Vancouver, BC – Lucas Bourgoyne is making a habit of winning big races – and on Wednesday night in front of a packed and electric Gastown crowd, he added another major prize to his growing list of victories.
Nicknamed “The Cowboy”, the 24-year-old from Austin, Texas sprinted to the win in the men’s race at the 2025 Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix, beating out Cade Bickmore (Project Echelon Racing) and Luke Lamperti (Team Soudal Quick-Step) in a thrilling final dash after 42 laps and 49 kilometres of racing.
The current U.S. National Criterium Champion, Bourgoyne rode into Vancouver fresh off a dominant showing at last month’s Kwik Trip Tour of America’s Dairyland, where he racked up five podium finishes – including three wins. After Wednesday’s victory, he now has no fewer than a dozen individual criterium wins this year and it was his 22nd top five finish in 35 races.
“It was absolutely incredible – the crowd was amazing,” said Bourgoyne. “We came in third last year and we knew we wanted to come back and win this thing because Canada throws a bike race right.”
The pace was high throughout the 42-lap event, and in true crit fashion, it all came down to positioning and attacks during the closing laps. On the last lap, Bourgoyne found himself behind a few leading riders, but with one last dig, he powered his way past the competition.
“Bickmore went really long, and I thought Lamperti was going to jump him – and he didn’t,” Bourgoyne explained. “So, I had to get to chasing, and I was just praying to God that (Bickmore) didn’t have the step of God.”
With a roaring crowd on Water Street urging him forward, “The Cowboy” unleashed a final burst and surged across the line, threw his arms up, and triumphantly yelled out in victory. The win means a $12,000 prize is coming his way.
Bickmore, who finished fourth here last year, was narrowly edged into second despite a gutsy move on the final lap, while Lamperti – a three-time U.S. Criterium National champion and rising star with World Tour experience – settled for third.
“This is a dream race to win,” Bourgoyne said post-race, soaking in the moment. “It’s the biggest crit in Canada. We got the biggest one in the U.S., now we got the biggest one in Canada… let’s go to Mexico next or something and get that.”
While Bourgoyne gets the headlines on this night, he was quick to credit his Team Cadence Cyclery squad for making it possible.
“Luke Fetzer and Richard Holec… (plus) the guys who aren’t here – Cesar Serna, Gabe Porterfield, Sam Smith, Greg Vanderpool, and so on. This team is absolutely incredible,” he said. “They make my job significantly easier to go out and do what I love to do, which is to hype the crowd up and go win some fricking bike races.”
With another win in the books, Bourgoyne continues to cement himself as one of North America’s premier criterium riders — and a fan favourite wherever he goes. On a night built for legends in Gastown, “The Cowboy” delivered a victory worthy of the wild west.
WOMEN’S RACE
In a thrilling showcase of homegrown talent and teamwork, 27‑year‑old Fiona Majendie (Project Instinct Racing) clinched a thrilling sprint victory in a photo finish in the women’s race at the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix.
The 30-lap, 45-kilometre contest through Gastown’s iconic cobblestone streets came down to the wire as Majendie edged Ontario riders Vanessa Montrichard (TaG Cycling) from Hamilton, and Collingwood’s Katelyn Walcroft (Independent), who took third.
Majendie, who advanced from grassroots competition to becoming an Olympian in just two years, finished off the night in style and claimed the $12,000 prize purse in the process.
The final lap saw incredible action. “Going in with three laps to go, I was not in a very good position,” recounted Majendie, who is the 2025 BC Provincial Criterium champion. “So, I kind of burned a few matches to get up top five wheels. Then I was just surfing other teams’ lead out trains and hoping for the best. It turned out and we crossed the line first.”
In the final metres, the pack matched Majendie’s pace but couldn’t quite push across the line ahead of her. With Montrichard coming in second, Walcroft also claimed a well-deserved podium spot as an independent rider in such a tactical race.
In the heat of the moment, Majendie misjudged her celebration – but only by a little. “It definitely was (a bit early) – my bad,” she admitted with a chuckle after the race, “But we got (the win)… so we don’t have to feel too bad about that.”
This win proved significant not only personally, but also for Project Instinct Racing, which fielded a unified team effort. “I think this is the first time that my team has really raced it together as kind of a combined team. We went in with a plan and it paid off, so it’s really exciting,” she said. “It’s just an awesome race to win at home and it’s always so awesome to watch. That’s where I started – just watching this race – and now to win it is pretty cool.”
Majendie’s own journey resonates powerfully. She is a former NCAA Division I tennis athlete at the University of San Diego who pivoted to elite cycling and joined Team Canada on the track. She earned a Paris 2024 Olympic selection, and co-founded Project Instinct Racing to champion other female cyclists. Her rapid ascent underscores her commitment to supporting women in the sport.
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