American Daniel Holloway Claims Second BC Superweek win at Giro di Burnaby p/b Appia Development
Daniel Holloway is having a pretty good week. Just last Saturday, he won the Boise Twilight Criterium in Boise, Idaho. Then on Tuesday, he found himself atop the podium again at the UBC Grand Prix p/b Mahony & Sons. A familiar scenario played out on Thursday as the man they call “Hollywood” was on top once again at the Giro di Burnaby p/b Appia Development.
Much like Tuesday’s UBC race, Holloway, who races for Team AltoVelo-SeaSucker, sprinted ahead of Calgary’s Kris Dahl (Team SmartStop) for the win in the 45 lap, 55 kilometre circuit. It didn’t look like the race would play out that way with three laps to go, as Team Silber Pro Cycling had as many as six riders off the front. Silber tried to control at that point and even won the crowd prime with two laps to go. For Holloway and the other riders in the field, the strategy was clear.
“Just take control of the Silber guys and ride their lead out,” he said. “And that’s what we did.”
A few of Silber’s distinct orange helmets dropped off during the remaining two laps, especially after the crowd prime was awarded.
“I think they just went a few laps too early and let emotions get the best of them, just in terms of riding hard and going too early,” added Holloway, before complimenting the Silber team on its performance in the race. “They did such a great job and (their coach) Gord Fraser is doing amazing things with that team, they’re learning and they only missed it by a half lap probably. But they were going super-fast and it was tough to hang on.”
The 28-year-old is no stranger to Burnaby, and relishes the opportunity to race in the Lower Mainland and British Columbia. Holloway and his Team BurnabyNOW teammate Jacob Duehring finished first in the Elite Men’s Division of the Burnaby 4-Day Bike Race at the Burnaby Velodrome last December.
“BC Superweek’s been amazing, it rivals what we do in America, which is fantastic. In Burnaby, it’s amazing to have such large community support to make this happen,” exclaimed the 2010 US Criterium Champion. “I’ve been here before in the winter racing the Burnaby 4-Day and it’s awesome to come back and see how well everything’s thriving, I hope I can come back next year.”
Ken Hanson’s third place finish is his first appearance on the podium at this year’s BC Superweek series, but the San Diego native is a former US Pro Criterium champion and was second at the Giro di Burnaby a year ago when his UnitedHealthcare team finished 1-2-3.
BC Superweek is Canada’s biggest professional road cycling series and features more than $120,000 in prize money available during eight races over nine days. BC Superweek runs from July 10 – 18, and is made up of the Tour de Delta (July 10, 11, 12), UBC Grand Prix p/b Mahony & Sons (July 14), Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix (July 15), Giro di Burnaby p/b Appia Development (July 16) and Beverley by Cressey presents Tour de White Rock (July 17, 18).