Ryan Anderson competes in some of the biggest races in Europe with the Spider Tech professional cycling team run by Canadian legend Steve Bauer. The Vancouver native is coming off a strong showing at the Tour de Suisse.
Despite all that experience, he was still nervous about racing B.C. Superweek. It just didn't show on Saturday night.
Anderson won a sprint at the Brenco Criterium, claiming the second stage of the Tour de Delta with his late surge.
"This crowd feels like a race of Europe," Anderson said. "I still get a bit nervous because I'm back home and racing in front of family and I want to do well."
Australian Tommy Nankervis, riding for the Competitive Cyclist team run by three-time Canadian Olympian Gord Fraser, tried the same strategy that won him last year's race, attacking early, and leading through the final two corners. But Anderson was right behind, using him as a lead out coming out of the final corner, and jumping past for the win, completing 60 laps of the 0.9-kilometre circuit through the streets of the Ladner in one hour, 13 minutes and 27 seconds.
If the men's race helped Anderson get ready to go overseas, the women's finish might help Steph Roorda forgot that she isn't doing the same.
Roorda admits it wasn't easy to get over being named an alternate to Canada's track team for the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London, but improving on a second-place finish in the first stage of B.C.
Superweek on Friday night by winning the 40-lap Brenco Criterium 24 hours later helped take some of the sting out.
"It was for sure disappointing to not be selected but it's fun racing here and I have great teammates and a solid group to be racing with," Roorda said of her Local Ride / Dr. Vie Superfoods squad. "Every day I get on the line I want to battle and I'm happy to be racing. It's my favorite thing to do and when you train on the track you don't actually get to do that much racing, so I'm happy to be here doing this."
It also provides some training benefits in case Roorda gets called in to fill in at the Summer Games.
She'll certainly be prepared for late sprints after following up Friday's secondplace finish by outlasting Joanie Caron and Jenny Lehmann down the final straightaway, finishing the flat 36-kilometre race in one hour and 24.1 seconds.
