July 19th, 2006 Tour de Gastown, Vancouver, BC- Burnaby rider rules in Gastown race
Gina Grain shakes off infection to defend title on the cobblestones

There was no going against the Grain at the Tour de Gastown Wednesday night.

Reigning champion Gina Grain overcame an infected elbow and three days on intravenous antibiotics to successfully defend her title as the Queen of Gastown's cobblestone streets.

The 32-year-old racer, who calls Burnaby home, held off Regina's Alexandra Wrubleski and Abbotsford's Alison Testroete to claim the $1,200 first-place award.

The men's event lacked similar same drama as Aussie Hilton Clarke was an easy victor over North Vancouver's Bradley Fairall and Kirk O'Bee. Clarke won $2,000.

Grain appeared impressed with herself for beating both the field and her infection.

"Being on I.V. for three days is not, like, the best preparation for the Tour de Gastown," noted Grain, who races for Colavita Cooking Light. "After the Giro di Burnaby on Friday, my elbow started swelling up and the next day it was really swollen and red so I went to the hospital and they told me 'you have to be here right now because your infection is going systemic.'

"So I was an out-patient in Burnaby Hospital for three days. It's kind of a funny story."

It wasn't funny for the competition, though, as Grain emerged from an extremely tough field that included Canadian Olympian Alison Sydor and one-time Israeli undercover cop Leah Goldstein.

The lead changed hands five times in the last seven laps.

"I was really happy about the talented field," said Grain. "Everybody was strong and it kept the pace high and very aggressive. In criterium-style racing like this, there is a lot of gambling and if somebody gets up the road, you have to be aware of who it is and whether they are strong enough to stay at the front.

"To win this race two times, you can't ask for more than that, especially in your hometown."

On the men's side, Clarke, Fairall and O'Bee lapped the field about two-thirds into the 50-lap event and it became a three-man affair.

The remaining racers were all pulled off the course with three laps remaining to allow the trio to settle matters. However, Clarke promptly broke away from Fairall and O'Bee and rode the last two laps unopposed.

"I knew I had the legs," explained Clarke, a Navigators Insurance rider. "I just started attacking and there was a bit of cat-and-mouse between Kirk and the Symmetrics rider [Fairall] so that worked to my favour.

"Kirk wanted the other guy to take me down and he didn't want to chase so that was the end of the race. Once I had a gap, I knew it was mine."

Clarke, who finished fourth in last year's Tour de Gastown, used that as high motivation.

"I got caught in the last corner last year and I was so disappointed," said the 27-year-old from Melbourne. "I wasn't going to lose it again. I'm so happy."

Fairall admitted chagrin at allowing Clarke to break away and win so easily.

"It's disappointing that Hilton got a jump on us in the those last couple of laps," said Fairall, 21, "I love this race. I live right across the water in North Van and I've been thinking about it all year."

Fairall beat O'Bee, who is also from North Vancouver, in a photo finish to earn the runner-up position.

B.C. Superweek concludes this weekend with the three-day Tour de Delta beginning Friday.

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Grain defends her title with a sweet victory.