With the Tour de France kicking off Saturday morning and BC Superweek set to start less than a week later, now is a perfect time to look back at some shared history between the biggest bike race in the world and Canada’s biggest event.
The biggest name in both is also the biggest name in cycling. Lance Armstrong posted his first big win in North America at the 1991 Gastown Grand Prix before his record seven wins at the Tour de France.
Long before he became a legend overseas, a 19-year-old Armstrong lined up against a handful of Tour de France veterans in Gastown.
The list included Roy Knickman, David Phinney and Alex Stieda, a two-time Gastown champion and the first North American to wear the leaders jersey at the Tour de France. Armstrong may be the biggest name, but he’s far from the only ties to the three Grand Tours of cycling.
In addition to the above names, past BC Superweek competitors with Grand Tour experience include names like Norm Alvis, Gord Fraser and Brian Walton, a three-time Olympian, 1996 Olympic silver medalist, and six-time Tour de White Rock winner, who raced at the Giro d’Italia.
This year’s field includes a pair of cyclists who completed the grueling Giro d’Italia this season – Christian Meier and Svein Tuft, who finished ninth in the final stage – and there are other recent ties to cycling’s biggest races, including Quebec pro Dominique Rollin, who also rode in this year’s Giro.
Washington State’s Tyler Farrar, who won the 2004 Tour de Delta Road Race at BC Superweek, who won the third stage of the Tour de France last summer, and returns this year as a teammate of Canadian Giro winner Ryder Hesjedal.
And American climber Chris Horner won the 2008 Tour de White Rock Road Race.
BC Superweek is Canada’s biggest cycling series, with $105,000 in prize money available during nine races over 10 days.
BC Superweek runs from July 6 through 15
Tour de Delta (races on July 6, 7, 8) Original 16
UBC Grand Prix (July 10)
Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix (July 11)
Giro di Burnaby (July 12)
Tour de White Rock (races on July 13, 14, 15)