RAIN DOWNPOUR AND COLD WEATHER FEATURED ON STAGE 1 IN LETHBRIDGE
First road race of Tour of Alberta features fast speeds and rain as Canada’s Ryan Anderson sprints to third
(Ottawa, ON – September 2, 2014) Rain downpours and cold weather was on the agenda for the second day of racing at the 2014 Tour of Alberta, Stage 1, presented in Lethbridge, Alberta. The weather was atypical for Lethbridge, one the warmest and sun-filled city in Canada. In addition to the weather, a steep and challenging 15% grade climb was a main feature of the 23-km circuit.
The group of 118 cyclists started the 143-km race on a very aggressive note right from the sound of the gun, completing the first lap of six with an average speed of 45 km/h. In the first 23-kilometers of racing, a large group with all the GC contenders, showed a small 15-seconds lead over the main peloton, with a third group lagging behind.
On the second lap, Hugo Houle was a victim of an unfortunate mechanical issue with his electronic shifter and had to dispense valuable energies to regain the peloton. At the top of the first King of the Mountain, the three groups merged together, while three riders – Matthew Hayman (Orica-GreenEDGE), Robin Carpenter (Hincapie Sportswear), and Nathan van Hooydonck (Bissel Pro Cycling) attacked to gain the time bonuses at the sprint to launch the third lap. The attack was unanswered by the peloton, content with its composition, and the three riders took off along at the front.
The race remained controlled by Giant-Shimano, who started Stage 1 with Tom Dumoulin as the race leader, doing lots of the work at the front of the peloton to keep the time gap within reach. For the third and fourth laps, the three leaders remained comfortable at the front, reaching a maximum gap of 4:40.
A chase group emerged in the final kilometres of the fifth lap, slowly gaining time on the leading group. The three-men break soon became a two-men break, with Van Hooydonck retrieving.
In the final of six laps, the now regrouped peloton emerged and captured the exhausted breakaway. The duo held tight and continued to display tremendous efforts, keeping the gap at over a minute until the 12-km to-go mark, but the peloton proved too strong for the break. The gap melted quickly in the last 10 kilometers of racing, and the leaders were caught with 6-km left in the grueling stage, setting up a sprint for the finish.
After a few unsuccessful attacks, the sprinters emerged at the front of the peloton, and Ruben Zepuntke of Team Bissell Pro Cycling crossed the finish line only inches ahead of the Ramunas Navardauskas of Team Garmin Sharp and Canadian Ryan Anderson (Vancouver, BC) of Team Optum-Kelly Benefits Strategies.
“With the cold weather today, I personally went through different phases. At first I was feeling very well on the first lap, then I got really cold after the second lap. My teammates rallied behind me and did a great job to bring me some clothing. I started to warm up and feel better,” said Anderson, at the stage press conference. “With regards to the finish, my teammate Eric Young and I were both to be there and see how it went, and try to build the race from there. I’ve tried to adapt to the finish the best I could. There were some good guys up there, so I am still happy with the result.”
In the General Classification, Tom Dumoulin of Team Giant-Shimano keeps the yellow jersey for Stage 2 thanks to the hard work of his teammates and also leads the Best Young Rider standings. Dumoulin is showing a six second lead over Ruben Zepuntke, who will wear the green jersey Thursday as the top sprinter with 15 points. Robin Carpenter of Team Hincapie Sportswear captured the King of the Mountain jersey with 22 points, tied with Matthew Hayman and Simon Yates of Orica-GreenEDGE.
Canada’s Ryan Anderson takes possession of the Red Jersey as the Top Canadian, ranked in seventh place thanks to his third place finish in today’s stage, 19 seconds behind the race leader.
For the national team, it was a difficult day. Gord Fraser, the team director, expects a better outcome tomorrow: “We had some tough conditions today, and we are disappointed to miss the front split. We look forward to better weather tomorrow.”
Garrett McLeod of Wolfville, NS was the top Canadian National Team member today, taking the 39th place of the stage. Hugo Houle of Ste-Perpétue, QC is now the highest ranked member of the Canadian National Team of the overall standings, in 42nd position.
