Juventus Fantastic at UCI Sherbrooke CX!!

Please enjoy this article, kindly written by Doug Bristow. It’s worth the read, especially if you’re wondering what our young ‘uns are up to ... or if you have considered working the pit at a cyclocross race … !

October 27, 2018

Last weekend, I travelled with my son Luke Bristow and his Juventus teammate Ryan MacLean to the UCI race held in Sherbrooke Quebec, the first time a UCI cyclocross race had been held on Quebec soil.  Ryan and Luke were competing in the Men’s junior event, which drew the top riders in Canada as well as a good cross section of riders from the U.S.  The goals for the weekend were to get some experience racing at this level, hopefully gain some UCI points (awarded to the top 5 finishers), and have fun. 

Included in the list of 25 riders were three riders from the U.S. Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld development team http://cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com/team and their pit support crew looked formidable.  As I settled into the pits on Saturday, I was praying my accounting training would somehow translate into effective mechanical support.  From the pits, I could not see the first half of the race course.  As the boys came into view, four riders had already broken away from the rest, the three Cannondale riders and Ryan MacLean! 

Ryan MacLean wins the UCI Sherbrooke Cyclocross Junior Men’s Category!!

Over the next six laps, it appeared Ryan was controlling the race despite being outnumbered. I chatted with the Cannondale pit crew as they were wondering who the heck this kid was; apparently the Cannondale kids have been dominating the races on the eastern seaboard all season.  One by one the Cannondale kids dropped off the pace until Ryan was alone in the lead and soloed in for victory.  Luke also rode a superb race finishing 12th.  Saturday could not have turned out better.  I also learned that, provided the kids do not have any flats or mechanicals, I am quite effective in the pits. 

On Sunday, the Cannondale crew was on a mission and drove the pace from the start.  Quickly, six riders broke away from the rest, the Cannondale riders and Ryan as well as Dylan Kerr and Paul Mysko (two riders who represented Canada at last year’s Junior World Championships).  The group largely stayed together the entire race and all finished within 12  seconds of each other with Ryan out-sprinting Dylan Kerr for 5th.  Luke did not quite have the legs of the day before but still finished a respectable 16th.  Sidney McGill was racing Women’s Elite and finished 12th and 8th on the weekend.  She was great to hang out with. 

The weekend was a huge success.  The boys gained confidence, Ryan picked up 11 UCI points (which should ensure he gets a front row starting position at upcoming races), and we all had a ton of fun.  Next is the Pan American Championships in Midland, Ontario followed by the Canadian Nationals in Peterborough. 

A big thank you to Juventus for their support of junior riders and to Tracy Shearer for all his hard work coaching Luke and Ryan.