April 24/01 9:25 am - Toronto's Paris-Roubaix, Rona Wins, 2001 Teams, Euro DH

Posted by Editor on 04/24/01
 

Toronto Paris-Roubaix
Courtesy Mike Barry

A small but select field started the 14th annual edition of Toronto's Paris-Roubaix Challenge. Warm and dry conditions suggested that the pace would be fast from the start and this was confirmed when the strong Sympatico/Jet Fuel riders went straight to the front and led the field into the first rough section at six kilometres. This section has been inches deep in mud in previous years but on Sunday it was dry and fast. A large group entered the section together but at the exit there were four riders in the lead - Heath Cockburn, Joe Guliano (both Sympatico/Jet Fuel), Peter Morse (Go), and Greg. Reain (Gears Racing). These four were not to be seen again by the other riders until the finish. Two strong riders were surprisingly missing from this group. Mat Hansen (Sympatoco/Jet Fuel) and 1992 winner Chris Mathias (Independant) had crashed heavily on the section and were not to see the front of the race again. At Whitevale (13km) Cockburn attached the others in the lead group and opened up a thirty second gap but he was brought back at the Prouse Road section (30km) where the off-road abilites of the chasers indicated the Cockburn may be in trouble further into the course. The four were still together on entering the "Hell of the North" section (52km) where Cockburn immediately attacked but was soon brought back. Reain then put on the pressure and Guliano was dropped but the other two were content to hang onto Reain's wheel. At the exit of the "Hell of the North" Reain briefly went off course and the resulting effort to regain contact may have cost him in the sprint. In a very closely contested finish Cockburn took the win with Morse just holding off Reain for second place. Joe Guliano finished alone two minutes down

The rest of the field finished in ones and twos, the strong head wind having taken it's toll. Crash victims Hansen and Mathias fought their way back to finish fifth and eighth respectively. The first woman to finish was Anita Hurley (Cervelo) in 26th place overall.


Toronto's Paris-Roubaix Challenge. Sunday 22nd April 2001.
68.5km. Winner's average speed. 29.53 kph

1 Heath Cockburn Sympatico/Jet Fuel Coffee 2.19.12
2 Peter Morse Go 2.19.12
3 Greg Reain Gears Racing 2.19.12
4 Joe Guiliano Sympatico/Jet Fuel Coffee 2.21.20
5 Matt Hansen Sympatico/Jet Fuel Coffee 2.24.41
6 Nigel Gray Independant 2.25.11
7 Rod Merchant Dukes 2.26.20
8 Chris Mathias Independent 2.30.47
9 Ian Starke McAuslans Brewery 2.35.14
10 Dave Anthony Cervelo 2.35.16
11 Dean Tsiotsikas Independant 2.36.34
12 Paul Greene Chain Reaction Bicycles 2.44.14
13 Rob West RNH 2.46.02
14 Drew Robertson Independant 2.46.25
15 Steve Heck Trek 2.46.26
16 Sean Van Rooyen Critical Path 2.50.35
17 Gerard Vroonen Cervelo/RNH/Wilton Meat 2.52.13
18 Bill Strathoulopoulos Sympatico/Jet Fuel Coffee 3.04.32
19 Marty Kohn Independant 3.06.45
20 Stuart Moore Independant 3.06.47
21 Doug Kerr Independant 3.10.06
22 Amit Ghosh Independant 3.10.34
23 Albert De Cicero Frankfurt Bike Xpress 3.14.23
24 Marcel Roux Randonneurs Ontario 3.25.16
25 Scott Gerrie Independant 3.42.14
26 Anita Hurley Cervelo 3.42.17
27 Ralph Dunning RNH 3.47.43
28 Chantal Gray Independant
29 Justin Perry Independant
DNF Sandra Campbell Independant
DNF Reba Plummer Independant
DNF Robert Mann KHS Canada
DNF Mark Royco Independant


Team Rona Sweeps in Utah

Hurricane, Utah, Monday, April 23, 2001 - Geneviève Jeanson, Amy Jarvis, Gabriela Ferrat and Manon Jutras, the four Team RONA members competing in the Chums Classic, grabbed the first four places in the competition held Saturday and Sunday in southern Utah.

