With 200 metres to go, Kris Yip broke away from the peloton and sprinted to the finish line to win Sunday's Northern Hardware Prince George Cycling Club's Road Race.
It was second road race win of the season for the 39-year-old from Prince George, having won the first race of 2014 in April.
Sunday's course involved three laps around a 20.75-kilometre loop, totalling 61 km, in the Pineview area with the start and finish line on Pooley Road.
"In the first lap, everyone was just settling in and not too anxious," said Yap who crossed the finish line in one hour 45 minutes 23 seconds. "In the second lap, there were a dozen of us and a really strong climb up Alpine Drive separated us and it was a race of attrition. On the third lap, it was down to six guys. Everyone kind of knew it would come down to a sprint in the final 1,000 metres in a headwind to finish."
The cyclists took turns leading the peloton going towards the finish line on Pooley Road.
"They're all really strong guys and we worked well with each other," said Yap. "Everyone was looking for someone to go. I broke away in the last 200 metres. I just really waited."
Derek Harnden was second in the sprint finish, followed by Matt Thomson in third place.
Thirty-three cyclists, including four women, lined up at the start line Sunday in perfect riding conditions under warm, sunny skies and a light breeze.
The men had an option of doing two or three laps.
Andrew Sladen won the men's two-lap 40-km race, posting a time of 1:21.03, followed by Andrew Lukaris in second-place at 1:31.33 and Bill Livingstone in third at 1:31.34
Marika Jurgens celebrated Mother's Day by winning the two-lap 40-km women's race, clocking 1:17.28. She finished ahead of Leanne Head in second, Erica Kane in third and Lanita Horning in fourth place.
Even though Jurgens won the women's race, she stayed with the men for the third lap for fun to log some extra miles.
"I'm training for the Penticton Granfondo in July and doing a long distance like that you have to push yourself to the limit," said the 42-year-old from Prince George. "It was a great race with the guys and it was the only way to get stronger. I lost the men on the hills but they were patient with me and my husband Hendrik [Dreyer] pulled me along. I'm really happy with how it went."
Jurgens was a triathlete, but a plantar fasciitis injury forced her to take up cycling full-time.
She encourages anyone who is interested in taking up road racing to join the club and take advantage of the group rides Tuesday nights.
"That's the best way to do it," she said. "You're safe on the road and there's always people to guide you."
The next Prince George Cycling Club race is the Criterium in West Beaverly on May 22 at 6:30 p.m.
