IN the crazy world of professional road cycling, a three-race podium streak is usually cause for much celebration.
There were no smiles and champagne, however, for North Vancouver's Ryan Anderson last Sunday after he finished third in B.C. Superweek's White Spot Delta Road Race. The Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies team member had just scored silver medal finishes in the MK Delta Criterium and the Brenco Criterium - the opening two races of the three part Tour de Delta - and was looking to go one step up the podium to finish the Delta circuit.
Sunday's race was also Superweek's only ICU-sanctioned event, drawing a deeper and more experienced field than any of the other races. Anderson was right there in the mix as a tightly bunched lead group engaged in a sprint to the finish. He was narrowly edged, however, by American Steve Fisher (Hagens Berman Cycling) and German Yannick Mayer (Team Baier Landshut). Instead of stepping to the top of the podium to take gold, Anderson moved one step down for bronze. After losing the sprint he couldn't stop himself from showing his displeasure.
"I was really frustrated on Sunday," he said. "I didn't race very well at the end - I think it was my race to lose, and I lost it. That was frustrating."
So how did he respond to that frustration? He shot right back to the front during the week's next race - Tuesday's UBC Grand Prix - and this time he wouldn't be denied. Six racers broke away from the pack and it was Anderson who pulled away at the line, scoring his first win and fourth straight podium finish.
"I think I just had that extra motivation," he said. "I found myself in a good position in the race. . . . I didn't want to settle for basically anything but the top that night. That extra little bit, I think that's what got me there."
Add it all up and, one frustrating finish aside, Anderson is on the run of his life. The podium streak actually stretches to five when you include the silver he won at the Canadian Road Race Championships last month, his final race before coming home for Superweek.
Even when the streak came to an end it was still a roaring success - Anderson finished fourth in Wednesday's Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix but there was no hand-wringing after this one as his pace-setting helped two teammates finish first and second.
"That still worked out well for us," said Anderson. "This is probably one of my best runs. . . . It's always a highlight for me to do well in B.C. Superweek and this has been my best year so far."
The 25-year-old, a native of Spruce Grove, Alta., moved to the Lower Mainland seven years ago. He's had strong showings in road races around the world before but nothing quite like this. He and his girlfriend, a North Shore native, moved from downtown Vancouver across the inlet to the Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancouver two years ago and Anderson credits that switch with helping him reach a new gear.
"I spend a lot of time now training on Seymour and Cypress and taking advantage of the more hilly terrain over here," he said, adding that he made a lot of changes to his winter workouts this year to get ready for racing season. "I just worked on a few different things in training and cleared my head a little bit this winter. I came at it with a new approach, I changed a few things in my training. I've definitely been climbing a bit more in training and I think that, although these races are pretty flat, I think I'm climbing well so that kind of transitions to everything being pretty good."
That's not the only change for the better Anderson made this past year. Around the time of last year's Superweek he got together with some high rollers from Global Relay, the tech company that sponsors the Gastown Grand Prix, to talk about funding for cyclists.
"They kind of wanted to know if there was anything else they could do," Anderson said of his discussion with CEO Warren Roy and president Shannon Rogers. Anderson described to them the difficulty in getting a career going during the crucial ages of 19-25 when family can no longer bear the cost of carrying an athlete but pro teams aren't ready to commit big dollars either. In that environment, the need for employment or schooling often brings cycling careers to a screeching halt.
Out of that conversation came the Global Relay Bridge the Gap Fund through which top young Canadian riders are selected and funded much like a pro team, enabling them to train and compete with much more financial and coaching support.
Anderson, now a Bridge the Gap board member, is still actually in that 19-25 age group but said he's established himself enough that he can survive on his own two wheels. He wants to see other young riders get to that point as well.
"It wasn't that long ago when I was in that position - it's not exactly easy to make it to the next step," he said. "If you can get some help from businesses and companies and all that good stuff, it can make a huge difference in trying to fulfill a dream."
If it all works out, Anderson envisions a time when more and more Canadian riders will be scoring big results on the global scene, following in the wake of racers like Victoria's Ryder Hesjedal who won last year's Giro D'Italia and is competing in this year's Tour de France.
"All the Canadians that I know, when they've gotten their shot to race on some big teams, they've all made the most of it," said Anderson. "(We need to) continue to build on the momentum of young and talented Canadians getting on to the big teams that are on the world stage."
Anderson will finish off Superweek with the Tour de White Rock this weekend. The circuit ends today with the Peace Arch News Road Race up and down the White Rock waterfront on Marine Drive. For more information visit bcsuperweek.ca.