The Chums Classic, in its eleventh year, is a three-stage race.

The first stage was battled out under a cold, driving rain at about 5° C. Nearly 30 women attacked the 64-km circuit route Saturday morning. Amy Jarvis, just off the plane from Toronto, was the first to break ahead and give her legs a workout. With less training under her belt than her teammates, Amy tried several times to create a gap, but was unsuccessful. Just before the end of the race, Jarvis was even shaken from the pack. Manon Jutras and Gabriela Ferrat took up the Team RONA torch and moved ahead. Geneviève Jeanson soon joined her teammates at the front. With about 20 kilometers to go, a frozen Jeanson left her teammates behind and pushed ahead for the finish line, which she crossed alone, 4'30" ahead of Jutras and Ferrat. Amy Jarvis finished after the pack, more than 15 minutes later than the winner.

Saturday afternoon's stage, without the rain but under strong winds, was an 8.3-km time trial, on a false flat out-and-back course. Geneviève Jeanson made the best time - 10'45" (avg. 46.3 kph). Gabriela Ferrat (11'53") and Amy Jarvis (12'03") took second and third place, with Manon Jutras in seventh in 12'26". After two stages, Team RONA held the top three spots (Jeanson, Ferrat, Jutras) and Amy Jarvis was in ninth.

On Sunday the women tackled an 87-km course. From the very beginning and for the first eight kilometers, while Geneviève Jeanson and Amy Jarvis stayed with the pack, sheltering from the high winds, Manon Jutras and Gabriela Ferrat were like hares to the hound, making repeated attacks to force the pack to respond and tiring out their strongest opponents. Near the eight-kilometer mark, Geneviève Jeanson and Amy Jarvis took advantage of a tough climb to break away from the pack. Drafting behind Jeanson's locomotive power, Amy Jarvis left the whole pack behind. Jeanson and Jarvis crossed the finish line hand in hand, about 17 minutes before Manon Jutras and Gabriela Ferrat.

With her excellent time in the third stage, Jarvis climbed from ninth to second place in the general standings.

"We were working with a pack that wasn't world class, so we have to keep our results this weekend in perspective," commented André Aubut, Team RONA's team manager. "We used this as an opportunity to work on our team cohesion and to hone our tactical approach. From that point of view, I'm very satisfied with our progress. With Gabriela, Amy, Geneviève and Manon all in Arizona, we'll be able to continue to work together closely over the next couple of weeks. And when I think about what we have ahead of us, we're really going to need it!"

Team RONA's next challenge will be the Tour of the Gila, May 2 - 6 in the Silver City area of New Mexico. This promises to be a very difficult race, both in terms of the mountainous course and the level of competition. The winner of the 2000 edition was Jeannie Longo, with Mari Holden and Julie Hanson in second and third place. This year's edition should include heavyweight teams such as Saturn and Autotrader.com.


2001 Team Announcement
Courtesy Steve Lund

Team Speed Queens made their Canadian racing debut this weekend (April 22nd) in impressive fashion at the Schwalbe CC Peninsula Trophy road race. Stephanie Hannos made a bold move in pursuit of an early breaking Alison Sydor. Although she could not close the gap to Sydor, Hannos put time on the field throughout the challenging course, as her teammates Erica Drew , Sandra Walter and Lisa Sweeney
kept the pack in check. In the end, the Speed Queens placed 3 riders in the top 10 including Stephanie Hannos, the team's veteran road racer, finishing second behind Sydor.

Next up for the team is the Warp Speed TT and BC Classic Crit in Vancouver, April 28-29, the first of the Team BC qualifiers for the 2001 Canada Summer Games.

Watch for the official media launch and web site of Team Speed Queens next week!

The Speed Queens are:

Erica Drew
Stephanie Hannos
Melissa Lunstead
Lisa Sweeny
Sandra Walter


PARIS TO ANCASTER BIKE RACE

A Participant's Story
by David Fesuk, Ancaster

Before the Race

"I can't wait!". To race. To persevere. To win. The machinery. The technology. The people. The colour of it all.

