PCC athletes compete in Vancouver

Holly Simonson at the Gastown Grand Prix. Photo courtesy Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix

PCC athletes competed in the Gastown Grand Prix and the Tour de Concord last weekend in Vancouver. Both races were good learning experiences for Tristan Drews (Red Truck Racing) and Abigail Drews (Red Kilo Racing), while Holly Simonson (LA Sweat) and Brenna Pauly (Red Truck) worked on their respective team strategies. Holly won the women’s race at the Tour de Concord.

“Gastown is always my favourite race of the season,” said Holly. “The atmosphere is unmatched, and having so many friends and family out supporting was really special. I felt really good and was able to get some big primes along with the help of my teammates. It was also exciting to return to Vancouver a few days later and take the win at the Tour de Concord. I am happy all my work training can come to fruition in some close to home high calibre events.”

Women’s start line at Gastown. Photo courtesy: Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix

There was a lot of prize money in both races and no dominant team as has been seen in the past, which opened up the field for others.

“Gastown is always a special race with the crowds and many supporters cheering your name out on course,” said Brenna. “With primes from the get go it took me a few laps to settle into the pace. About halfway through my legs came around and I was able to move to the front. My goal was to stay close to some of my other teammates and help set up Kimberly for the sprint at the end.”

“The Tour de Concord was another opportunity to line up for a competitive prize purse,” she added. “I was super happy with how I was able to race with my teammates to help two of them lap the field. It was a real team effort out there ending with my teammates in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.”

Abigail is racing this weekend at the Marymoor Grand Prix track race in Redmond, Washington. Tristan is racing in Europe for the rest of season and Holly and Brenna are gearing up for the Tour de Gatineau  UCI 1.1 race from September 19-21.

PCC Athletes Podium at Pacific GP

PCC Athletes competed in the Pacific GP at the Greater Victoria Velodrome last weekend. Tristan Drews won the scratch race and was third overall in the elite men’s omnium. Tristan’s sister Abigail won the elite women’s sprint omnium.

Congratulations to both.

 

Photos: Courtesy PCC

PCC Collaborates on a Road Skills Course

Pacific Cycling Centre is excited to collaborate with Cycling BC on a road bike skills course for coaches on Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30 in Sidney, BC.  Led by PCC head coach Houshang Amiri and Ben Chaddock, head of coach development with Cycling BC, the two-day course will instruct coaches on basic and intermediate road cycling skills.

The course runs from 10 am – 4 pm on Saturday and 8:30 am – 3 pm on Sunday. Participants attending on Saturday receive credit for NCCP Basic Skills, and participants attending on Sunday also receive credit for NCCP Club Skills (ROAD).

On Sunday afternoon, there will be a discounted LTR Road54 skills session so coaches can practice teaching in a closed or open environment, respectively, with Cycling BC members new to road cycling.

A Cycling BC Single-Event License or Annual Membership is required.

For availability and more details go to Cycling BC

 

Tristan Drews wins Southie Circuit

Photo: Red Truck Cycling

Tristan Drews won the elite race of the Southie Circuit in Langley on March 15, the first of the Spring Series. The riders did 12 laps of a 6 km course with Tristan finishing in 1:53.

This is Tristan’s first year in U23 and after cycling with Glotman Simpson Cycling  team in his Junior years, he is now with Red Truck Racing.

He will race the remaining races of the spring series in March and then head with his team to the Redland Bicycle Classic, from April 9-13 in Redlands, CA.

Tristan on a training ride. Photo: PCC

PCC renew contract with Gruppo Nutrition

Pacific Cycling Centre is delighted to announce it has renewed its partnership with Gruppo Nutrition for 2025. Gruppo Nutrition is one of Canada’s leading sports nutrition suppliers. Their products fuel athletes from all disciplines.

PCC athletes have been using Gruppo successfully for a number of years. “Gruppo supplementation has been essential to my training, fueling my recovery and strength, by providing the necessary nutrients I need to meet those goals,” says Tristan Drews, who won the U23 B.C. Road Provincial Championship last year.

PCC look forward to another year of fueling from Gruppo.

January Road Training Camp Registration is Open

Registration for January’s training camp is now open. The camp runs from January 31 – February 2 and is based in Victoria, B.C. Deadline to apply is January 20.

More information and to register

December Training Camp Registration Open

The first 2024-2035 pre-season training camp information is now posted and registration is open. The three-day camp runs from December 6 – 8. Deadline to register is November 24.

Update – Camp Cancelled

Busy summer for PCC riders

PCC riders have had a busy spring and summer series of races and into September will continue training with their respective teams.

Tristan on the podium at the Wix Brown Circuit Race in March. Photo: L. Drews

Parker Swanstrom, Caleb Bender and Tristan Drews have been racing in Belgium. Parker has returned home while Caleb and Tristan will remain in Belgium for the rest of September. They are taking on some late season racing there, after which Tristan will be joining the National team pre-World Championships training camp as final preparation for the championships in Zurich.

Holly Simonson is in Ireland and has just completed the five-day stage race (Rás na mBan) with her team. Brenna Pauly is training at home after racing the SBT Gravel Race in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Brenna and Holly’s final race will be the Gatineau GP in Ottawa later in September.

Holly riding in the Victoria Criterium in August. PCC photo.

David Jackson, originally from Yukon, is training at home in Victoria. He had a great race in the Juneau Stage Race in Alaska last month, winning the overall GS in the expert race.

Svein Tuft fundraising for new book

The draft cover of Svein’s book. Photo courtesy Svein Tuft/Kickstarter

PCC Alumni athlete, Svein Tuft is working on an autobiography that will tell the story of his remarkable life as an elite cyclist and adventurer. It will be a uniquely crafted book of over 300 pages where high-quality illustrations, photographs and personal mementos will play a fundamental role in complementing the story. Written in collaboration with award-winning British journalist Richard Abraham, this story will be told through Svein’s inimitable voice.

“This book is an inspirational adventure story, a candid sports autobiography, and the intellectual meditations of a shy yet singular individual.”

Svein is using Kickstarter to help promote the book and fund its publishing. Supporters will have the unique opportunity to purchase limited editions depending on the level of support. For more information go to:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/richardabraham/we-will-never-be-here-again-a-book-by-svein-tuft 

Podium finish for Holly Simonson

Approaching the finish line. PCC photo.

PCC’s Holly Simonson came second in the Canadian Masters Criterium Championship yesterday in Victoria. The 2023 champion had a good race but was involved in a crash that forced several riders to sit out a lap. Undeterred, she finished the race in style and came over the finish line first.  However, Red Truck rider Larissa Black was the only one of the seven finishers who wasn’t affected by the crash and so became the 2024 champion.

In the Masters C race Iain Hay placed 4th. And in Friday’s Time Trial Holly’s mother Heather finished first in the Masters G category. Congratulations all!

Holly in a breakaway. PCC photo.

 

Pacific Cycling Centre

Pacific Cycling Centre (PCC) provides coaching and training services for Elite, Masters, and Junior athletes in road, mountain bike, track, and cyclo-cross.

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