For immediate release
Jazz Apple Cycling Team Crunches Competition In Last Canadian Race
New Zealand’s ENZA sponsored Jazz Apple Cycling Team has chalked up yet another win with team member Lauren Ellis taking
out the women’s field in Canada’s Tour de White Rock road race.
The 19 year old Jazz Apple rider blitzed competition last weekend with a time of two hours, 44 minutes, 28.24 seconds,
nearly four minutes ahead of teammate Ruth Corset (2:48.21.94) and Calgary's Steph Roorda who was third with the same
time as Corset.
The race is the last of eight events in BC Superweek – British Columbia’s premier cycle event.
When Ellis got out of bed on Sunday morning she was hoping there was enough strength left in her legs to get her through
the 80.8 kilometre Tour de White Rock road race, especially after riding the seven BC Superweek races over the previous
nine days.
"I was just hoping that my legs were going to feel good and not going to cramp up or anything," says Ellis, a track
cyclist who is only in her first year of road racing.
Ellis, from the town of Hinds near Christchurch, was a bronze medallist on the track in the individual pursuit at the
2007 world junior championships, after winning a silver in the event in 2006. Sunday was her first career road win.
Team manager and rider, Susy Pryde, says the young cyclist put up an incredible display of strength.
“Lauren proceeded to crest climb after climb on the 10 kilometre circuit alone with only her Pacific counterparts
accompanying her crusade. As Ellis' lead extended to over three minutes, me and Ruth settled in to the coveted role out
of the wind, nullifying any threats to the growing lead,” says Pryde.
“Willfully crunching through the taxing two and half hour event, Ellis had abundant time to enjoy an emphatic victory in
front of the marvelling crowd.”
Corset, who was third in Friday’s hill climb and second in the criterium on Saturday night, secured the overall White
Rock victory with her impressive sprinting and climbing consistency.
This spells the end to the ENZA sponsored Jazz Apple Team’s most successful BC Superweek yet, having swooped two overall
wins in Delta and White Rock, as well as podium finishes in Gastown and Burnaby.
The team now returns to the United States for their final two races; the San Francisco Twilight Criterium on July 26 and
Foster City Grand Prix on July 27, also in California.
Ends