News – Page 169 – Cycling Canada Cyclisme

CANADIAN PARA-CYCLING TEAM READY FOR SECOND WORLD CUP

Cycling Canada sends larger team for second stop of World Cup Tour

(Segovia, ESP – June 13, 2013) The Canadian Para-cycling team is ready to take on the World at the second stop of the 2013 UCI Road Para-cycling World Cup tour.

The event is held this weekend in Segovia, Spain, and 10 Canadian para-cyclists will be on the start lines of their respective categories.

The new Canadian women tandem of Robbi Weldon (Thunder Bay, ON) and Emilie Roy (Bromont, QC) will be racing together for the second straight weekend, both in the time trials and the road race. Marie-Claude Molnar (Ste-Agathe, QC), who won a bronze medal in cycling at the Paralympic Games, will be among the group in the C4 races.

In the men’s tandem races, Alexandre Carrier (Bromont, QC) will be racing with a new guide, Aroussen Laflamme (Québec, QC).

In the handcycle categories, Canada will have Mark Ledo (Maple, ON), Robert Labbé (Québec, QC) and Mark Beggs (Montréal, QC) racing the road race, the time trials as well as the team relay.

Shelley Gauthier (Toronto, ON) will be the only Canadian tricycle to race in Spain.

CANADIAN TEAM – 2013 UCI PARA-CYCLING WORLD CUP

Robbi Weldon (BVI) (37, Thunder-Bay, ON)

Emilie Roy (Pilot) (26, Bromont, QC)

Marie-Claude Molnar (C4) (30, St Agathe, QC)

Shelley Gautier (T1) (45, Toronto, ON)

Mark Ledo (H3) (36, Maple, ON)

Robert Labbe (H1) (48, Québec, QC)

Mark Beggs (H2) (36, Montréal, QC)

Alexandre Carrier (BVI) (25, Bromont, QC)

Aroussen Laflamme (Pilot) (35, Québec, QC)

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CANADIAN GUILLAUME BOIVIN WINS SECOND STAGE AT TOUR DE BEAUCE, EARNS YELLOW

The “Canadian Blue Train” brings back the peloton, shoots Boivin towards his first victory fall 2010

(St-Georges, QC – June 12, 2013) Guillaume Boivin of the Canadian National Team won the second stage of the Tour De Beauce, sprinting away thanks to the excellent work done by the “Canadian Blue Train” in the last three kilometres of racing and in the last lap of the final circuit in Thetford Mines.

With the victory, Boivin earned himself the right to wear the Desjardins Yellow Jersey in tomorrow’s stage as the race leader. Boivin also takes the Hydro-Quebec White Jersey as Points leader.

“The guys of the National Team rode so well together today. Today, we knew that we had the legs and lead the last lap. We had 45 seconds to close in the last lap, and that’s very hard to bring back. At the end, the team is united and, worked together for the team objectives. Dominique Rollin, Nic Hamilton and Christian Meier worked extremely hard today at the front to bring back the group. Big credits to these guys for this win,” said Guillaume Boivin after the race.

“I wasn’t thinking too much about the Yellow Jersey before coming here. I told myself that almost all of the professional cyclists in Canada won a stage at the Tour de Beauce. This is a strong and good race for the Canadians. I told myself I needed this in my palmares, I am very thrilled to add this win.

Early in the race and after a few attempts to break the peloton, a group of three riders took off in a breakaway that lasted until the last 500m of the race. The break, which only managed to increase its gap by no more than 3:25, rode nicely together, kept their cool throughout the very hilly course and almost made it to the finish line alone.

In the last three kilometers, the small break group of Robert Sweeting of 5-HR Energy, Jonathan McCarty of Bissel Pro Cycling and Joseph Rosskopf of Hincapie Sportswear  Development Cycling Team  had the finish line in sight after racing in solo for over 125 kilometers alone. It’s only in the third and last lap of the 3.7 kilometers urban circuit that the riders were caught.

