By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Lethbridge Gives Tour of Alberta Cyclists a Warm Welcome

Sep 1, 2016 | 10:04 PM

LETHBRIDGE – American Colin Joyce (Axeon Hagens Berman) crossed the finish line on Thursday’s (Sept. 1) first road stage of the 2016 Tour of Alberta to the sound of roaring fans.

Joyce was the overall winner of the grueling 106.9 km race which took cyclists through the coulees and up respectable inclines.

Although Joyce was followed by Alex Howse of Canondale-Drapac Pro Team coming in a close second and Robin Carpenter in third place, Joyce secured three jerseys for Province of Alberta, Best Young Rider and EllisDon Sprint Leader.

Antoine Duchesne was the top Canadian on the day. The 24-year-old from Saguenay, Quebec crossed the line in a tie for fourth to grab the Best Canadian Jersey.

The riders had a shorter and drier Lethbridge leg in comparison to their last stint in 2014.

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This year, skilled cyclists took to nine laps of approximately 9.6km each circuit and a challenging two sprint opportunity.

The fans were as sunny as the weather in Lethbridge. Twelve teams of 8 descended upon the course as fans lined the track for nearly two-and-a-half hours with an additional 200 million viewers worldwide watching the tour from their home.

Joyce’s strong, aggressive performance earned him a time bonus for the second stage of the tour, taking riders through Kananaskis and into Olds on Sept 2.

The 22-year-old champ noted the cross wind as one of the biggest challenges with the shorter climb as a energy burner.

“There weren’t too many takes until the final climb. I was able to get in with the leaders and rotate little bit for the last few km. There still was some final attacks so I tried to follow as much as I could, but it sort of just came down to a small sprint.”

The stage one winner, said that he considered Lethbridge a special part of the tour all thanks to the heightened support from spectators.

“It’s always cool riding through small towns and cities with hundreds of screaming fans… it really is very rare to have that.”

He added that the circuit start in Lethbridge was to every rider’s advantage as they could work out the nooks and crannies of the course.

The tour began in 2013 and has grown with each year.

Duane Vienneau, Tour of Alberta CEO, said that while Lethbridge is not confirmed as a future start location, the city is a real contender.

“The overall goal of the tour is to go to as many communities in the province as possible. There are a few communities which we go to more than others because they are able to host. Lethbridge is one of those and in 2014 when it was so cold and fans still came out I knew that today there would be a lot of support.”

The tour has four more stages before it wraps up in Edmonton on September 5.