Two other rivaling cyclists in Nova Scotia – Hub Cycle’s Lorenzo Caterini and Scott Clark – will be at the start line hoping to thrash Delaney’s effort to return home with top honors.
All three Nova Scotian men recently competed in a tight race against each other at Bicycle Nova Scotia’s 2011 season opener hosted in the Annapolis Valley. Delaney, assisted by new team mate Chad Lennon, defeated the younger but talented Hub Cycle members to take second place in the top Elite A Division.
Delaney’s finish, just behind the wheels of first place winner Jamie Lamb of Halifax, who rides for the Garneau development team, was a sweet start in Nova Scotia’s cycling circuit for Delaney and new teammate Lennon who now wears the blue and gold FrameWork Racing jersey after several years with Hub Cycle of Truro. The race was also Delaney’s first since moving up the ranks this year into the toughest division open to Nova Scotia’s fastest cyclists.
Delaney is anticipating a tough but exciting race this weekend against a field of competitors many of whom he expects to be half his age.
“After racing in the elite division recently and placing second there, my confidence is definitely high,” Delaney said. “I’m an optimist. My endurance is good and I’ve been training a lot. I’m doing well and feeling pretty good so if all goes well, and I don’t get a flat or something, I hope to get within the top five or 10.”
He says experience and extensive hill training on Cape Breton’s mountains like the Cabot Trail, Barrachois Mountain and Frenchvale Mountain will give him an advantage over other racers when the mountains of Vermont have to be tackled during the “monster” race, Monday, May 30. The race is a legend among cycling enthusiasts.
Delaney spent the winter training indoors regularly with members of FrameWork Racing, before hitting the roads March 1 as snow was still flying to clock an average of 600 km a week in often unpleasant conditions.
Following the US event, Delaney will immediately travel north to prepare for his next UCI sanctioned race, the three-stage Charlevoix Grand Prix Cycliste, in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec from June 3 to 5 where hundreds of pro, semi-pro and amateur racers will compete.
Bill Goldston says
Ambrose had a great race on the weekend. On stage one, the day belonged to the sprinters who were hitting 70km/hr at the finish. Ambrose finished with the lead pack, putting him in perfect position going into the time trial on Sunday. His specialty is climbing, so the time trial is an event where he just goes and tries his hardest to limit his losses against the other climbers. He managed 15th out of 53 in his category, 1:20 behind the leader. Monday was his day to shine, as the circuit is very hilly and this causes a great separation in the pack. Only the strongest climbers can contest the overall title and Ambrose spends hours every week climbing everything Cape Breton has to offer. Probably logging about 600km per week in training. His goal in this race was top 10. The official results have not been posted yet, but here is a quote from Delaney, summing up the race:
“Just finished the big daddy of a stage race. I had a terrific day finishing 7th on the stage which had a unbelievable climb up to the top of the Killington Ski Resort. I placed 8th overall which I was really really pleased with. The field of riders here is so strong, to place this high is very satisfying considering I don’t have a team. To sum up, the first stage I placed 28th in a down hill field sprint going in excess of 70kms. I didn’t want to contest the sprint, just wanted to played it safe and kept out of trouble. My time trial was very good placing 15th overall which surprised even myself. Including today’s amazing stage, I’m so pleased with how everything went.”
Thanks for listening everybody. Ambrose is entered in another stage race this weekend in Quebec. Stay tuned for more updates.
My recent post Killington Stage Race-Stage 3 Update