In the last two laps, the Canadian National Team with an all-star crew and the Bontrager Cycling Team were both very active at the front of the peloton. Of course, the Canadian Team had Boivin’s sprint abilities in mind, while Bontrager tried to position their yellow jersey Jasper Stuyven for the sprint.

Ultimately, it’s Boivin, wearing the Hydro-Québec White Jersey on the day, who crossed the line first, followed by Matthias Friedemann of Champion System Pro Cycling and Stuyven in third.

This victory is a big relief for Boivin, who won his first race since the fall of 2010, the year he won the bronze medal at the UCI World Championships U23 road race. “I hope this will remove pressure for my shoulder and give me confidence for the future. It’s my first win since my knee injury.”

Similar to yesterday’s race, today was a day filled with mechanical issues and obstacles for the Canadian rider. “Today was not an easy day. Again, I had a few mechanical issues early on. Coming back in the Caravan at one time, I was following a car, and the caravan suddenly stopped as I was behind the Bontrager car. I collided with the car, but managed to hold on to the back of the car, unclipped and kept my bike upright. I was able to put this incident behind me as there was not much more I could do. I also crashed in the last 20 kilometers. But I managed to come back for the sprint.”

But the yellow jersey could be short lived for Boivin, who is not known to be a strong climber, an essential skillset needed in the third and difficult stage at the Tour de Beauce: “Mégantic is not my strength. Perhaps we will see another rider on the Canadian Team winning the Yellow. Tomorrow, I’ll do the work for my teammates, be the best I can be for them, all the way up to the base of the climb, as much as I can do. I owe it to them.”

Gord Fraser, the Directeur Sportif for the Canadian Team, was proud of the way the team rode today:“Guillaume had a lot of adversity yesterday and today. Thanks to Axel, the Directeur of the Bontrager Team for some extremely safe driving after a sudden stop in the caravan. He was very calm, and managed to save one of my riders. Today, Guillaume needed to win. For him, and for the program. Yellow will look good on Guillaume. That being said, we apologize to Louis Garneau, as they produced a great new design that the team is wearing today for us, and now we have to swap Blue to Yellow. We like the new jersey, but we like the Yellow much better!”

Tomorrow, the third stage is a 164-kilometre race from St-Georges to Mont Mégantic, with a very challenging climb.

 STAGE RESULTS & LEADERS

Complete results: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xuxpj5rk7zl4j8t/Resultats_TourDeBeauce_Etape2.pdf

Stage Classification

1. BOIVIN, Guillaume (ÉQUIPE NATIONALE DU CANADA) 3:53:20

2. FRIEDEMANN, Matthias CHAMPION SYSTEM PRO CYCLING TEAM -CCS 3:53:20 00:00

3. STUYVEN, Jasper (BONTRAGER CYCLING TEAM) 3:53:20 00:00

4. JIMENEZ, Diego (INTEJA, DOMINICAN CYCLING TEAM) 3:53:20 00:00

5. PUTT, Tanner BONTRAGER CYCLING TEAM) 3:53:20 00:00

6. BALDWIN, Christopher (BISSEL PRO CYCLING) 3:53:20 00:00

7. MAGNER, Tyler (HINCAPIE SPORTSWEAR DEVELOPMENT CYCLING TEAM) 3:53:20 00:00

8. REIJNEN, Kiel (UNITEDHEALTHCARE PRO CYCLING TEAM) 3:53:20 00:00

9. LEWIS, Joseph (HINCAPIE SPORTSWEAR DEVELOPMENT CYCLING TEAM) 3:53:20 00:00

10. LAVERY,Phillip (H&R BLOCK) 3:53:20 00:00

General Classification [Yellow Jersey Desjardins]

