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Results & Reports
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Mont-Royal
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Genevičve
Jeanson
Canadian favourite
Montreal World Cup - CDM
Canada, May 28, 2000
Results Anna Wilson's Report World Cup Standings
GAS in a double knockout
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A cool morning greeted the 79 riders at the start of round 4 of the Women's World Cup on the 8.3 km Mont-Royal circuit in Montreal, Canada. All eyes - and pressure - were on Canada's up and coming star, Genevičve Jeanson, who was hoping to win this leg of the World Cup on her home turf. Ultimately, it was not to be as Pia Sunstedt and her GAS Sport team stole the show, finishing 1-2 in a tough, attacking race.
The start of the race saw many attacks from the stronger teams, GAS, Saturn and the Dutch, with the aim of tiring Jeanson out. By halfway, the race was essentially together as the big teams were watching each other, trying to control the race. Team GAS from Italy were especially prominent, with their in-form riders, Pia Sundstedt (Fin) and Fabiana Luperini (Ita) sitting comfortably.
The GAS team had other cards as well, with Roberta Bonanomi constantly attacking, but being chased down by Lyne Besette (Saturn). With just over four laps to go, a decisive selection of 20 riders was formed, with most of the favourites in the group. However, Saturn had spent most of their riders and only Lyne Bessette was in the lead. Others included Sundstedt, Luperini, Bonanomi and Simona Parente (GAS), Stiajkina and Ziliute (Acca Due), Jeanson (Medico Sportif), Melchers, Chantal Beltman and Elsbeth Vink (Netherlands), Tracey Gaudry (Timex), Pam Schuster (Autotrader.com) and Ceris Gilfillan (GBr).
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On the second last lap, Melchers and Ziliute were dropped by the GAS riders, with Melchers being dropped in turn by the Lithuanian. On the final lap, Sundstedt and Luperini extended their lead to a minute, crossing the line in that order, with Ziliute hanging on for third. Elsbeth Vink from the Dutch National Team managed to escape what was left of the chasers to finish alone in fourth, with teammate Melchers close behind. Last year's winner, Tracey Gaudry (Timex) won the sprint for 6th.
Anna Wilson's report
Today we raced the Montreal World Cup. The course I think is the hardest World Cup course on the circuit. We completed 12 laps of a 9 km circuit which contained a 2 km climb each lap. The race is largely one of attrition - if you can't make it over the climb with the leaders each lap you are at a distinct disadvantage! We suspected the race would be a tough one. First of all there was a lot of media attention on the race, focussing particularly on two Canadian riders - Genevieve Jeanson, an 18 year old star who has already won one World Cup race this year, and Lyne Bessette, a Saturn rider. The media has created a big rivalry between these two riders since they are both from Quebec and both vying for positions on the Olympic team. The race was also an important selection race for many European Olympic teams and so a lot of European teams were present and eager to make their mark.
For the first half of the race, the pace was set and controlled almost entirely by the two Italian teams - Gas and Acca Due O Lorena. Any attacks on the flat part of the course were quickly quashed by riders from these teams and they set a fierce tempo on the climb which prevented any serious attacks being made. The 8th time up the climb, when the pain was truly starting to set in, the two Gas riders, Pia Sunstedt and Fabiana Luperini, attacked so hard that no one could follow them. They crested the top together and set about time trialling the rest of the race.
Behind them was a group of three containing Diana Ziluite, the current World Cup leader, and two Dutch riders - Miriam Melchers and Elsbeth Vink. Then came a group containing Lyne Bessette and about 6 other riders. I was in the 4th group on the road and on the descent my group caught Lyne's group and I did my best to help chase the two little groups in front of us. When we hit the climb for the 9th time, my group split again, with Lyne in the front and myself in the back. From there I was pretty well out of the race. I kept trying to catch Lyne's group again so I could be of some assistance but never made it. Pia Sunstedt and Luperini were never caught and Pia went on to win the race. Ziluite won the sprint for third from Melchers and Vink and Tracey Gaudry won the sprint for 6th from the next group.
So all in all a pretty unsatisfactory day for Saturn. Not for lack of trying though!
Next weekend there is another World Cup race in Philadelphia. This time the course is much kinder for sprinters so I for one am really looking forward to that!
