LR’s McBeth and Devantier Rip up Delta and Squamish

Local Ride boys Roy McBeth and Steve Devantier were in action again on the weekend, logging top 10 finishes at the Tour de Delta road criterium and the Gearjammer Provincial Mountain Bike Marathon Championships.

“[Tour de] Delta was a good experience. It was fun to do a high-level race where many of North America’s pro teams were there,” raved Devantier. “And Gearjammer was just an awesome course… so much singletrack. It was just great.”

McBeth, who placed second in the Category 4 Men’s race at the B.C. Criterium Championships earlier this month, powered to ninth place in Delta on Saturday in an exciting 40-man pack sprint with the help of teammate, Devantier.

Riders sped around 30 laps of an 800-metre course in an action-packed competition riddled with crashes. Devantier attacked in the last few laps to spread out the pack and make the final sprint a safe one for McBeth. After his effort, Devantier finished 34th.

Devantier went on to finish seventh in the B.C. Cross Country Mountain Bike Marathon Championships in Squamish on Sunday on a challenging 47-kilometre off-road loop.

“Steve’s ability to race two days in a row and still achieve a top 10 on the second day in the blistering heat shows the quality of riders we have on the team. Roy is strong and consistently learning, and considering this is his first season racing on the road, I’m just so pleased,” said Barry Lyster, owner of Local Ride Bike Shop in Maple Ridge.

The Local Ride Racing Team consists of seven members: Robbie Bitz, Gord Cooper, Devantier, Lyster, McBeth, Shane Reaume and Brad Schauermann

Tour de Delta Criterium, Delta, B.C.
Category 3/4 Men
1. Anselmo Rossiello (Team Coastal) 41:15.9
2. Wendell Challenger (Campione) 41:16.0
3. Bruce Denis (Independent) 41:16.0
4. Jonathan Page (Escape Velocity / DEVO) 41:16.0
5. Zenya Kasubuchi (Escape Velocity / DEVO) 41:16.1
6. Brian Griffin (Maple Ridge Cycle) 41:16.4
7. Gerry Van Gaans (Burnaby Velodrome Club) 41:16.5
8. Scott Vigliotti (Central Vancouver Cycling) 41:17.0
9. Roy McBeth (Local Ride) 41:17.3
10. Austin Macdougall (Escape Velocity / DEVO) 41:17.3

B.C. Mountain Bike Marathon Championships, Squamish, B.C.
Men 20-29
1. Jeff Riemer (Independent) 3:00:16
2. Joshua Stott (Team Whistler) 3:12:37
3. Andrew Pitre (Independent) 3:13:41
4. Jonny Lloyd (Independent) 3:17:48
5. Matt Law (Team Giga-bike) 3:20:21
6. Adam Elliot (Independent) 3:28:41
7. Steve Devantier (Local Ride) 3:30:19
8. Ryan Jeans (Natural Earth) 3:38:06
9. Richard Nakamura (Independent) 3:41:59
10. Yojiro Hiki (Independent) 3:47:11