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Le Tour du Grand Montréal - 2.1
Canada, May 30-June 2, 2005
Main Page Results Overall standings Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 2 - May 31: Rigaud road race, 120.2km
Wood wins again
Jeanson in break for 70km
By Leigh Hargrove
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Oenone Wood (Nurnberger) took out the 12-woman sprint finish to today's third stage of the Tour du Grand Montreal after a dramatic day's racing that started with a crash involving Wood herself and saw Genevieve Jeanson look for a while like executing one of her trademark solo escapes to victory.
Wood was followed home by Dorte Rasmussen (SATS) was second, with Jeanson third, a results that was enough to land her the leader jersey.
How it unfolded
Everybody wants to be in the yellow jersey, and today's stage was no different.
The day's first sprint for points was 3.5km into the stage. A kilometer before the sprint the pack went around a soft corner (due to construction) where Oenone Wood (Nurnberger Versicherung) reportedly slid out and crashed. Canadian Lyne Bessette (Ellicycle Sport expert Louis Garneau) and Quark's Helen Kelly plus nine or ten other riders went down in the crash. Most were lucky to get away with a few scrapes and bruises but Canadian National Champ, Bessette remained on the ground.
Webcor Builder's rider Erinne Willock reacted to the crash as quickly as she could. "I have no idea what happened!" said Willock. "I just saw four or five people right in front of me going upside down, and Lyne (Bessette) was down. I was behind it, slammed on my brakes, came to a complete stop right behind it. I didn't go down."
Wood recovered and teammate Olivia Gollan had to ultimately switch her bike after the crash. The women continued to contest the first sprint, despite the shock of the crash. Nurnberger's Judith Arndt took the sprint, with Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan rider Rochelle Gilmore taking third. Joanne Kiesanowski (Nobili Rubinetterie-Menkini Cogeas) took third.
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After the sprint, the pack seemed to be waiting for Bessette to return to the group after the crash that happened so early on. Once it was realized that Bessette wasn't coming back however, the field returned back to business.
The women's first Queen of the Mountain points were up for grabs at the top of a 3km climb, 25 km into the race. At the time Webcor was at the front alongside Geneviéve Jeanson (ACDA-RONA) and Nobili-Rubinetteri riders.
"It was not supposed to be," Jeanson recalled the point when the women broke away. "I was just going for the QOM. Then Lynn Gaggioli (Biovail) was pushing the pace, I just followed her and we had a good gap... At some point she told me she was not feeling that great. I said, you know, keep going, I need you and stuff. The second time up Bourget, I just kept my pace."
Christine saw the riders pull away but didn't react right away. "I thought she (Jeanson) was going for the QOM early, I thought it was pretty hard up the first climb. She caught me a little off-guard going so hard over the top of it. Lynn dug really deep and stayed with her. They both are a little bit better on the steep power climbs and I am a little bit more of a steady climber. That was my mistake for the day, and after that, my team rode great. We have a really small team here but they did everything they could."
The first QOM split the women's field into two front groups of about fifteen riders plus the two-rider break. The duo built up a forty-five second gap and were opening it up to about a minute after being away for twenty kilometers.
Going into the second QOM Grace Fleury (Quark) attacked over the crest of the hill but was wheeled in. At this point, Jeanson and Gaggioli were over a minute and a half up the road. Jeanson ended up dropping Gaggioli at the top of the second climb, and soon was fifteen seconds up on the rider.
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The chase group yo-yoed from ten riders to twenty riders after the descent following the second QOM. Webcor, anxious to protect the yellow jersey, was active at the front in order to chase Jeanson down. Occasionally Quark would pull through but it appeared that the pack was content to make Webcor work for the jersey in today's race.
Quark's Annette Beutler was reflective about the day's events. "Webcor has the jersey, and it's always the leader's job to chase somebody. We are not a team that is passive, normally we are active, so we helped. On the climbs we let them work and on the flats we helped it motor."
With sixty-five kilometers down and fifty-five remaining, Biovail's Gaggioli was now in no man's land, sitting fifty-two seconds in front of the chase group and over a minute down on Jeanson.
Seventy-seven kilometers into the race Jeanson had opened up the gap to two minutes and twenty seconds with about forty kilometers remaining in the race. Equipe Neunberger Versicherung put all their riders up front and with less than twenty-five kilometers to go, they were closing in, narrowing the split to less than a minute.
