DAHL TOP CANADIAN ON STAGE 3 OF TOUR OF ALBERTA

(Drayton Valley, AB – September 3, 2016) Kris Dahl (Silber Pro Cycling) of Calgary, Alberta, was the top Canadian finisher on Stage 3 of the Tour of Alberta, on Saturday, finishing third in Drayton Valley after 181.2 kilometres of racing. Alex Cataford (Silber Pro Cycling) holds onto the Best Canadian jersey after finishing fifth on the stage and sixth overall, with Antoine Duchesne of Chicoutimi, Quebec, the top rider for Team Canada, in eighth place overall.

After single digit temperatures and rain on Stage 2, riders were rewarded with intermittent sun and slightly warmer temperatures on Saturday for the start in Olds. A breakaway of nine riders went clear 80 kilometres into the stage and stayed away until the race entered Drayton Valley for three finishing circuits.

After the break was caught, two American riders broke away in the final eight kilometres; Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling) and Robin Carpenter (Holowesko/Citadel). They stayed away to the finish, with Huffman winning and taking the overall leader’s jersey. Dahl chased but was unable to close the gap, finishing four seconds back.

“The finishing circuit was pretty technical with a lot corners,” explained Dahl, “so that was a factor. The last couple of laps there were a lot of attacks, and Huffman and Carpenter got up the road. I was really hoping that we would have enough steam to catch them at the end, but we just couldn’t quite get them. We rode it into the line as hard as we could and I just managed to have enough in the sprint for third.”

With two stages remaining, Cataford is 21 seconds out of the overall lead and Duchesne 25 seconds back. Sunday’s time trial in Edmonton will offer both riders a chance to move up the rankings, with Cataford a strong contender after finishing second in the national time trial championships.