1. BOIVIN, Guillaume (ÉQUIPE NATIONALE DU CANADA) 7:59:15

2. STUYVEN, Jasper (BONTRAGER CYCLING TEAM) 7:59:17 00:02

3. FRIEDEMANN, Matthias (CHAMPION SYSTEM PRO CYCLING TEAM) 7:59:23 00:08

4. ROSSKOPF, Joseph (HINCAPIE SPORTSWEAR DEVELOPMENT CYCLING TEAM) 7:59:25 00:10

5. PERON, Andrea (TEAM NOVO NORDISK) 7:59:27 00:12

King of the Mountain Classification [Polka Dot Jersey Rocky Mountain]

1. STEMPER, James (5 HOUR ENERGY -5HR) 21

2. SWEETING, Robert (5 HOUR ENERGY -5HR) 17

3. MCCARTY, Jonathan (BISSEL PRO CYCLING) 13

Points Classification [White Jersey Hydro-Québec]

1. BOIVIN, Guillaume (ÉQUIPE NATIONALE DU CANADA) 29

2. STUYVEN, Jasper (BONTRAGER CYCLING TEAM) 28

3. BALDWIN, Christopher (BISSEL PRO CYCLING) 20

Team Classification

1. BONTRAGER CYCLING TEAM 23:58:33

2. UNITEDHEALTHCARE PRO CYCLING TEAM 23:58:33 00:00

3. ÉQUIPE NATIONALE DU CANADA 23:58:33 00:00

2013 TOUR DE BEAUCE – THE STAGES

Hydro-Québec Stage — Tuesday June 11: Lac-Etchemin/Lac-Etchemin (165 km)

Rocky Mountain Stage — Wednesday June 12: Thetford-Mines /Thetford-Mines (152 km)

Le Georgesville Stage — Thursday June 13: St-Georges /Mont-Mégantic (164 km)

Desjardins Stage — Friday June 14: St-Benoît-Labre (20 km) [Individual Time Trial]

Ville de Québec Stage — Saturday June 15: Ville de Québec (126 km) [Urban circuit]

Ville de St-Georges Stage — Sunday June 16: Ville de St-Georges (107 km) [Urban Circuit]

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GUILLAUME BOIVIN IN YELLOW AT TOUR DE BEAUCE

Thetford  Mines has recently been Tour de Beauce’s sprint stage and today would prove no different.  However, the route to the finish can always take twists and turns and today I saw things I’ve never seen before.  I’ll try my best to verbalize what I witnessed, but if there was ever a day for me (or Guillaume) to buy the lottery ticket it’s today.

Backtrack to the start and naturally we had a very aggressive opening half hour where finally a very strong break of 3 riders would snap the grip of the peloton.  5-hour ENERGY would place Bobby Sweeting along with Bissell’s Pat McCarty and Hincapie’s vastly underrated Joey Rosscopf.  Keeping this trio in check would take serious work and yellow jersey team Bontrager did just that.

After assuming more then our share of work in the opening stage, we opted to be more discreet and gamble that other teams would help control for that aforementioned sprint.  After an untimely puncture in some forming crosswinds, our second place man and favored sprinter Boivin would chase back to the pack.  I dropped Guillaume and recent Philly winner Reijnen of UHC onto the bumper of Axel Merckx of car 1 Bontrager when there was an abrupt brake stand.  What followed next will be etched in my memory for years to come.  I’ll try and do this justice.

Guillaume would slam into the bumper while Reijnen would be ejected into the ditch and down into a farmers field.  The latter’s fall fell into my peripheral vision as Guillaume was splayed out on the trunk of Axel’s car.  Luckily Bontrager opted for the race provided rental cars and it was a smallToyotasedan and not a flush wagon rear end like most pro team cars.  This allowed space for Guillaume’s torso as he grabbed the seam where the trunk and rear window met.  By his finger tips clutching himself upright and one foot unclipped dragging on the slowing pavement while the other foot dragging his Cannondale along for the ride, Axel deftly slowed down just enough for Guillaume to softly land back on his feet no worse for wear!!!  My bulging eyes watched our mechanic Shawn swiftly assess the damage and before we really understood what happened, pushed Guillaume off the resume his chase of the front group.  Mr. Reijnen also came out relatively unscathed and eventually would return as well. 

