RILEY PICKRELL EARNS TOP-10 ROAD RACE FINISH AT SANTIAGO 2023 PAN AMERICAN GAMES
Santiago, CHE (Oct. 29, 2023) – Cycling at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games in Chile concluded with seven Canadians challenging the road race on Oct. 29, culminating in a top-10 finish for Riley Pickrell of Victoria, BC.
The races were held on a 17.5km circuit that started and finished at the centrally located Plaza de la Aviación. The course featured a selective climb in each lap of 183m uphill through Parque Metropolitano de Santiago, Latin America’s largest urban park, before heading back alongside the Mapocho River.
The men’s race consisted of nine laps for a total distance of 157.5km. Pickrell was able to maintain his pace for 3:41:08hr to secure an eighth-place finish.
Photo Credit: Dave Holland/CSI Calgary
“The crowds were insane, like nothing I’ve ever raced in before,” commented the 22-year-old sprinter, who also won Stage 2 of the Tour de l’Avenir earlier this year. “Up the climb especially, I wasn’t able to hear myself breathe and I was breathing really hard! It’s a crazy experience: there’s drums, there’s flares, there’s smoke, it’s so much fun to race here. The main thing was how early the race starts and to accept that there’s 100k to go and I’m already on my hands and knees, but so is everyone else so you have to keep riding, keep riding, keep riding and it will come through.”
The remaining three Canadians in the men’s race were members of the men’s track pursuit team that won gold two days prior. Chris Ernst, 24, of Kitchener, ON, also finished in the top 20, placing 17th (3:46:24hr). He was followed shortly by Campbell Parrish of Vancouver, BC, who managed an impressive 26th-place finish (3:48:30hr) at the young age of 18. Carson Mattern, 19, of Ancaster, ON, withdrew after successfully completing five laps.
Jhonatan Manuel Narváez Prado (ECU) was awarded gold with a time of 3:37:56hr. Silver and bronze were awarded to Eduardo Sepulveda (ARG) and Antonio Eric Fagundez Lima (ARG), respectively, who both clocked 3:37:57hr.
The women’s race was cut down to six laps from seven, covering 105km in total, due to morning rain. Adèle Normand, 21, of Alma, QC, led the Canadians from the beginning and eventually placed 13th with a time of 2:53:38hr.
“It was a bit tactical, other teams were really watching each other… Quickly, I was by myself for Team Canada, so I was trying to watch every move and burning myself little by little,” said Normand, who’s known as a strong climber. “[On the last lap] I saw a Quebec flag up there and was like, ‘OK, now I’m back in it.’ Every lap I would see a Canadian flags and just hear my name, it was really nice.”
Next on the leaderboard for the red and white was Ruby West, 24, of Dundas, ON, who stopped the clock at the three-hour mark for 21st. Her teammate from the women’s pursuit team that topped the podium earlier in the week, Devaney Collier, 25, of Edmonton, AB, completed four laps before withdrawing. Ngaire Barraclough, 21, of Edmonton, AB, did not start due to illness.
Lauren Stephens (USA) captured gold for the women with a time of 2:51:05hr. Miryam Martiza Nuñez Padilla (ECU) narrowly edged out Agua Marina Espinola Salinas (PAR) for silver: both recorded a time of 2:52:29hr.
“It was a great day for our team, including some excellent performances,” concluded National Team Coach Nigel Ellsay. “Our track endurance athletes rallied around our two road athletes, Adèle and Riley, to deliver them to solid results in both women’s and men’s competition. I think we’d all agree, however, our highlight was the amazing Chilean fans who lined every meter of the course.”
The road race concluded Team Canada’s cycling competition at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. More information, including results and the full schedule of events, can be found at www.santiago2023.org.
