PCC Athletes podium at Hatzic
Caleb Bender (centre) and Amiel Flett-Brown (right)
Two PCC athletes podiumed on Sunday at the Hatzic Valley Road Race in Mission, BC. Caleb Bender (Team California) won the elite race while Amiel Flett-Brown (Pathfinders Project) came third. The 116km race was ideal for fine tuning the athletes for the Canadian Road Nationals Championship later on this week Edmonton, Alberta.
Bender won the race with a final uphill push that gave him a one minute, 50 second lead from the main peloton. Flett-Brown was chasing the two leaders and was gaining time on them but ran out of the distance.
It was a long day for the two athletes and head coach Houshang Amiri, leaving PCC offices at Saanich Commonwealth Place at 5:45 am to take the ferry, returning at 8:30 pm. “But it was worth doing it,” said Amiri. “They both gained some good experience practicing their race skill tactics and dealing with challenging weather. It was very wet and raining and for first half and then sunny and warm for the second half of the race.”
Eight PCC coached riders are planning to race at the Canadian Road Nationals.