After all involved digested what just happened and took a deep breath, we all could only laugh and thank the karma gods for keeping our riders unharmed.  Accidents happen in bike racing but it was the talents of both riders and drivers involved that mitigated any further damage.  Thanks again Axel!

Undaunted, the chase was still struggling to reel in the break.  I crept up the side of the peloton with 20 km to go to instruct our team to lend a hand when another big pileup happened right beside me involving 4 of my guys including; you guessed it Guillaume.  This would delay our trip to the front.  Rob, Marsh and Nic would all escort Guillaume back up front with 15km to go with the gap still a nerve wracking 2:30. 

UHC, Novo Nordisk would help Bontrager until finally our CyclingCanada formation would take control with one lap of the finishing circuit to go.  3.5 km to bring back 35 seconds;  my cuticles took a beating until my vision up front widened with a scant 500m to go where surprise the break was swallowed up under the fast leadout of the boys.  The question was could we finish off two days of hard work and the worst luck with a win? 

I overheard announcer Randy Ferguson proclaim the winner from TeamCanada.  The old horn of the Ford Focus may not ever work the same as Shawn and I celebrated pulling into team parking.  This was a great result and cumulative work of professional riders coming together and executing perfect tactics. 

Can’t wait until tomorrow where the races’ climbers take center stage.  It will completely change the dynamic of this years Tour de Beauce but I’d say if the first two stages are any indication we should be treated to another great day of racing.

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GUILLAUME BOIVIN SECOND IN SPRINT FINISH AT OPENING TOUR DE BEAUCE STAGE

Rainy skies greeted the peloton for the first stage of Tour de Beauce this year.  With an all-star cast of European-based and domestic-based pros comprising the National Team this year, all eyes were on us to control the first stage.

The key was getting a break up the road that was containable and we got what we wanted after only 10km of racing.  Jim Stemper (whom I followed in no less then three breaks in the Tour of California) for 5-Hour Energy and a hometown Ottawa native Alex Cataford of Garneau Quebecor would stretch out an advantage of over 9 minutes.  This was a few minutes more then I wanted, but with no interest from the other teams forthcoming, we would send Nic Hamilton up front to contain the gap.  UHC would help with Davide Frattini and for the next two hours of racing, the gap would be stabilized.  Once through the days KOM and intermediate sprints, we’d finally receive help from Bissell and Champion Systems respectively.

The stage wasn’t without its interesting moments as Guillaume Boivin would snap his seatpost just above his frame.  Great work from Cycling Canada mechanic Shawn Marshall to remove the stuck innards of the old post and quickly replace it with a post from a spare bike with Guillaume’s Fizik saddle, and we were back in business.  A few modifications to saddle tilt and post height and our sprinter was good as new.

The gap would drop and the catch occurred on the day’s last climb with 5km to go.  This is the same climb that launched an eventual GC winning move for Sutherland a year ago, so we new we had to be vigilant up front.  Some brief attacks and all together with 3km to the finish line.

Our team re-assembled and a formidable leadout took shape with Rollin and Houle in front of Guillaume. This is where our luck would end for the day with Rolling suffering a puncture at the flamme rouge and Houle being taken out in a crash.  Guillaume kept fighting and earned and excellent 2nd place behind Stuyven of Bontrager.

With the yellow jersey on the Belgian’s shoulder, perhaps we will get some assistance controlling the race tomorrow.  Hugo is currently in the hospital and getting professional care with lots of missing skin for our man who claimed 2nd overall last year.  Fingers crossed he can take the start tomorrow where Cycling Canada will aspire one step higher on the podium.  A demain. 