It was at this point that Willock saw her chance and she attacked the chase group and bridged up to Jeanson. Unfortunately the effort was short-lived and the pack, headed by Nurnberger's Judith Arndt, wheeled the duo in a short two kilometers later. Jeanson had been away for just over seventy kilometers.
With twenty kilometers remaining the main field (which had whittled down to about twenty riders) was now thinking ahead to the final sprint. Working their way to the final climb several attacks came from S.A.T.S riders and Nobili Rubinetterie.
With three kilometers remaining Thorburn attacked at the base of the climb. Jeanson and Wood wheeled her in. Willock tried again but Jeanson was right on her wheel. The remaining 12 riders contested the sprint and Wood took her second victory here in Montreal by winning the stage. S.A.T.S. rider Dorte Rasmussen was second, and the everlasting Jeanson finished third.
Afterwards, reports from Bessette's manager revealed that she is doing okay. She suffered a concussion and doctor's orders were to take a few days off the bike.
Jeanson's efforts moved her right into the leaders' jersey after three stages.
Tomorrow's stage is an 80km circuit race at Terrebonne that should see a bunch finish - unless Jeanson again has other ideas!
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Mitch Friedman/www.mitchophoto.com
- Erinne Willock (Webcor) took 6th today's stage and sits 7th overall
- Thorburn (Webcor), Wood (Nurnberger), Rasmussen (Team S.A.T.S) battle each other up the hill
- Judith Arndt (Nurnberger) nears the top of this tough climb
- Patricia Schwager (Quark) ended the day in 13th spot
- Grace Fleury (Quark) hangs tough on the climb
- Lynn Gaggioli (Biovail) looks composed heading up this part of the course
- Nurnberger's Oenone Wood on the top spot again
- Honestly officer, it wasn't me...
- Judith Arndt clocks in for another day at the office
- Marielle Aunave (Basis) signs in
- The pack heads steadily along through the countryside around Montreal
- Velo Bella lead the pack
- The main pack heads into a turn
- Early on in the stage the pack stayed together
- Jeanson goes for the KOM from Gaggioli and Sigrid Corneo
- Stefanie Graeter (Webcor) looks pretty happy up the climb
- Jacqueline Mourao (Ellicyle) gets out of the saddle up the climb
- Audrey Lemieux (Quark) shows us that heading up the climb hurts
- Daniella Fusar Poli (Nobili Rubinetterie) doesn't look too comfortable going up the climb
- Rochelle Gilmore (Pasta Zara-Safi) climbs strongly
- Christine Thorburn (Webcor) chases hard
- Genevieve Jeanson (ACDA-Rona) gets a bottle from her dad
- Genevieve Jeanson (ACDA-Rona) heads up the climb on her way to third
- Oenone Wood (Nurnberger) makes it to the line first again
- Wood takes another stage victory
- The prolific Oenone Wood (Nurnberger) now lies in second on GC
- A happy Wood is a good Wood is a happy team
- Oenone Wood gets some gravel rash from an earlier incident
- Nurnberger DS Petra Rossner and Wood talk turkey after the stage finish
Results
1 Oenone Wood (Aus) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 3.25.40 2 Dorte Lohse Rasmussen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 3 Geneviève Jeanson (Can) ACDA-Rona 4 Annette Beutler (Swi) Quark 5 Judith Arndt (Ger) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 6 Erinne Willock (Can) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 7 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 8 Christine Thorburn (USA) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 9 Lynn Gaggioli (USA) Biovail 10 Susan Palmer-Komar (Can) Colavita/Cooking Light 11 Ana Paola Madrinan Villegas (Col) Colombian National Team 12 Grace Fleury (USA) Quark 13 Patricia Schwager (Swi) Quark 0.36 14 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 0.38 15 Rachel Heal (GBr) Team S.A.T.S 1.01 16 Miyoko Karami (Jpn) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 17 Kirsten Robbin (Can) Canadian National Team 18 Kim Anderson (USA) Colavita/Cooking Light 19 Helen Kelly (Aus) Quark 3.00 20 Audrey Lemieux (Can) Quark 4.02 21 Maria Luisa Calle Williams (Col) Colombian National Team 10.29 22 Melodie Metzger (USA) Velo Bella 12.05 23 Susan Weldon (USA) Subway 13.12 24 Suzanne Macht (Can) Canadian National Team 13.57 25 Jacqueline Mourao (Bra) Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau 15.12 26 Stefanie Graeter (USA) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 21.02 27 Melissa Holt (NZl) Team S.A.T.S 28 Olivia Gollan (Aus) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 29 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 30 Cathrine Walberg (USA) ACDA-Rona 31 Sima Trapp (USA) Subway 32 Melissa Sanborn (USA) Subway 33 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 34 Monica Lorena Mendes Ortiz (Col) Colombian National Team 35 Geneviève Gagnon (Can) Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau 36 Kelly Benjamin (USA) ACDA-Rona 37 Stéphanie Bourbeau (Can) Équipe du Québec 38 Kathy St-Laurent (Can) Équipe du Québec 39 Alessandra Grassi (Ita) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 40 Barbara Howe (USA) Velo Bella 41 Betina Hold (Can) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 42 Regina Schleicher (Ger) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 43 Gabriella Gonzalez-Ferrat (Mex) Velo Bella 44 Anke Wichmann (Ger) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 45 Joanie Caron (Can) Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau 46 Nicole Wangsgard (USA) Subway 47 Trine Hansen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 48 Rosanne Kent (USA) Quark 49 Anna Tratnyek (Can) Canadian National Team 50 Julie Hutsebault (Can) Équipe du Québec 51 Olga Slyusareva (Rus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 52 Gessica Turato (Ita) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 53 Millerlandy Escobar (Col) Colombian National Team 54 Daniella Fusar Poli (Ita) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 55 Jennifer Stephenson (Can) Biovail 56 Lisa Sweeney (Can) Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau 57 Hiroko Shimada (Jpn) Velo Bella 58 Marie-Pierre Bédard (Can) Canadian National Team 59 Naomi Cermack (Can) Colavita/Cooking Light 60 Caroline Montminy (Can) Équipe du Québec 61 Jennifer Chapman (USA) Velo Bella 62 Joelle Numainville (Can) Mixed team espoirs Laval 63 Heather Lamson (Can) Diet Cheerwine 64 Tara Ross (Can) Diet Cheerwine 65 Élisa Gagnon (Can) Équipe du Québec 66 Marielle Aunave (Fra) Mixed team espoirs Laval 27.18 67 Magan Long (USA) ACDA-Rona 68 Julia Farell (Can) Diet Cheerwine 69 Kylie case (Can) Canadian National Team 31.18 70 Jenny Trew (Can) Canadian National Team 71 Julie Bélanger (Can) Diet Cheerwine DNF Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas DNF Lyne Bessette (Can) Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau General Classification after Stage 2 1 Geneviève Jeanson (Can) ACDA-Rona 4.41.32 2 Oenone Wood (Aus) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 0.04 3 Christine Thorburn (USA) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 0.07 4 Grace Fleury (USA) Quark 0.16 5 Annette Beutler (Swi) Quark 0.18 6 Judith Arndt (Ger) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 0.19 7 Erinne Willock (Can) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 8 Dorte Lohse Rasmussen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 0.21 9 Lynn Gaggioli (USA) Biovail 0.21 10 Susan Palmer-Komar (Can) Colavita/Cooking Light 0.23 11 Ana Paola Madrinan Villegas (Col) Colombian National Team 0.30 12 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 0.33 13 Patricia Schwager (Swi) Quark 1.16 14 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 1.17 15 Rachel Heal (GBr) Team S.A.T.S 1.33 16 Miyoko Karami (Jpn) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 1.39 17 Kirsten Robbin (Can) Canadian National Team 1.50 18 Kim Anderson (USA) Colavita/Cooking Light 1.52 19 Helen Kelly (Aus) Quark 3.22 20 Audrey Lemieux (Can) Quark 4.27 21 Maria Luisa Calle Williams (Col) Colombian National Team 10.56 22 Melodie Metzger (USA) Velo Bella 12.48 23 Susan Weldon (USA) Subway 13.37 24 Suzanne Macht (Can) Canadian National Team 14.51 25 Jacqueline Mourao (Bra) Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau 15.58 26 Melissa Holt (NZl) Team S.A.T.S 21.24 27 Sima Trapp (USA) Subway 21.25 28 Geneviève Gagnon (Can) Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau 21.26 29 Kathy St-Laurent (Can) Équipe du Québec 21.28 30 Betina Hold (Can) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 31 Daniella Fusar Poli (Ita) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 21.33 32 Jennifer Stephenson (Can) Biovail 21.34 33 Olivia Gollan (Aus) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 21.35 34 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 21.36 35 Lisa Sweeney (Can) Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau 36 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 