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Jeanson the destroyer

By Jeff Jones

Geneviève Jeanson
Photo: © Claude Perreault

On a cool, wet Montreal afternoon, 19 year old Canadian Geneviève Jeanson swept aside any doubts that she has been hiding from top competition this season by winning the 5th round of the women's World Cup by nearly seven and a half minutes. Using her Rona teammate Manon Jutras as a springboard, Jeanson accelerated away from the field on the third lap, never to be seen again until after the finish.

A large enthusiastic crowd cheered the 78 riders who started the 12 lap, 99.6 kilometre race around Mont Royal. The parcours is one of the toughest on the women's World Cup circuit, containing a sharp 1 kilometre climb (7-10% avg.) each lap. The field included World Cup leader Anna Millward (Saturn), her strong teammates Lyne Bessette, Kim Bruckner, Anke Erlank and Suzanne Sonye; as well as Acca Due O's Mirjam Melchers; Primavera Rosa winner Susanne Ljungskog (Vlaanderen-T-Interim); Jeannie Longo (France); and a strong British team with Ceris Gilfillan, Sara Symington and Yvonne McGregor.

On the very first lap, Jeanson sent her teammate Manon Jutras on the attack, forcing the other teams to set the pace while Jeanson settled in. This didn't take as long as the other riders might have hoped, as Jeanson attacked hard on the climb of lap three. She held a 20 second lead on a group containing Mirjam Melchers (Acca Due O), Lyne Bessette (Saturn), and Susanne Ljungskog (Vlaanderen) by the end of the third lap, with Jutras just in front.

That was enough for the former Junior World TT Champion, who then proceeded to average 13'30 per lap (36.5 km/h) until the finish, putting 1 minute into her rivals each lap. With a few extra laps she might have caught what was left of the peloton, which was now engaged in a battle for second place.

The podium
Photo: © Alain Poupart

Longo, Ljungskog, Bessette, Melchers and Gilfillan were the best of the rest, although World Cup leader Anna Millward was doing her utmost to remain in contention, especially with Melchers there. On the second last lap, Ljungskog and Bessette managed to escape and held on to fight out second and

third, with the Swedish Ljungskog getting the better of Bessette.

Melchers, Gilfillan, Longo and Pieters followed a minute later, then Millward who took 8th place and kept her lead in the World Cup.

But there was no-one who could stop Jeanson today, who seems to have the potential to do more than dominate women's cycling in years to come.

Results - 99.6 km

1 Geneviève Jeanson (Can) Equipe Cycliste Rona               2.44.45 (35.84 km/h)
2 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team      7.26
3 Lyne Bessette (Can) Saturn Cycling Team
4 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Acca Due O-H.P. Lorena Camicie          8.25
5 Ceris Gilfillan (GBr) British National Team
6 Jeannie Longo (Fra) Equipe De France 
7 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team          8.33
8 Anna Millward (Aus) Saturn Cycling Team                       9.23
9 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) Saturn Cycling Team                  10.35
10 Yvonne Mcgregor (GBr) British National Team                 13.07
11 Sara Symington (GBr) British National Team
12 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team
13 Sophie Creux (Fra) Equipe De France
14 Rhonda Quick (USA) Jane Cosmetics
15 Sandy Espeseth (Can) Intersports
16 Vanessa Rochelle Cheatley (NZl) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team
17 Vera Hohlfeld (Ger) Acca Due O-H.P. Lorena Camicie
18 Cybil Di Guistini (Can) Canadian National Team              13.19
19 Manon Jutras (Can) Equipe Cycliste Rona
20 Melanie Dorion (Can) Andre Lalonde Sports                   13.34
21 Sandrine Marcuz (Fra) Equipe De France                      13.38
TC Jessica Phillips (USA) Intersports
TC Gabriella Gonzalez (Mex) Equipe Cycliste Rona
TC Krystyna Kras (USA) Santa Cruz Spokesman
TC Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Carpe Diem-Itera
TC Katia Longhin (Ita) Acca Due O-H.P. Lorena Camicie
TC Belem Guerrero Mendes (Mex) Composite #1
TC Amy Jarvis (Can) Equipe Cycliste Rona
TC Sonia Huguet (Fra) Equipe De France
TC Arenda Grimberg (Ned) Acca Due O-H.P. Lorena Camicie
TC Joan Wilson (USA) Santa Cruz Spokesman
TC Lara Ruthven (USA) Carpe Diem-Itera
TC Debby Mansveld (Ned) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team
TC Marcia Eicher-Vouets (Swi) Carpe Diem-Itera
TC Melanie Sears (GBr) British National Team
TC Rachel Heal (GBr) British National Team
TC Karine Dalmais (Fra) Equipe De France
TC Jennifer Eyerman (USA) Jane Cosmetics
TC Lauren Smith (USA) Santa Cruz Spokesman
TC Kerry Ellen Hellmuth (USA) Carpe Diem-Itera
TC Petra De Boer-Grimbergen (Ned) Ondernemers Van Nature
TC Clare Hall-Patch (Can) Canadian National Team
TC Suzanne Sonye (USA) Saturn Cycling Team
TC Anke Erlank (RSA) Saturn Cycling Team