 

— Gord Fraser

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2013 CANADIAN CYCLING TEAMS JERSEY, DESIGNED BY LOUIS GARNEAU, UNVEILED

Cycling Canada’s longest partner designs and produces world-class cycling apparel

(Ottawa, ON – June 10, 2013) Once again Louis Garneau Sports has delivered a stunning design that will be used by Canada’s cycling teams competing around the world for Canada at UCI World Championships, World Cups, and other major events for the next four years.

The design incorporates the famous head-turning “Canada Blue” color worn by Canadian cyclists at the recent Olympic Games in London. The design also offers the striking Canadian maple leaf, symbol of Canada, on both the front and back of the jersey.

The cycling apparel is produced with world-class technical fabrics which have gone through rigorous wind tunnel testing to ensure Canadian cyclists are offered the best competitive clothing helping them perform on the world stage.

“Once again, our cyclist competing around the world will feel a sense of pride in wearing the maple leaf with world-class cycling apparel,” said Jacques Landry, High Performance Director and Head Coach at Cycling Canada. “Our relationship with Louis Garneau dates back to the 1984 Olympic Games, and will continue to flourish for another Olympic cycle as our cyclists race around the world in all cycling sports, proudly representing their country.”

“We have an unwavering trust in our Canadian cyclists. They have made us so proud leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games, at World Cup and World Championships events year after year,” added Louis Garneau, owner of Louis Garneau Sport. “We are proud to be a Canadian company, offering the highest quality cycling apparel to cycling markets across the globe. Our partnership with Cycling Canada has been extremely powerful and beneficial in the constant growth of Louis Garneau Sport.”

Throughout the partnership between Cycling Canada and Louis Garneau Sport, a replica edition of the 2013 Canadian Cycling Team cycling kit will be sold across the country at Louis Garneau dealers and online to cycling fans, with part of the proceed going through the development of new Canadian cycling heroes.

PHOTOS of uniform:

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THE NEW WELDON/ROY TANDEM FORCED TO ABANDON AFTER EARLY CRASH

The new tandem crash within first three kilometres at Para-cycling World Cup

(Merano, ITA – June 09, 2013) The 2013 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup continued on Sunday in Merano, Italy with the presentation of mass-start road races, and the new Canadian women tandem of Robbi Weldon (37, Thunder Bay, ON) and pilot Émilie Roy (26, Bromont, QC) were forced to abandon the race in the first three kilometres after crashing while animating the race.

The Weldon/Roy tandem was formed after the retirements of Geneviève Ouellette and pilot Lyne Bessette, and this new tandem is establishing itself as a strong player from the onset of their relationships.

Earlier on Friday, the team won its first World Cup race together as a tandem, the individual time trial of the World Cup in Merano.

The 2013 UCI Road Para-Cycling World Cup Tour continues next weekend as the top para-cyclists in the world, including a full Canadian Team, converges to Segovia, in Spain for the second stop. Canada is hosting this season the 2013 World Cup Finals as well as the 2013 Para-Cycling Road World Championships.

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STEVE SMITH THIRD AT DOWNHILL WORLD CUP IN FORT WILLIAM, GBR

Steve Smith starts season on right note, on the podium

(Fort William, GBR – June 09, 2013) On a sunny Sunday in Fort William, Great Britain, were held the first official downhill races of the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, and Canadian riders fared well on this opening weekend of the 2013 season.

Steve Smith started off the 2013 World Cup season on the right note, taking the third place for his first podium of the current World Cup season. After qualifying with the fifth fastest time on Saturday, Smith bounced back on race day, and posted a time of 4:38.073, less than two seconds from the victory, and two-tenths of a second from the second place.

Ultimately, it’s Great Britain’s Gee Atherton who took the win stopping the clock at 4:36.712, faster that Brook MacDonald of New Zealand in second at 4:37.854 and Canada’s Smith in third.

Throughout his career, Smith won two World Championships medals, as well as one victory coming in 2012.

Remi Gauvin significantly improved his position from his qualifying round, moving from 71st to take the 50th position. Kyle Sangers, who had the 67th qualifying time Saturday, finished in 57th place of today’s race. Matthew Beer did not finish the race.

