Cyclist celebrates solid result at Edmonton elite race

EDMONTON, AB — A local cyclist had a fifth-place finish in a road race in Edmonton on the weekend.

Nigel Wray, a mainstay of the Blizzard Bicycle Club, competed against other elite racers at the Alex Stieda Classic.

Named after the former Canadian cyclist, Stieda is known as the first North American to have led the world’s most famous cycling race, the Tour de France, donning the famous yellow jersey during the second day in the 1986 event.

The Alex Stieda Classic is a two-leg event, with Saturday, May 31st’s event being a road race throughout Edmonton’s Parkland County and the second leg on Sunday, June 1st being a ‘criterium’ or closed circuit race around the city’s Laurier Heights area.

Wray stuck with the leaders of the race by finishing the opening lap of the 22-kilometre course at 39 minutes and 46 seconds, about a second behind the leaders during the final day on Sunday.

He continued his strong start by sharing the fastest second lap with a time of 49 minutes and 14 seconds. Keeping pace with the leaders, Wray took fifth place with a time of two hours, 15 minutes and 16 seconds.

Blizzard Bicycle Club paid homage to Wray’s efforts, calling his performance “excellent” in a Facebook post.

The Alex Stieda Classic took place on May 31st and June 1st and was hosted by Edmonton’s Juventus Cycling Club.

To see the full results, see the event’s results page.