For immediate release

Day 3 at the Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont Sunday, September 4 was the Champion System Mad River Road Race. This is a day the climbers come out and put time into their opponents. With only the Criterium remaining on Monday, this was the last chance for athletes to improve or solidify their positions.

The original course was drastically altered after Tropical Storm Irene devastated much of the area. Race director Gary Kessler was forced to adjust the route at the last minute instead of canceling the event. With over 700 riders coming from throughout the US and Canada, the economical impact the the local area is worth over 1.5 million dollars and everyone in the area agreed the race must go on.

Even though stage 3 was 30 kilometers shorter than originally planned, a very difficult dirt road section, followed by the big mountain passes at the end remained. The final climb of the day pitches up to 20%, several degrees steeper than the steepest roads on the Cabot Trail. Sydney, Nova Scotia’s Ambrose Delaney is racing in the 50+ division, representing FrameWork Racing. The big winner on the day was Stage 1 winner Kevin Mosher, who extended his lead to 58 seconds over his nearest competitor. Delaney finished the day in 7th place, 2:15 behind Mosher. With combined times, time bonuses and time penalties assessed, Delaney is 6th overall, 2:48 behind the leader.

In the King of the Mountains competition, Delaney took second overall with 15 points and all of the climbs behind him. The King of the Mountains in the 50+ division is Haluk Sarci with 22 points. Sarci scored first on three of the four climbs, while Delaney took second on same three climbs.

With only one stage remaining, The Burlington Criterium, there is not much opportunity to make up time on opponents but there could be a shakeup in the standings after what is normally a very fast race that can cause problems for riders who aren’t paying close attention. Stage races are not normally won on the strength of a criterium finish, but they can be easily lost in a moment of inattention.

There are two other athletes representing the Maritimes at the Green Mountain Stage Race. Halifax star Kaarin Tae, racing for Bicycles Plus Cycling Club, who competes in the men’s B division in Nova Scotia, moves to the challenging women’s 1/2 division in races outside Nova Scotia. Tae sits in 24th place after three stages. Prince Edward Island speedster, Cory Jay racing for Craftsman Construction, is in 36th place out of the 87 that remain in the Men’s 2 division, which is only one step away from the Men’s Pro/1 division. Jay raced to glory on Saturday’s Stage 2 circuit race beating 92 strong athletes in a massive sprint to the finish line.

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Watch for the final race report after the Burlington Criterium, and hopefully some quotes from the Maritime contingent.

Bill Goldston

FrameWork Racing

Pictured below. Stream from the photo finish camera at the mens 2 stage 2 race. Prince Edward Island’s Cory Jay raises an arm in victory in a massive sprint to the finish after almost 100 kilometers of racing.