In the women’s race, all four Canadian riders qualified for the final day of racing in Fort William, among the Top 20 of the qualifying group. Micayla Gatto was the fastest Canadian in Saturday’s qualifiers, and also posted the top Canadian results of the Finals in twelfth place with a time 4:45.155 (+36.309s).

Vaea Verbeeck finished the race in fourteenth place, while the 2012 UCI World Junior Champion Holly Feniak (Hutchinson UR) placed 22nd, just before Canadian Champion Casey Brown in 23rd.

Great Britain and France dominated the women’s race, with the Top 2 podium spots hailing from the host country and the following four placing coming from France riders.

In the junior men race, Mark Wallace (DeVinci Global Racing) improved one rank from his qualifying rank, jumping from seventh to sixth. Wallace stopped the clock at 4:55.766 after 2.28 kilometer of racing, just 5.8 seconds slower than the victorious time of 4:49.931 posted by Noel Niederberger of Switzerland.

The Canadian Downhill Mountain Bike Championships will be held in Panorama, BC, on July 13 and 14.

OFFICIAL RESULTS, UCI WORLD CUP – FORT WILLIAM, GBR

MEN ELITE

1. ATHERTON, Gee (GBR) GT FACTORY RACING 4:36.712

2. MACDONALD, Brook (NZL) TREK WORLD RACING 4:37.854 +1.142

3. SMITH, Steve (CAN) DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING 4:38.073 +1.361

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50. GAUVIN, Remi (CAN) 4:53.039 +16.327

57. SANGERS, Kyle (CAN) 4:54.569 +17.857

DNF. BEER, Matthew (CAN)

WOMEN ELITE

1. ATHERTON, Rachel (GBR) GT FACTORY RACING 5:08.846

2. CARPENTER, Manon (GBR) MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM 5:18.985 +10.139

3. RAGOT, Emmeline (FRA) LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC 5:20.219 +11.373

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12. GATTO, Micayla (CAN) 5:45.155 +36.309

14. VERBEECK, Vaea (CAN) 5:50.020 +41.174

22. FENIAK, Holly° (CAN) HUTCHINSON UR 6:27.538 +1:18.692

23. BROWN, Casey (CAN) DIRT NORCO RACE TEAM 6:28.794 +1:19.948

MEN JUNIOR

1. NIEDERBERGER, Noel (SUI) GSTAAD-SCOTT 4:49.931

2. JONES, Michael (GBR) FMD RACING / INTENSE CYCLES 4:53.395 +3.464

3. LUCAS, Dean (AUS) AUSTRALIA 4:53.590 +3.659

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6. WALLACE Mark (CAN) DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING 4:55.766 +5.835

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NINE CANADIANS ADVANCE TO FINALS AT DOWNHILL WORLD CUP IN FORT WILLIAM, GBR

Steve Smith posts best results of Canadian riders with fifth fastest time of Elite Men race

(Fort William, GBR – June 08, 2013) The 2013 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup tour is underway, with the first set of qualifying runs held Saturday in Fort William, Great Britain, and nine of the eleven riders from Canada qualified for Sunday’s final.

Steve Smith, ranked fourth on the UCI ranking list, was the top Canadian rider in the qualifying rounds, posting the fifth fastest time among the large crew of 157 starters.

Smith, who is representing his professional team DeVinci Global Racing, has been a consistent force to reckon with on the international circuit, with two World Championships medals under his belt.

Matthew Beer, proudly showcasing the Maple Leaf jersey as Canadian Champion, also qualified for the finals with the 49th fastest time, along with Kyle Sangers, 67th, and Remi Gauvin, 71st. Kirk McDowall, and Forrest Riesco did not qualified among the Top 80 group.