The Most Aggressive Jersey was awarded to Matthew Hayman, a leader in the main breakaway of the day. Hayman will wear the blue jersey in Thursday’s stage.
The six stages of the Tour of Alberta can be seen live in Canada on Sportsnet. Check local listings for full broadcast details.
Starting at 12:10pm Mountain Time, Stage 3 will be a 143.5km point-to-point race from Innisfail to Red Deer, passing through picturesque Sylvan Lake. Strong cross winds from Innisfail to Sylvan Lake could play a significant role in the outcome of the race.
2014 TOUR OF ALBERTA
RESULTS – STAGE 2 – CIRCUIT (Lethbridge, AB)
1. ZEPUNTKE Ruben * BISSELL DEVELOPMENT 3.18:10
2. NAVARDAUSKAS Ramunas Team GARMIN-SHARP (ST)
3. ANDERSON Ryan # OPTUM pb KELLY BENEFIT STRATEGIES (ST)
4. SMITH Dion * HINCAPIE SPORTSWEAR DEVELOPMENT (ST)
5. KING Benjamin Team GARMIN-SHARP (ST)
6. SUMMERHILL Daniel UNITEDHEALTHCARE Pro Cycling (ST)
7. MAGNER Tyler * HINCAPIE SPORTSWEAR DEVELOPMENT (ST)
8. WEGMANN Fabian Team GARMIN-SHARP (ST)
9. ORAM James * BISSELL DEVELOPMENT (ST)
10. VANMARCKE Sep BELKIN Pro Cycling (ST)
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39. MCLEOD Garrett # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team 3:18:51
49. HOULE Hugo * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team 3:18:51
54. PERRY Benjamin * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team 3:18:51
57. WIGHT Stuart * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team 3:19:16
84. PERRON Jean-Sebastian CANADIAN NATIONAL Team 3:24:05
93. CHEYNE Jordan * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team 3:26:51
100. DE VOS Adam * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team 3:26:51
DNF. CANNING Cody # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team
RESULTS – GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (AFTER STAGE 2)
1. DUMOULIN Tom * Team GIANT-SHIMANO 3.24:09
2. ZEPUNTKE Ruben * BISSELL DEVELOPMENT +0:06
3. TVETCOV Serghei JELLY BELLY pb MAXXIS +0:14
4. DANIELSON Thomas Team GARMIN-SHARP +0:17
5. VILLELLA Davide * CANNONDALE +0:18
6. SUMMERHILL Daniel UNITEDHEALTHCARE Pro Cycling +0:18
7. ANDERSON Ryan # OPTUM pb KELLY BENEFIT STRATEGIES +0:19
8. ROSSKOPF Joseph HINCAPIE SPORTSWEAR DEVELOPMENT +0:22
9. MEIER Christian # ORICA-GREENEDGE +0:23
10. IMPEY Daryl ORICA-GREENEDGE OGE +0:23
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42. HOULE Hugo * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team +1:20
47. MCLEOD Garrett # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team +1:26
51. PERRY Benjamin * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team +1:42
60. WIGHT Stuart * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team +2:14
89. PERRON Jean-Sebastian # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team +7:28
95. CHEYNE Jordan * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team +9:15
98. DE VOS Adam * # CANADIAN NATIONAL Team +9:30
JERSEYS (AFTER STAGE 2)
- Yellow Jersey (Race Leader): DUMOULIN Tom * Team GIANT-SHIMANO 3.24:09
- Green Jersey (Top Sprinter): ZEPUNTKE Ruben * BISSELL DEVELOPMENT
- Polka Dot Jersey (Best Climber): CARPENTER Robin * HINCAPIE SPORTSWEAR DEVELOPMENT
- White Jersey (Best Young): DUMOULIN Tom * Team GIANT-SHIMANO 3.24:09
- Red Jersey (Top Canadian): 7. ANDERSON Ryan # OPTUM pb KELLY BENEFIT STRATEGIES +0:19
- Blue Jersey (Most Aggressive Rider): HAYMAN Mathew ORICA-GREENEDGE
