Joe Martins Stage Race
TaG Cycling Race Team in May!
Joe Martins Stage Race on Arkansas is one of only a few big UCI races offered on the continent.
The JMSR came back to North America this year with everyone riding full throttle. Talent is high!
Our TaG Cycling Race Team fielded the maximum 7 riders. Tommy Schellenberg, Nathan Pruner, Braden Kersey, Reid Kinninberg, Marc Sato,Fergus English and Axel Froner.
Overall results were great from the young team, with Axel 3rd u23 and 4 riders finishing in the top 10 u23 competition !
Bike racing is always about races within the race as well as the finale. More than ever for a development team learning the game at the highest levels. The team made pro level impact on the outcomes. They rode at the front to bring the winning break back to 1 minute on day 1. Putting Axel and Nathan in striking range to the u23 jersey.
The following day, after Tommy rode well in the only significant breakaway, the team lead Nathan out to the bottom of the final climb from which he rode a great finish to top 10 on the stage. Unfortunately, Nathan fell sick the next day. The team drove on in the same form days 3&4, and were able to help Axel secure 3rd spot for the u23 competition and the team was a creditable 9th overall in the large field of 20 plus teams.
Directors Gord Fraser and Gillian Ellsay worked together at the project.
Gord reported that pro team riders from his former squads, were extremely complimentary about not just the engines, but the poise and professionalism of our young riders in the race.
The director can sometimes make or break a riders chances. Gillian and Gord teaming up in the race car has Gill gleening decades of experience and tricks of the trade in that valuable role sitting next to Gord. Not something that is easy to come by in any number of team director clinics. Gillian is fast becoming one of the better directors on the circuit. TaG is lending her to National Team as director for one of the biggest junior races in the world, Tour de l’Abitibe in July.
On the development side Gillian was also a key player and coach for the recent Future Champions Camp with Ron Haymen. She blazed back from JMSR to take the 4 days on with aspiring young teenage racers.
A few additional local race notes saw podium finishes at the Provincial Championships. On the women’s side, Larissa Black finished 3rd in the elite road race and 2nd in the individual time trial.
As provincials conflicted with JMSR, Manu Moore was our only rider there from the men’s team. Manu raced really well, other large teams did not attend JMSR and had full rosters out at the championships.
Manu was 4th in the road race for U23 and 2nd in the Individual time trial.
June 14-18 is the biggest stage race in North America, Tour de Beauce in Quebec. This is a 5 day test for the riders. They will go directly from there to Canadian National Championships in Edmonton.
Thank you so much for the support. Please follow us on Instagram @TaGCycling.Race.Team.
Best to you
Lesley