PEI cyclist takes top honours at 4th annual Cape Breton Classic bicycle race

Cory Jay, 30 who races for Craftsman Construction in Charlottetown PEI, set the course record of 41:33, in the second stage Sysco Crit Saturday afternoon, before winning the overall title Sunday morning after 5 laps of a 24 kilometer course including gruelling climbs up Barrachois Mountain. Jay’s combined time was 4:19:13 just 24 seconds ahead of second place finisher Dennis Cottreau of Yarmouth. Third place went to last year’s champion, Jeff Muise also from Yarmouth, who finished 28 seconds behind the winner.

More than 50 cyclists from the Maritimes and Ontario competed in the 3 stage, 2 day race featuring a 9 kilometer time trial, a 25 lap Criterium on Saturday, and a long distance road race up to 120 kilometers, Sunday morning. The championship is awarded based on total time for the three events. Participants race in several divisions based on skill, speed and age.

The top Cape Breton winners were FrameWork Racing’s Kilya MacNeil, 16, of Bay St. Lawrence who won silver, while Chrissy Smith, 15, of Glace Bay took third in the girls under 17 division. Bruce MacIntyre, 51 of Baddeck, captured bronze in the C division. Vince Nicholson of Englishtown placed first in the Division C time trial with a time of 12:14.

Other division winners include:
Female: Tammy Slauenwhite, 40, from Rose Bay NS
B Division: Tyler D’Arcy, 19, Annapolis Valley, NS
C Division: Sean Therien, 42, Dartmouth, NS
D Division: Ken MacInnes, 36, Ottawa, ON
Boys Under 17: Liam Whitman, 14, Herring Cove, NS
Girls Under 17: Odette Comeau, 15, Porters Lake, NS
Girls Under 13: Maura Whitman, 11, Herring Cove, NS