley again saw a chance, and sensing a little hesitation in the group, made the bridge across. He and Randell worked together until the top of the last climb. Randell had teammates in the group behind, so he was told to sit on for the last few kilometers.
“I was able to meter out my effort and time my sprint perfectly,” Routley said. “Fortunately I had the legs, and I had a good sprint to the line to take the 2010 national championships!”
Routley is in his second year with Jelly Belly Cycling presented by Kenda.
“This is a huge victory for Will,” said Jelly Belly team director Danny Van Haute. “He has been on form all year long. He’s the type of rider who will race for his teammates at any time and a rider who can win races also.”
“I’m going to give him a huge bear hug when I see him.”
Routley declared this his biggest win in 10 years of competitive cycling.
“It really means a lot to have the jersey, both personally and for the team,” he said. “I am enjoying the moment.”
[Photo by Arie Bomhof]
