GP Féminine International du Québec - 2.9.2

Canada, August 22-26, 2001

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Stage 3 - August 24: Richford (USA) - Lac Brome, 99 km

Bessette wins in hometown, Erlank into yellow

By Giana Roberge, Team Saturn

After yesterday's overall classification reorganization, today's mountainous 99 kilometres promised to bring the typical Tour contenders to the fore in the GP Féminine du Quebec. Beginning in Richford, VT, the third stage featured two passes over the seven steep kilometres of Jay Peak, before bringing the women back into Canada for a final climb over the sharp peaks of Echo Mountain.

Coming into the first climb, Genevieve Jeanson, frustrated from the previous two days' futile attempts to break away, used the steep grades to her advantage. Attacking from the base of the climb, Jeanson soon was solo. Chasing were Pia Sunstedt (Intersport), Nicole Cooke (Great Britain), Amber Neben (Autotrader.com) and Saturn teammates Lyne Bessette and Anke Erlank. At the top of the climb, Jeanson had 1'45 gap on the five chasers.

Autotrader Director, Mike Neel, sensing the danger to Katrina Berger's third place, pulled Neben from the break to assist Berger chase back to the break. However, the main group never saw the break again. The four worked smoothly bringing Jeanson back at the 60 kilometre mark.

With substantial wisdom, Erlank and Bessette stayed together, working to keep the group intact into the finish. When the five arrived into the final kilometre of Knowlton, it was Jeanson making an early bid for the finish. But in the last few meters it was a triumphant Bessette with her hands raised to the cheers from her hometown fans. Jeanson was second over Cooke. Erlank finished fifth, but her determined ride combined with the assistance from Bessette placed the Yellow Leader's Jersey on her back by one-second from Pia Sunstedt

Several minutes later, Saturn's Petra Rossner led what remained of the field in for a sixth place finish.

Tomorrow features a morning Time Trial of 19 kilometres, and an afternoon 40 kilometre criterium.

Climbers' Revenge

By Daniel Larouche, Equipe Rona

Fans were anxiously waiting for this stage -- they were not disappointed. The climbers, especially Geneviève Jeanson showed what they could do by going up Jay Peak twice, one on each face of the mountain, in the third stage of the Grand Prix international féminin du Québec. The stage was won by Lyne Bessette (Saturn) in 2'57'17.

The Lac-Brome resident beat Jeanson by a wheel, at the end of the third sprint finish in three days. Young British sensation Nicole Cooke finished third.

The leader's Golden jersey once again changed shoulders as Anke Erlank (Saturn) took first place in the General Classification, leading Pia Sundstedt (Intersports) by one second. Jeanson now has the Queen of the Mountain White jersey as well as the Orange jersey awarded to the best rider aged less than 23. She was also awarded the prize for being the most aggressive rider of the day. Bessette received the Green jersey awarded to the best sprinter.

Play-by-play

After two stages that were rolling at most, the climbers had their chance today on a 99-km course which required going up and down the south, and then the north faces of Jay Peak.

Again, the real race started right from the gun. After barely six km, when the pack started climbing a short but tough pitch, Manon Jutras (Rona) and Geneviève Jeanson set a hard pace. Some could follow. Others couldn't. The pack was split in two equal parts, each with about 40 riders.

About 20 km farther, the first real climb of the day started. Jeanson attacked. One by one, others were left behind, until only five of them could keep contact: Erlank, Bessette, Sundstedt, Cooke and Amber Neben (Autotrader.com). And then they lose contact as well, Cooke being the last to give up. Jeanson was all by herself by the time she reached the top of the first Queen of the Mountain.

After the first descent, Jeanson had a one-minute lead on a chasing group comprising Bessette, Cooke, Sundstedt, Erlank and Neben. Jeanson then proceeded to climb the north face of the mountain. At the end of the climb, her lead had increased to 1'45. The last big descent of the day brought the riders back toward Québec.

Neben lost the chasing group during the second climb. The four other girls organized an effective chase behind Jeanson who fought a head wind by herself. Her lead shrank until her four chasers reeled her in approximately 62 km into the race. With 37 km of mostly flat and rolling terrain left, the five rode together until the last few hundred meters.

Obviously eager to win in her hometown, and less tired than her young rival who had worked alone for her 60 km breakaway, Bessette beat Jeanson by a wheel on the finish line.

"Geneviève impressed me today, said André Aubut, directeur sportif of Team Rona after the stage. Being competitive in a sprint after a breakaway of almost 60 km, this is no small feat. Quite a performance!"

