May 18/12 10:12 am - Canadian Junior Team Project in Europe: Update

Posted by Editoress on 05/18/12
 

Team coach/manager Nat Faulkner has brought us up to date with how the European Junior Team project is going since the last report on May 3rd.

The guys arrived three weeks ago.  The project has 11 race days concluding with the end of this weekend (May 20th). Some riders have final exams as early as Thursday (May 24th).

The team is based in the town of Tielt Winge where the 'Canada House' resides.  This is 35 minutes, by car, east of Brussels in the Flemmish region of Belgium, heartland of cycling and frittes.

The CCA's May 3rd report can be found HERE  

Thus far we have had 6 racing days. 3 Kermesses in Belgium. Two Belgian cup events (interclub) with 130 and 180 riders respectively. Full caravan at those, and one criterium in Holland.
 
The main focus of the project is learning. Learning to put a plan in place for the races. Communication with each other and execution.

We have had a very level group of guys here.


On May 13th the guys had some good results

80 km Kermess in Zutendal Belgium
1 Ben Perry (Team Canada)
2 Alex Geunens (Balens BC VZW)
3 Joachim va Reyten  (Balens BC VZW)
4  Brandon Etzl ((Team Canada)
5 Andy Stevens (Sport Leopoldsburg)

24 Max Toeldte (Team Canada)
39 Simon Trivett (Team Canada
48 Ben Chartrand (Team Canada)


Some other races the guys have been in have had middling results, but the learning curve is exponential.

Presently the team is racing Trofeo Karlsburg (final race for the project) which is one of the five races in the Nations Cup series this year.

Stage 1 (May 17th) could have gone better. The Belgians that the team beat 5 days ago where in the top 10 so it is just a matter of adjusting to the intensity of a Nations cup finish. (See Stage 1 results HERE)

Stage 2 (May 18th)  has a 500m finish climb that could be better for us

Because there are so few Nations Cup level events  they are essentially World Cup level events. Australia and Switzerland are the only cycling nations absent.

It is the only Nations cup that the team is scheduled to compete in this season.

The team at is :
41 Benjamin Perry (St Catherine's, ON)
42 Benjamin Chartrand (Montreal QC)
43 Max Toeldte (Canadian living in Boise Idaho)
44 Nigel Ellsay (Victoria BC) who is a last minute replacement for Simon Trivett (flew home last week)
45 Henri de Boever

Nigel is racing in France (along with junior criterium champion Chris Prendergast) on the veloclub Moreau VCCMM.

Ben Perry has been publishing a blog which can be found HERE

Some of Ben's results

Molenstede Kermesse -  First
Hobokin Inter Club - Fourth
Wotegem - 53rd - 6 seconds from 1st.
Overijse Kermesse - Ninth
Zutendaal Kermesse - First
Arendok Kermesse - Tire deflated - explained in Blog