U17 and U19 National Track Champions 2014 - Stefan Ritter and Evan Burtnik
WOW! Spectators were treated to many amazing race dynamics at the Junior and U17 Track Cycling Championships held this past weekend in Burnaby BC. Juventus junior Evan Burtnik really kept the crowd guessing with his antics in the group races and his lightning speed in the timed events. By Sunday night he had accumulated 2 national jerseys! (the kilo and individual pursuit), as well as a silver medal in the keirin. If you are wondering what happened in the omnium - well, a little snafu in the scratch (involving a wheel and such) saw Evan gifted with -40 points. Yes, that is a minus and a tough break for sure. Evan was exceptional in the following five omnium events, but . . . Safe to say that while Evan is thrilled with his performance at his first track nationals as a junior . . . "he will be back"!
Evan Burtnik - U19 National Track Champion 2014
Meanwhile, the other U17 men in Canada had the pleasure of racing Juventus phenom Stefan Ritter. He quickly figured out that the easiest way to the top of the podium was to be first . . . in the flying 200, in the 500 TT, and in all of his match sprints! Congratulations on 3 U17 National Championships! Stefan is still putting polishing touches on his group racing and settled for silver in the U17 omnium.
Stefan Ritter - U17 National Track Champion 2014
If you check the tweets from the Burnaby Velodrome, you will see M. Burtnik showing up frequently in all the junior men's bunch races. That is because Mason likes to race and likes to make it tough on everyone else. Congratulations on a solid omnium performance to Mason Burtnik. Like his brother, we will look forward to more of his fast racing style next year.
Left to Right Juventus cyclists Mason Burtnik, Stefan Ritter, Evan Burtnik, and Anna Talman along with Alberta Team member Gabby Traxler.