All Four Canadians women safely made it through in the Top 20 of the qualifying rounds. Micayla Gatto was the fastest Canadian of the day, posting the tenth fastest time, followed by Canadian Champion Casey Brown of Dirt Norco Race Team, in fifteenth place. Vaea Verbeeck had the sixteenth fastest time just before reigning junior World Champion Holly Feniak (Hutchinson UR) in seventeenth place.

In the junior men qualifying run, Mark Wallace, also of DeVinci Global Racing, qualified with the seventh fastest time of the day, just over nine seconds behind the fastest time after more than five minutes of racing.

All of the action will be available to race fans worldwide, live at www.redbull.com/bike.  The Final will be shown on Sunday, June 9th, between 13:35 and 15:45 (all times GMT).

QUALIFYING RESULTS, UCI WORLD CUP – FORT WILLIAM, GBR

MEN ELITE

1. HART, Danny (GBR) (GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM) 4:41.094

2. ATHERTON, Gee (GBR) (GT FACTORY RACING) 4:41.270 +0.176

3. BLENKINSOP, Samuel (NZL) (LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC) 4:42.275 +1.181

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5. SMITH, Steve (CAN) (DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING 4:45.193 +4.099

49. BEER, Matthew (CAN) 4:57.555 +16.461

67. SANGERS, Kyle (CAN) 5:01.544 +20.450

71. GAUVIN, Remi (CAN) 5:02.105 +21.011

100. McDOWALL, Kirk (CAN) 5:08.202 +27.108 (Did not qualify)

102. RIESCO, Forrest (CAN) 5:08.926 +27.832 (Did not qualify)

 

WOMEN ELITE

1. ATHERTON, Rachel (GBR) (GT FACTORY RACING) 5:13.738

2. RAGOT, Emmeline (FRA) (LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC) 5:19.867 +6.129

3. CARPENTER, Manon (GBR) (MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM) 5:23.174 +9.436

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10. GATTO, Micayla (CAN) 5:44.716 +30.978

15. BROWN, Casey (CAN) (DIRT NORCO RACE TEAM) 5:52.131 +38.393

16. VERBEECK, Vaea (CAN) 5:52.316 +38.578

17. FENIAK, Holly (CAN) (HUTCHINSON UR) 6:00.227 +46.489

 

MEN JUNIOR

1. VERNON, Taylor (GBR) (GT FACTORY RACING) 4:54.689

2. NIEDERBERGER, Noel (SUI) (GSTAAD-SCOTT) 4:57.116 +2.427

3. VERGIER, Loris (FRA) (LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC) 4:57.980 +3.291

==========

7. WALLACE, Mark (CAN) (DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING) 5:04.292 +9.603

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PARALYMPIC CHAMPION ROBBI WELDON FINDS WINNING WAYS WITH NEW PILOT EMILIE ROY

Emilie Roy, an experienced pilot, will ride with Robbi Weldon and continues Canada’s successful showing in women’s tandem

(Merano, ITA – June 07, 2013) The 2013 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup started today, and the new Canadian women tandem comprised of Robbi Weldon (37, Thunder Bay, ON) and Emilie Roy (26, Bromont, QC) took no time to illustrate its potential, taking the victory of their first race together in Merano, Italy.

This past off-season, Cycling Canada opted to combine two of its strongest athletes in one tandem with the hopes to maintain the tradition of winning in the women’s tandem category, and this first day of racing proved it to be a very fruitful decision.

Robbi Weldon, a decorated Paralympian who won gold in the road race at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, is now teamed up with Emilie Roy, who piloted Geneviève Ouellette in the last Paralympic Games cycle.

Emilie Roy is no stranger to success as well, finishing fourth in the road race at the Paralympic Games with Geneviève Ouellette, involved in the final sprint for the bronze medal. The two of them won multiple medals at UCI World Cup and World Championships together.

The two are racing for the first time together at the World Cup level this weekend in Italy, as the new Paralympic cycle begins. As results of this first race demonstrated, this tandem could be a force to reckon with on the world stage, and could continue the tradition of winning set by the tandem of Weldon and Olympian Lyne Bessette, who retired after the Games.