Results
1 Pia Sundstedt (Fin) Gas Sport Team 2.46.41 (35.85 km/h) 2 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Gas Sport Team 3 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camice 1.03 4 Elsbeth Vink (Ned) Dutch National Team 1.10 5 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Dutch National Team 1.21 6 Tracey Gaudry (Aus) Timex 2.19 7 Tatiana Stiajkina (Rus) Acca Due O-Lorena Camice 2.20 8 Pamela Schuster (USA) Autotrader.com 2.23 9 Heidi Vande Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002 2.25 10 Simona Parente (Ita) Gas Sport Team 11 Roberta Bonanomi (Ita) Gas Sport Team 2.31 12 Lyne Bessette (Can) Saturn 13 Ceris Gilfillan (GBr) Great Britain 14 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002 2.45 15 Chantal Beltman (Ned) Dutch National Team 2.49 16 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camice 3.27 17 Priska Doppman (Swi) Master Team-Carpe Diem 18 Julie Young (USA) Autotrader.com 19 Valaria Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team 3.36 20 Zita Urbonaite (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camice 21 Kim Smith (USA) Timex 22 Andrea Ratowic (USA) Autotrader.com 3.40 23 Marcia Eicher-Vouets (Ita) Master Team-Carpe Diem 3.41 24 Genevičve Jeanson (Can) Medico Sportif 3.46 25 Mari Holden (USA) Timex 4.02 26 Anna Wilson (Aus) Saturn 4.20 27 Leigh Hobson (Can) Canada 4.58 28 Sandy Espeseth (Can) Intersports 29 Yvonne McGregor (GBr) Great Britain 6.07 30 Deirdre Demet (USA) Saturn 31 Susy Pryde (NZl) Saturn 32 Julie Hansen (USA) Saturn 6.15 33 Vanessa Cheatley (NZl) Vlaanderen 2002 6.23 34 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) Autotrader.com 35 Sara Symington (GBr) Great Britain 6.29 36 Sophie St-Jacques (Can) Team Elita 37 Darnelle Moore (Can) Intersports 7.11 38 Sanna Lehtimaki (Fin) Timex 9.52 39 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Master Team-Carpe Diem 10.10 40 Marion Clignet (Fra) Acca Due O-Lorena Camice 10.31 41 Katia Longhin (Ita) Master Team-Carpe Diem 10.32 42 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) Dutch National Team 10.33 43 Vanja Vonckx (Bel)Vlaanderen 2002 10.40 44 Susan Carter (GBr) Great Britain 11.03 45 Cybil DiGuistini (Can) Team Elita 11.06 46 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camice 12.36
World Cup Standings after 5 rounds
1 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 140 pts 2 Pia Sundstedt (Fin) Gas Sport Team 129 3 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Dutch National Team 86 4 Genevičve Jeanson (Can) Canadian National Team 75 5 Anna Wilson (Aus) Saturn Cycling Team 75 6 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Gas Sport Team 50 7 Ina Teutenberg (Ger) German National Team 50 8 Mirella Van Melis (Ned) Dutch National Team 50 9 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002-Ladies Team 46 10 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Master Team-Carpe Diem 43 11 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002-Ladies Team 41 12 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 36 13 Fany Lecourtois (Fra) Team Alfa Lum R.S.M. 35 14 Giovanna Troldi (Ita) Edilsavino 35 15 Jacinta Coleman (NZl) Team Nürnberger 34 16 Chantal Beltman (Ned) Dutch National Team 33 17 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Team Farm Frites-Hartol 32 18 Yvonne Brunen (Ned) Team Farm Frites-Hartol 31 19 Elisabeth Vink (Ned) Dutch National Team 30 20 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Master Team-Carpe Diem 30 21 Hayley Rutherford (Aus) AIS Australia 27 22 Tracey Gaudry (Aus) Timex Women's Professional Cycling T 25 23 Anne Samplonius (Can) Canadian National Team 24 24 Bridget Evans (Aus) Master Team-Carpe Diem 21 25 Pamela Schuster (USA) Autotrader.Com Cycling Team 18 26 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team 18 27 Karen Kurreck (USA) Edilsavino 18 28 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Swiss National Team 16 29 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Team Alfa Lum R.S.M. 16 30 Monica Valen (Nor) Norwegian National Team 15 31 Susy Pryde (NZl) Saturn Cycling Team 15 32 Simona Parente (Ita) Gas Sport Team 14 33 Ceris Gilfillan (GBr) British National Team 12 34 Marion Clignet (Fra) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 11 35 Katie Mactier (Aus) AIS Australia 11 36 Roberta Bonanomi (Ita) Gas Sport Team 10 37 Sara Felloni (Ita) Team Alfa Lum R.S.M. 10 38 Lyne Bessette (Can) Saturn Cycling Team 9 39 Sandy Espeseth (Can) Canadian National Team 9 40 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) AIS Australia 8 41 Erin Carter (Can) Team Elita 7 42 Elisabeth Chevanne-Brunel (Fra) French National Team 6 43 Miho Oki (Jpn) Japanese National Team 6 44 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 5 45 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus) Edilsavino 5 46 Rosalind Reekie-May (NZl) New Zealand National Team 5 47 Mariëlle Van Scheppingen (Ned) Dutch National Team 4 48 Julie Young (USA) Autotrader.Com Cycling Team 3 49 Aline Camboulives (Fra) French National Team 3 50 Elisabeth Tadich (Aus) AIS Australia 3 51 Valeria Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team 2 52 Daniela Veronesi (Smr) Team Alfa Lum R.S.M. 2 53 Ragnhild Kostöl (Nor) Norwegian National Team 2 54 Kim Shirley (Aus) AIS Australia 2 55 Zita Urbonaite (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 1