37 Melissa Sanborn (USA) Subway 38 Élisa Gagnon (Can) Équipe du Québec 21.37 39 Tara Ross (Can) Diet Cheerwine 40 Anke Wichmann (Ger) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 41 Gessica Turato (Ita) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 21.39 42 Trine Hansen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 43 Joelle Numainville (Can) Mixed team espoirs Laval 44 Heather Lamson (Can) Diet Cheerwine 45 Millerlandy Escobar (Col) Colombian National Team 46 Julie Hutsebault (Can) Équipe du Québec 21.40 47 Joanie Caron (Can) Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau 48 Nicole Wangsgard (USA) Subway 49 Monica Lorena Mendes Ortiz (Col) Colombian National Team 21.42 50 Jennifer Chapman (USA) Velo Bella 21.43 51 Gabriella Gonzalez-Ferrat (Mex) Velo Bella 21.45 52 Marie-Pierre Bédard (Can) Canadian National Team 21.46 53 Alessandra Grassi (Ita) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 54 Olga Slyusareva (Rus) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 21.47 55 Stéphanie Bourbeau (Can) Équipe du Québec 56 Regina Schleicher (Ger) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 21.48 57 Naomi Cermack (Can) Colavita/Cooking Light 21.54 58 Cathrine Walberg (USA) ACDA-Rona 22.03 59 Stefanie Graeter (USA) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 22.06 60 Hiroko Shimada (Jpn) Velo Bella 22.10 61 Rosanne Kent (USA) Quark 22.13 62 Caroline Montminy (Can) Équipe du Québec 22.41 63 Kelly Benjamin (USA) ACDA-Rona 23.06 64 Barbara Howe (USA) Velo Bella 23.49 65 Anna Tratnyek (Can) Canadian National Team 24.09 66 Magan Long (USA) ACDA-Rona 27.56 67 Julia Farell (Can) Diet Cheerwine 28.04 68 Marielle Aunave (Fra) Mixed team espoirs Laval 28.14 69 Julie Bélanger (Can) Diet Cheerwine 31.54 70 Jenny Trew (Can) Canadian National Team 31.55 71 Kylie case (Can) Canadian National Team 41.52 Points Classification after stage 2 1 Oenone Wood (Aus) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 25 pts 2 Geneviève Jeanson (Can) ACDA-Rona 21 3 Christine Thorburn (USA) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 13 4 Annette Beutler (Swi) Quark 13 5 Dorte Lohse Rasmussen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 13 6 Judith Arndt (Ger) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 7 7 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 7 8 Erinne Willock (Can) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 6 9 Grace Fleury (USA) Quark 5 10 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 5 11 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 4 12 Lynn Gaggioli (USA) Biovail 2 13 Susan Palmer-Komar (Can) Colavita/Cooking Light 1 Mountains Classification after stage 2 1 Geneviève Jeanson (Can) ACDA-Rona 30 pts 2 Lynn Gaggioli (USA) Biovail 12 3 Christine Thorburn (USA) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 8 4 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 7 5 Erinne Willock (Can) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 7 6 Annette Beutler (Swi) Quark 6 7 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 3 8 Oenone Wood (Aus) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 3 9 Susan Palmer-Komar (Can) Colavita/Cooking Light 1 10 Judith Arndt (Ger) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 1 Sprint Classification after stage 2 1 Oenone Wood (Aus) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 25 pts 2 Geneviève Jeanson (Can) ACDA-Rona 25 3 Christine Thorburn (USA) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 14 4 Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Nobili Rubinetterie-Menikini Cogeas 12 5 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Safi-Pasta Zara Manhatta 8 6 Annette Beutler (Swi) Quark 7 7 Dorte Lohse Rasmussen (Den) Team S.A.T.S 7 8 Judith Arndt (Ger) Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung 6 9 Grace Fleury (USA) Quark 6 10 Lynn Gaggioli (USA) Biovail 6 11 Erinne Willock (Can) Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team 1 Teams Classification stage 2 1 QUARK (QRK) 2 Webcor Builders Women's Cycling Team (WEB) 3 Équipe Nurnberger Versicherung (NUR) 4 Nobili Rubinetterie - Menikini Cogeas (NMC) 5 Team S.A.T.S (TSA) 6 Colavita/Cooking Light (CCL) 7 Federacion Colombiana de Ciclismo (FFC) 8 Équipe Nationale du Canada (ENC) 9 Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan(SAF) 10 ACDA -Rona (ACD) 11 Velo Bella (VBL) 12 Subway (SUB) 13 Ellicyle Sport expert Louis Garneau (ELI) 14 Équipe du Québec (QUE) 15 Diet Cheerwine (DCH)
