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Coquitlam’s Bergen clicked with cycling

Wins New Westminster Grand Prix after winning national title

It would have been hard to design a better finish.

Whether in her career as a sustainable building advisor in Vancouver or a road-racing cyclist with Rally Cycling, Coquitlam’s Sara Bergen is all about the finish.

On the job, she helps people make smart decisions in office and building planning. On the road, it was all about creating the conditions for a win Tuesday at the New West Grand Prix, where Bergen entered with the right strategy.

The 30-year-old put herself in good position during the first half of the 40-lap event, part of the B.C. Superweek tour that also includes Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix. She had the energy to follow-up and break through to the leaders’ pack for the latter stage, then push ahead down the stretch drive.

The effects of the flu, which kept her out of last weekend’s Tour de Delta, were a non-factor as she picked up the win Tuesday.

“I was kind of feeling it out, seeing how the legs were,” Bergen said following her celebration on the Columbia Street podium. “(Rally Cycling) had a crew of five here so that was great. We have a really strong team. … So the strategy was to use the course because it’s a really tough course. We sort of used that to do a lot of the work for us.”

Sara Bergen of Coquitlam celebrates winning the New Westminster Grand Prix.
Source: Jennifer Gauthier/New Westminster Record

Having grown up running and cycling the hills and trails around Mundy Park, Bergen found New West’s course – which included a climb of about 160 metres up Eighth Street, followed by an uphill grade along Carnarvon Street – to her liking. 

“You’re capitalizing on that top on that little draggy stretch (on Carnarvon). That was kind of our strategy. We put a couple of moves early on to put the pressure on and then we just reacted with that. They always say when you feel the worst that’s the time to go, so it’s like ‘Giddy up, let’s go.’ It felt pretty bad.”

Coming through the final lap, she had pulled away enough to comfortably raise her arms seconds before crossing the finish line.

“Your legs definitely can feel it, for sure. You try to have the best poker face as possible. It’s a super tough course and definitely one of my favourites. It’s got a great fast downhill, it’s a lot of fun,” she said.

For Bergen, it was another great boost to what’s been a terrific season, culminating with her victory two weeks ago at the Canadian national cycling championships where she topped the women’s criterium and placed third in the road race.

It meant the Dr. Charles Best Secondary alumna entered Tuesday’s Grand Prix not in the orangey Rally team jersey, but in a coveted red-and-white Maple Leaf top.

“This year has been great, both personal success and with the team rally,” she said. “We have the national championship, the national jersey for Canada within the rally team, as well as early season success at the Joe Martin (Stage Race), winning a stage there. … We had two podiums at the Tour of California. We’ve been going after it this season and having great success. We’re really excited to be here at B.C. Superweek and hope to use it as a touchstone as we head over to Europe.”

Given that cycling wasn’t really her forte until she completed a degree in architecture and building engineering technology at BCIT just five years ago, this kind of success has come at break-neck speed.

“I’ve always been super active, like hiking, rock climbing, lots of outdoors stuff,” said Bergen. “I came to the bike a little later in my life and I’ve only been racing for five years and that was after I finished my degree. I went out on my mountain bike and something about that stuck. Once I got the skinny tires and the speed I’ve never looked back.”

It’s opened up a door of travel, competition and camaraderie that is tough to describe, and tough to beat, she said.

“I don’t want to be bold and say I’m not surprised. I try to take a rigorous approach with my sporting background. I’ve always had the same approach,” she said. “The timing was right, you know? I was at a place in my life where I’d finished my degree and I really sunk my teeth into this. There’s something about this that clicked.

“I was like, I’m a little surprised, and super thankful, that I’ve been able to have this success up to today, but I definitely put the time and seeing the results come is gratifying for sure.”