Starters: 78
Abandons: 34
Outside time limit: 23

World Cup standings after round 5

1 Anna Millward (Aus) Saturn-Timex                              218 pts
2 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie            195
3 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team      136
4 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) Gas Sport Team                      91
5 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Edilsavino                             86
6 Sara Felloni (Ita) Alfa Lum R.S.M.                            76
7 Genevieve Jeanson (Can) Equipe Cycliste Rona                  75
8 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team    57
9 Ceris Gilfillan (GBr)                                         54
10 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Alfa Lum R.S.M.                      45
11 Sarah Ulmer (NZl) Autotrader.com                             45
12 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie           39
13 Lyne Bessette (Can) Saturn-Timex                             35
14 Trixi Worrack (Ger)                                          35
15 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus)                                       35
16 Alison Wright (Aus)                                          34
17 Mari Holden (USA) Alfa Lum R.S.M.                            33
18 Sara Carrigan (Aus)                                          30
19 Simona Parente (Ita) Edilsavino                              30
20 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team         29
21 Chantal Beltman (Ned)                                        27
22 Vera Hohlfeld (Ger) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie             25
23 Giovanna Troldi (Ita) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie           25
24 Jeannie Longo (Fra)                                          24
25 Miho Oki (Jpn)                                               24
26 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Edilsavino                              24
27 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Farm Frites-Hartol                  21
28 Bridget Evans (Aus) Carpe Diem-Itera                         21
29 Rosalind Reekie-May (NZl)                                    19
30 Elisabeth Tadich (Aus)                                       18
31 Yvonne Mcgregor (GBr)                                        16
32 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) Saturn-Timex                         15
33 Melissa Holt (NZl)                                           13
34 Susy Pryde (NZl) Autotrader.com                              11
35 Sarah Symington (GBr)                                        11
36 Fany Lecourtois (Fra) Alfa Lum R.S.M.                        11
37 Lara Ruthven (USA) Carpe Diem-Itera                          11
38 Judith Arndt (Ger)                                           10
39 Jenny Algelid (Swe) Equipe Nürnberger                        8
40 Sandra Wampfler (Swi) C.A. Mantes La Ville 78                8
41 Sophie Creux (Fra)                                           8
42 Rhonda Quick (USA)                                           7
43 Hayley Rutherford (Aus)                                      7
44 Sandy Espeseth (Can)                                         6
45 Kym Shirley (Aus)                                            6
46 Anke Erlank (RSA) Saturn-Timex                               6
47 Vanessa Cheatley (NZl) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team      5
48 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Farm Frites-Hartol                    5
49 Olga Zabelinskaia (Rus) Carpe Diem-Itera                     4
50 Séverine Desbouys (Fra) Gas Sport Team                       4
51 Luisiana Pegoraro (Ita) Carpe Diem-Itera                     4
52 Emma James (Aus)                                             4
53 Cybil Diguistini (Can)                                       3
54 Nataliya Kachalka (Ukr) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox       3
55 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Alfa Lum R.S.M.                 3
56 Manon  Jutras (Can) Equipe Cycliste Rona                     2
57 Katie Mactier (Aus)                                          2
58 Vera Carrara (Ita) Carpe Diem-Itera                          2
59 Melanie Dorion (Can)                                         1
60 Marcia Eicher-Vouets (Swi) Carpe Diem-Itera                  1
61 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Alfa Lum R.S.M.                      1
62 Pamela Schuster (USA) Autotrader.com                         1