Race winner (right) Justin Lindine talking with P2A co-organizer Tim Farrar (left) after his first Paris to Ancaster win.
ANCASTER, ONTARIO – Organizers announced over 2,200 cyclists braved mud and grueling conditions to compete in the 20th annual Paris to Ancaster Bicycle Race (P2A). The Massachusetts cyclist Justin Lindine (who also won the Barry Roubaix gravel race this season) was the top male cyclist for the 57km race with a time of one hour, 43 minutes and 17 seconds. Cyclocrosser Mike Garrigan took third place after Aaron Schooler. Mandy Dreyer of Dundas, Ontario, was the top female in the 57km race for the second consecutive year with a time of two hours, one minute and 47 seconds. Due to the amount of rain during the week leading up to the race, some of the course had to be closed due to unrideable conditions. This meant the 70km race became 57km.
“We had a great day today,” says John Thorpe, Co-Chair, P2A. “P2A has gained a reputation as being a challenging course to ride, and this week’s rainy weather helped to make the course especially tough. Congratulations on behalf of the organizers to everyone who came out to test their mettle in one of Ontario’s toughest races.”
Rain the week prior to the race didn’t deter participants from racing in Paris to Ancaster.
“While I was a little out of my comfort zone as far as what the terrain delivered, the P2A experience was crazy fun and to see so many families taking part proved to me that the Milton Velodrome will be a success with cyclists of all makes and models,” says Olympian Curt Harnett, “A huge thank you to the organizers, sponsors, officials and, most importantly, the volunteers who made P2A2013 an epic experience for me and all the VIP participants who raised $20K for the Milton Velodrome Project.”
The P2A course is comprised of farms lanes, trails and road sections, and the race’s competitors include professional riders as well as weekend warriors. This year’s race featured numerous high-profile riders, including former Olympians Curt Harnett, Steve Bauer, Gord Singleton, Sue Palmer-Komar, cyclocross champion Jonathan Page and more.