Tomorrow, fans are treated to a double-header. A 19-km time trial in the morning and a criterium in the afternoon.

Results

1 Lyne Bessette (Can) Saturn                             2.57.17
2 Genevieve Jeanson (Can) Rona
3 Nicole Cooke (GBr) Great Britain
4 Pia Sundstedt (Fin) Intersports
5 Anke Erlank (RSA) Saturn
6 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn                                6.36
7 Julie Young (USA) Autotrader.com
8 Sue Palmar-Komar (Can) Intersports
9 Rachel Heal (GBr) Great Britain
10 Melanie Nadeau (Can) Rona
11 Sandy Espeseth (Can) Intersports
12 Korinne Dalmais (Fra) France
13 Kim Smith (USA) Autotrader.com
14 Ara Symington (GBr) Great Britain
15 Leah Toffolon (USA) Amoroso's/Tristate Velo
16 Nicole Demars (Can) 800.Com
17 Amber Neben (USA) Autotrader.com
18 Katrina Berger (USA) Autotrader.com
19 Jessica Phillips (USA) Intersports
20 Leah Goldstein (Can) 800.Com
21 Manon Jutras (Can) Rona
22 Lisa Magness (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place           18.44
23 Liza Rachetto (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place
24 Emily Thorne (USA) Trek
25 Daniella Moonen (Ned) Prowinn Essent
26 Andrea Hannos (Can) Verizon Wireless
27 Raphaele Lemieux (Can) Rona
28 Emily Westbrook (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place
29 Petra Ford (USA) Verizon Wireless
30 Katrina Davis (USA) Trek
31 Charlotte Hopkinson (GBr) Great Britain
32 Joanne Cavill (GBr) Great Britain
33 Erin Willock (Can) Canada
34 Laura Schmidt (USA) Verizon Wireless
35 Brenda Black (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place
36 Gina Grain (Can) 800.Com
37 Sonia Huguet (Fra) France
38 Gabriela Gonzalez De Ferrat (Mex) Rona
39 Erica Drew (Can) Canada
40 Geraldine Ollivier (Fra) Bretagne
41 Stacey Peters (USA) 800.Com
42 Catherine Marsal (Fra) Intersports
43 Franceline Catherine (Fra) France
44 Nicole Freedman (USA) Credit Suisse First Boston
45 Melissa Holt (NZl) Rona
46 Kim Davidge (Can) Saturn
47 Catherine Powers (USA) 800.Com
48 Hiroko Shimada (USA) Verizon Wireless
49 Sophie St-Jacques (Can) Trek
50 Stephanie Reymond (Fra) France
51 Ina Teutenberg (Ger) Saturn                             19.13
52 Clara Hughes (Can) Saturn                               19.13
53 Sima Trapp (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place             21.59
54 Jennifer Weaver (USA) Amoroso's/Tristate Velo           25.11
55 Sarah Ulmer (NZl) Autotrader.com                        25.13
56 Liz Begosh (USA) Amoroso's/Tristate Velo                25.51
57 Andrea Foster (USA) Credit Suisse First Boston          26.56
58 Julie Hutsebaut (Can) Canada                            27.40
59 Danielle Bekkering (Ned) Prowinn Essent
60 Julia Farell (Can) Verizon Wireless
61 Tara Mulder (Can) Canada
62 Julia Hawley (Ber) Verizon Wireless
63 Odessa Osorio (USA) Trek
64 Mandy Poitras (Can) 800.Com
65 Stephanie Poilvet (Fra) Bretagne
66 Irene Vanden Broek (Ned) Prowinn Essent
67 Anne Samplonius (Can) Intersports
68 Lauren Gaffney (USA) Credit Suisse First Boston
69 Rosie Coleman (USA) Credit Suisse First Boston
70 Lenora Felker (USA) Amoroso's/Tristate Velo             31.31
71 Carrie Tuck (Can) Canada                                39.15
72 Jeanne Mc Fall (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place         39.15
73 Elisa Gagnon-Gascon (Can) Trek                          41.35
74 Alicia Genest (USA) Trek                                41.35
75 Annie Gariepy (Can) Autotrader.com                      43.21
76 Sabrina Payen (Fra) Bretagne                            46.12
DNF Jaccolien Wallaard (Ned) Prowinn Essent
DNF Lauren Franges (USA) Amoroso's/Tristate Velo
DNF Melanie Sears (GBr) Great Britain