And I was definitely prepared. Having spent months anticipating this race; the excitement grew as the race date approached. My trusty bicycle was mechanically perfect, capable of carrying me over the 60 kilometres effortlessly. I didn't miss a thing: cleaning, adjusting, truing wheels, tightening all components, oiling, etc. Using all available technology at my disposal I even used Pam cooking spray on my frame to help eliminate mud build up. I had selected the optimum clothing - considering warmth, comfort, and of course style. I carried out a regimented eating program a week prior to the event - lots of water to avoid muscle crams, lots of pasta and whole grains to store away those energy-enriched carbohydrates. Even the Easter chocolates were avoided as much as possible. My mind was focused. One goal, one mission - to race and to win.

This being my eighth year participating in the Paris to Ancaster race, I felt like quite a confident veteran (and I have all eight T-shirts to prove it). Sure the race is long. Sure the hills go up. Sure the path is muddy and wet. Sure my body is a year older. But hey, I was psyched.

And, as in the last couple of years, my two sons were entering the race as well. This was the ultimate opportunity for "father to beat son" - To prove that the experience of age will win over youthful energy. Also, I hoped it would prove that smoking is detrimental to physical performance. Because my sons are smokers, I planned to ride them into the ground. I planned to see them stagger after 30 or 40 kilometres and then give up in exhaustion. It was going to be great. I was going to be victorious.


After the Race

"I can't wait!". To get home. To shower. To sleep. No, sleep then shower. No, sleep first, then go home, then shower.

The fault in having the experience of age is you are probably old. Wouldn't it be great to have that wisdom and experience in the body of a youth. My grandiose strategies to win came down to a simple strategy near the end of the race - just keep pedalling!

I did finish the race in just under three hours of rail trail, road, mud, water, hills. The bike held up nicely. The bright designer clothing was all truly "earthy tones" when we finished. The Pam cooking spray might have worked, I was too tired to check. The organizers, sponsors and volunteers did an excellent job. The course was well marshalled and marked (as long as you could see through your mud-splattered eyewear). Some unsung heroes of the day were those that had mechanical breakdowns during the race; but fixed the problem and resumed the race with more determination. I would have given up, laid down in the ditch and sent out change of address forms. The 700+ participants were friendly and enjoyable. Conversations centred on such phrases as: "Are we having fun yet?", "We paid money for this?", "Are we there yet?", "All I want is to finish and see my loved ones again.".

Did I beat my sons? Did my years of experience and preparedness allow me to win? Or did they beat me? Despite their smoking habit and inexperience, did they win? I am choosing to wait until the official place standings are posted before I concede anything.

In the meantime, I can't wait - until next year!

(David Fesuk was beaten by one son and beat the other)


Nicolas Vouilloz Wins Peille

La Grave de Peille, France April 24 - Peille is the traditional season opener for the European downhillers. From a local race seven years ago, the event as grown to become the first international downhill race of the season. This year again many riders from Great Britain, Netherlands, Italy or Switzerland came to the south of France for this event.

The Vouilloz Racing Team was there, taking this opportunity to organize a three days camp before the race and test it's new machine the VProcess NV01. The competition was high in suspense Fabien Barel set a very fast time of 5'13" that gave him the lead in the first heat. Nicolas was second, two seconds back to Barel. In the afternoon, despite a rough track, Nicolas was able to improve his time and set an amazing 5'12" that gave him the lead. Fabien Barel, still very fast repeated his 5'13" and took second
overall. Following was Mickael Pascal with 5'16". Julien Poomans took the 8th spot following his teammate Julien Camellini in 7th and first Junior 10 second ahead of the next junior.

Nicolas Vouilloz seems very happy with this first win with the Team's new bike, the VProcess NV01 "When you build a new bike there is obviously a lot of work to make the final race adjustments and tune up. We have spent 3 days on the field to make it work, and the results is pretty good I think. To win here for the first race of the season is always good news, the field is very competitive and the course is tough."