As the 20th BC Bike Race moves into the second half of the week, it’s traveled south down to the Cowichan Valley for a tour of Tzouhalem. While Day 5 racing was shorter, it still had punchy climbs in with the winding singletrack of a Grand Traverse.
Up at the front, Peter Disera and Nino Schurter resumed their sprint battle. Four out of five stages this year have been decided on the finish straight in the men’s event, and a couple on the women’s too. This time, it was the Canadian getting the advantage, and stage win, after a day on Tzouhalem.
On the women’s side, Ruth Holcomb and Katerina Nash continue to trade blows. On Tzouhalem, it was Holcomb mixing descending prowess and climbing power to take the stage win.
Peter Disera takes the stage, but can’t take time out of Schurter
After making big moves yesterday on Hammerfest trails, Nino Schurter was back to his strategy of following the locals and enjoying the trails of Vancouver Island.
“Now I have a comfortable lead, so the plan for today was just to follow,” Schurter said after the finish. “It was quite a short day with lots of cross country-style trails. The last bit was quite fun, with all the jumps.”
That said, Schurter also wasn’t letting Disera out of his sights. The Canadian admitted that, while he tried to put in some efforts, the legs were feeling the cumulative effect of doing battle with the 10-time world champion.
“I’m pretty mangled. Warming up this morning I couldn’t really get the body to do anything. So it was nice to start with AGT after that brutal first five minutes,” Disera shared. “I tested him a couple of times but it’s really hard, especially with him. I got a gap a couple of times but, if I mess up one turn, he could see I messed up he’d be right back on me.
If the G.O.A.T. wants to sit on your wheel, he’s going to sit on your wheel.
“Yeah, he’s not going to let me go, ever.”
The contest continues in Nanaimo for Stage 6. Not far behind, Carter Nieuwesteeg is holding onto third overall. Behind, Island local Max McCulloch has moved into fourth place with a solid battle for fifth brewing between a stacked field of veterans and BCBR newbies.
Holcomb hits back
After losing…
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