General classification after stage 3

1 Anke Erlank (RSA) Saturn                               8.26.04
2 Pia Sundstedt (Fin) Intersports                           0.01
3 Lyne Bessette (Can) Saturn                                1.50
4 Genevieve Jeanson (Can) Rona                              1.51
5 Katrina Berger (USA) Autotrader.com                       4.09
6 Nicole Demars (Can) 800.Com                               4.14
7 Nicole Cooke (GBr) Great Britain                          6.03
8 Julie Young (USA) Autotrader.com                          6.31
9 Korinne Dalmais (Fra) France                              8.36
10 Ara Symington (GBr) Great Britain
11 Melanie Nadeau (Can) Rona
12 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn
13 Jessica Phillips (USA) Intersports
14 Leah Toffolon (USA) Amoroso's/Tristate Velo
15 Sue Palmar-Komar (Can) Intersports
16 Kim Smith (USA) Autotrader.com
17 Sandy Espeseth (Can) Intersports
18 Manon Jutras (Can) Rona
19 Leah Goldstein (Can) 800.Com                             8.56
20 Catherine Marsal (Fra) Intersports                      15.59
21 Ina Teutenberg (Ger) Saturn                             16.37
22 Rachel Heal (GBr) Great Britain                         17.15
23 Amber Neben (USA) Autotrader.com                        18.35
24 Andrea Hannos (Can) Verizon Wireless                    18.52
25 Charlotte Hopkinson (GBr) Great Britain                 18.52
26 Stacey Peters (USA) 800.Com                             19.04
27 Gina Grain (Can) 800.Com                                20.44
28 Nicole Freedman (USA) Credit Suisse First Boston
29 Brenda Black (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place
30 Katrina Davis (USA) Trek
31 Sonia Huguet (Fra) France
32 Petra Ford (USA) Verizon Wireless
33 Emily Thorne (USA) Trek
34 Emily Westbrook (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place
35 Liza Rachetto (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place
36 Sophie St-Jacques (Can) Trek
37 Daniella Moonen (Ned) Prowinn Essent
38 Lisa Magness (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place
39 Franceline Catherine (Fra) France
40 Erin Willock (Can) Canada
41 Gabriela Gonzalez De Ferrat (Mex) Rona
42 Melissa Holt (NZl) Rona
43 Geraldine Ollivier (Fra) Bretagne
44 Raphaele Lemieux (Can) Rona
45 Kim Davidge (Can) Saturn
46 Clara Hughes (Can) Saturn                               21.13
47 Stephanie Reymond (Fra) France                          22.10
48 Sima Trapp (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place             23.59
49 Sarah Ulmer (NZl) Autotrader.com                        25.21
50 Jennifer Weaver (USA) Amoroso's/Tristate Velo           27.11
51 Julia Farell (Can) Verizon Wireless                     27.48
52 Liz Begosh (USA) Amoroso's/Tristate Velo                27.51
53 Joanne Cavill (GBr) Great Britain                       29.23
54 Anne Samplonius (Can) Intersports                       29.40
55 Stephanie Poilvet (Fra) Bretagne
56 Irene Vanden Broek (Ned) Prowinn Essent
57 Odessa Osorio (USA) Trek
58 Catherine Powers (USA) 800.Com                          30.43
59 Laura Schmidt (USA) Verizon Wireless
60 Hiroko Shimada (USA) Verizon Wireless                   34.32
61 Lauren Gaffney (USA) Credit Suisse First Boston         36.53
62 Erica Drew (Can) Canada                                 38.52
63 Tara Mulder (Can) Canada                                39.39
64 Julia Hawley (Ber) Verizon Wireless                     39.49
65 Mandy Poitras (Can) 800.Com                             39.59
66 Jeanne Mc Fall (USA) Goldy's/Grove Street Place         41.15
67 Carrie Tuck (Can) Canada
68 Rosie Coleman (USA) Credit Suisse First Boston          44.01
69 Annie Gariepy (USA) Autotrader.com                      45.21
70 Sabrina Payen (Fra) Bretagne                            48.12
71 Andrea Foster (USA) Credit Suisse First Boston          55.43
72 Julie Hutsebaut (Can) Canada                            58.07
73 Alicia Genest (USA) Trek                              1.01.43
74 Elisa Gagnon-Gascon (Can) Trek
75 Danielle Bekkering (Ned) Prowinn Essent               1.10.04
76 Lenora Felker (USA) Amoroso's/Tristate Velo           1.13.55

Courtesy of canadiancyclist.com