In its first race as a tandem, the new duo rode an individual time trial race, and posted a time of 35:36.5 after 22.9 kilometers of racing. The Great Britain tandem of Lora Turnham and pilot Fiona Duncan came second, 8.54 seconds slower than the Canadians.

“This new tandem could be very strong, right from the beginning, as we saw it today. Although it is very hard to replace an experienced and proven rider such as Lyne Bessette, Emilie Roy possesses all the right qualities and race experiences to have an immediate impact. She has piloted tandems in the past, both on the road and on the track, and we are thrilled to see the new tandem join their skills in racing situations this weekend,” said Arnaud Litou, Para-cycling Program Supervisor at Cycling Canada.

Robbi Weldon has had a quick rise to stardom since transitioning to para-cycling, winning multiple World Cup and World Championships titles in her early cycling years.

“Robbi is a well-rounded athlete with exhaustive multi-sport experience. She has adapted very quickly to para-cycling after retiring from her illustrious cross country skiing career, and immediately became a contender at cycling races worldwide,” explained Litou.

The road race will be the next step for the tandem, on Sunday.

Only the tandem of Weldon and Roy from Canada are attending this opening World Cup event of the 2013 calendar, and the full Canadian Para-cycling team will regroup next weekend for the second World Cup event, in Spain.

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WORLD CUP DOWNHILL STARTS THIS WEEKEND AT TRADITIONNAL FORT WILLIAM

Traditional World Cup site will welcome 11 Canadian riders

(Ottawa, ON – June 06, 2013) The 2013 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup tour starts this weekend in Fort William, Great Britain, and 11 riders from Canada are competing in the traditional venue that offers one of the longest terrains of the World Cup tour with over five minutes of racing.

Steve Smith, Canada’s star in downhill mountain bike and World Championships medallist and ranked fourth on the UCI World Cup Rankings, will be representing his Canadian-based professional team, DeVinci Global Racing. In 2012, Smith won the bronze medal at the World Championships, and won his first World Cup.

The reigning Canadian Champion Matthew Beer, proudly showcasing the Maple Leaf jersey, will be competing in the Elite category along with Remi Gauvin, Kirk McDowall, Kyle Sangers and Forrest Riesco.

Four Canadians will be in the in the women’s Elite race, including Canadian Champion Casey Brown of Dirt Norco Race Team, displaying the distinct Maple Leaf. Micayla Gatto, Vaea Verbeeck and reigning junior World Champion Holly Feniak (Hutchinson UR) will also be tackling the long and arduous course.

Mark Wallace, also of DeVinci Global Racing, is the lone Canadian to race in the Junior category.

New this year on the UCI World Cup circuit is a separate category for the Men Junior (Under 23), which will allow for the development of up-and-coming riders.

The event at Fort William, otherwise known as “Fort Bill”, has been held every year since 2002, with the exception of 2007, when the World Championships were held.

The qualification races are held on Saturday, with the top 80 men and 20 women advancing to Sunday’s showdown.

All of the action will be available to race fans worldwide, live at www.redbull.com/bike.  The Final will be shown on Sunday, June 9th, between 13:35 and 15:45 (all times GMT).

CANADIAN RIDERS, UCI WORLD CUP – FORT WILLIAM, GBR

  • Matthew BEER [Men Elite] *Canadian Champion
  • Remi GAUVIN [Men Elite]
  • Kirk MCDOWALL [Men Elite]
  • Forrest RIESCO [Men Elite]
  • Kyle SANGERS [Men Elite]
  • Steve SMITH [Men Elite]

 

  • Mark WALLACE [Men Junior]

 

  • Casey BROWN [Women] * Canadian Champion
  • Holly FENIAK [Women]
  • Micayla GATTO [Women]
  • Vaea VERBEECK [Women]
/by
 
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