| Sharpe, Ridenour win Pike Lake triathlon |
|
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 523 2985 IMPACT Magazine 24 5 3665 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false
"That was a really solid effort today and I was pretty fortunate to be able to pull away from the pack," said Sharpe, who also won the opening race of the summer-long series in Quebec last month. "With these results, you do feel like you have a bit of a target on your back with guys wanting to beat you." The 19-year-old Sharpe led out of the water of the 750-metre non-wetsuit swim, and carried his momentum with the lead group through the challenging 20-kilometre bike before surging ahead of the pack at the mid-way point of the five-kilometre run. Sharpe was joined on the men's podium by Marc-Antoine Christin, of Vaudreuil, Que., who finished in second spot at 55:37. Joel Howlett, of Saskatoon, thrilled the hometown crowd with a bronze-medal finish after crossing the line at 55:46. Canada's Christine Ridenour, of Cowichan Bay, B.C., joined Sharpe in the winner's circle for the second-straight race. The 18-year-old is featured in the July/August 2010 issue of IMPACT Magazine. While feeling a little tired heading into the second leg of the National Junior Series, she persevered to hang tight with the leaders in the waters of Pike Lake before taking on the challenging 20-kilometre bike. Ridenour patiently edged her way to the front of the pack before opening up a sizeable lead on the field in the run, setting the time to beat at 1:00:27. "That was a good solid performance and it gives me the confidence knowing that even though I may not be rested I can still have a good day," said Ridenour. "I wanted to have a strong swim and just ride with the pack until the run, and I was able to do that." Ridenour sprinted from the water to the first transition in fourth spot, and worked well in the pack of five on the bike before opening a 30 second lead on the field mid-way through the run. Ridenour will now prepare for the Youth Olympics, to be held in Singapore in August. Saskatoon's Gabrielle Edwards captured her first podium finish of the 2010 season after posting a silver-medal time of 1:00:44. Victoria's Alison Hooper, who lit up the junior triathlon circles during her rookie season last year, finished third at 1:00:55. The Teck National Junior Series is the nation's premier development race circuit, which allows athletes and coaches the appropriate focal points for training and monitoring athlete progression. The annual three-race series is used by Triathlon Canada for World Junior Team and Canada Games selections. - Courtesy, Triathlon Canada |
