MIVA BOXWOOD CRITERIUM 130625

 MIVA Boxwood Criterium 13/06/25

 40 lap criterium, 4 primes

 It rained steadily all day throughout most of Nanaimo but there was sun and blue sky when registration opened for tonight's criterium. There were fourteen registrants, including three from Courtenay, two of whom were youth riders.

 The first four laps were quite rapid but the bunch stayed intact, Steve Crowley, Mark Wieler and Nick Kupiak leading them. Mike Gill was initially trailing by a couple of seconds but managed to make contact again and stayed with the pack for twenty-two laps, a remarkable improvement on his previous criterium performances.

 In lap five, Kupiak had a slight gap which he increased to seven seconds and was soon joined by Phil Birrer but by the eighth lap the bunch caught them. Then in the sprint for the first prime on lap ten, Mike Sevcov won with Nick a close second. They eased off the front but they too were brought back within two laps and things quietened down for a short while. For the next three laps Mark Overton, Mark Wieler, Phil Birrer and Ray Wagner were visible at the front of the pack and were still in the top places but when the bell went, signalling the second prime, Ray had opened a slight gap and stayed there to take the sprint.

 Within the next two circuits though he had been absorbed and Mike Sevcov, James Grant, Steve Crowley and one other rider had opened another gap. Mike stayed out in front but the other three drifted back to the bunch and he then put the hammer down and proceeded to make the first real break of the race, staying ahead for the next eleven laps. He extended his lead to twenty seconds and took the third prime ten seconds ahead of the awakening pack but fatigue set in as evidenced by his rolling shoulders and resort to a lower gear. The rain, which had commenced during his solo effort, failed to freshen him and the main group was pulling him back rapidly.

 Eventually he was caught just before the last prime and drifted towards the back of the bunch. Meanwhile, Ray Wagner took the sprint from James Grant and Steve Crowley.

 With two laps left, the bunch was again together the order being Steve, Evan, James, Ray, Matt Allardyce, Mark Grant, Mike, Iain Hay and Matt, with Mike Gill a lap andt twenty- five seconds down

 Four riders had retired earlier: Normon Thibault, Phil Birrer, Mark Wiler and Mark Overton.

 At the start of the final go-around, the order was about the same but at the line Junior James Grant had dashed clear with only Ray and Iain vainly challenging him for the win. younger brother Mark finished fourth just ahead of the rest of the pack. The sprint for fourth was really close, with Evan beating Matt Allardyce by a fraction of a wheel, and . Nick Kupiak Steve Crowleyand Mike Sevcov a similar distance behind.

 In the absence of fast men Chris Cameron and Ian Smith, the race time was about three and a half minutes slower than two weeks previous. but the event was still finished in a respectable hour and ten minutes.

 Thanks to Iain Hay for course set up and take down, Brodie Hay and Mike Mann for bell, lap and back-up timing, and to Steve Grant, Patrick Burnham, Jason Hare and Kirby Villeneuve for doing the all-important job of marshalling.

1	James Grant	jun	Vipyrs	1h 10' 15"
2	Ray Wagner	MC	CVCC	s.t.
3	Iain Hay	MB	MIVA	s.t.
4	Mark Grant	cad	Vypers	s.t.
5	Evan Earp Jones	S3	Victoria Wh	at 3"
6	Matt Allardyce	MB	MIVA	s.t.
7	Nick Kupiak	S3	MIVA	s.t.
8	Steve Crowley	MB	MIVA	s.t.
9	Mike Sevcov	MC	Cowichan	s.t.
10	Mike Gill	MB	MIVA	at 1 lap
DNF	Phil Birrer	S3	MIVA
DNF	Normon Thibault	MB	Frontrunners
DNF	Mark Wieler	S3	Arrowsmith
DNF	Mark Overton	MA	MIVA
PRIMES
1st	Mike Sevcov
2nd	Ray Wagner
3rd.	Mike Sevcov
4th.	Ray Wagner

RESULTS