The International (Tour de Toona) - NE

Pennsylvania, USA, July 28-August 3, 2003

2002 results Stage List Preview Start List Past winners Photos

The Stages

Stage 1 - July 28: Broad Avenue ITT, 3.5 miles
Stage 2 - July 29: Johnstown Circuit Road Race, 74 miles
Stage 3 - July 30: Johnstown-Altoona Road Race, 100 miles
Stage 4 - July 31: Hollidaysburg Circuit Road Race, 60 miles
Stage 5 - August 1: Martinsburg Circuit Road Race, 80 miles
Stage 6 - August 2: Altoona/Blair County Road Race, 93.8 miles
Stage 7 - August 3: Downtown Altoona Criterium, 35 miles

Photos

Stage 1

Eventual winner Lyne Bessette concentrates on the starting ramp.
T-Mobile's Kristin Johnson (Tom Danielson's girlfriend) readies for her prologue start.

Stage 2

The men's field snakes through the main highway in Johnstown.
There was no danger of flooding today during the men's race.
Aussie Nathan O'Neill (Saturn-TIMEX) played the role of a domestique prior to taking the yellow jersey the following day.
An early break gets away.
US National TT champion Chris Baldwin (Navigators) was in yellow for 5 out of 7 days.
The winning break of Webcor's Marc Hagenlocher (left) and Snow Valley's Kris Hedges battle a headwind.
The women's peloton rides alongside the massive flood culverts in Johnstown.
The women's field rolls along the Johnstown countryside.
Chrsitine Thorburn (Basis) tries to snatch a QOM sprint but sees Geneviéve Jeanson fast approaching from behind.
The women's peloton crosses over one of many bridges.
Geneviéve Jeanson (Rona-Esker) is marked by former teammate Amy Moore (Saturn-TIMEX).
Rona-Esker riders Catherine Marsal (right) and Magali LeFloch sandwich U23 national champion Megan Elliot (Saturn-TIMEX).

Stage 3

The yellow jersey of Chris Baldwin (Navigators) stayed at the front.
2002 Elite US National road champion Scottie Weiss (West Virginia) tried to get away within the first mile.
The men's field gets going fast early in the stage.
Johanna Buick (worldiff.com) and Amy Moorse (Saturn-TIMEX) sit at the front of the field.
Cervelo's Leigh Hobson (right) and Diet Rite's Kerry Soraci (left) sit in the field.
Saturn-TIMEX teammates Amy Moore (left) and Ina Teutenberg (right) lead the field.
A color-coordinated Lyn Gaggioli (Velo Bella) worked on her tan.
Geneviéve Jeanson attacked within the first mile and stayed away for the next 30 minutes.
Nobody could stay with Jeanson on the climb.
Ina Teutenberg (Saturn-TIMEX) and Magali LeFloch (Rona) bridged up to Bessette.
Bessette and Teutenberg could see Jeanson up the road, but they couldn't close the gap.
Lyn Gaggioli (left) and Cybil DiGuistini (right) lead the chase group up the that eventually caught Jeanson and Bessette.
Bessette held onto Jeanson's wheel over the climb to the Blue Knob ski resort.
Magali LeFloch (Rona-Esker) dropped Teutenberg early on the climb and nearly held on for the stage win.
Last year's overall winner Heather Albert (Basis) was at her limit on the climb.
Tim Johnson, Andy Jacques-Maynes, and Doug Ollerenshaw get a 6:00 lead over the peloton.
KOM winner Tim Johnson (Saturn-TIMEX) on the descent from the Blue Knob ski resort.
The men's lead break passes by the resevoir before the Blue Knob climb.
Tim Johnson took the KOM over 3,000 foot climb.

Stage 4

The men's field tolls along.
The eventual winner (Swindlehurst) would come from the break.
Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators) put in a maximum effort with 2 miles to go.
Baldwin went down in a different crash from O'Neill's.
The women's field rolls through the countryside.
Meshy Holt (right) and Nicole Demars (Victory Brewing) sporting the Lion King paint job.
Race winner Cameron Evans tucks in the draft of Chuck Coyle.
Ian Dille (Snow Valley) takes a flyer with 3 miles to go.

Stage 5

Laura van Gilder (Saturn-TIMEX) drove the break and then took the stage win.
Collegiate national champion Kate Maher made the break.
Laura van Gilder (Saturn-TIMEX) ditched the break with 5 miles to go.
Only Erinne WIllock (Rona-Esker) could follow van Gilder's attack.

Stage 6

The women's peloton needed a foghorn.
Riding in the clouds.
The green jersey, the yellow jersey, and the red jersey.
Anyone see a tugboat?
Danielson (Saturn-TIMEX) dropped Bergman (Bianchi) on the hardest climb and went on to win.
Baldwin and Horner were at their max on the tough climb, 90 seconds behind Danielson.
Lieswyn and 7-Up/Maxxis teammate Jason McCartney led the yellow jersey over the top of the climb.
John Lieswyn was looking for extra oxygen.
Mark Walters (right) got a free tow to the stage victory, as Danielson (left) took the overall.

Images by James Moro

The peloton cuts through the thick fog that covered the countryside early Saturday morning...
... but cannot escape the mist that enshrouds the countryside.
Scottie Weiss (West Virginia Cycling) and Eneas Freyre (Lemond Fitness) lead the peloton through Blair county.
Matt Svatek (Sportsbook.com) increases the pace through the dense fog engulfing Blair county.
The main bunch work hard to keep up with the change of pace.
Setting his sights on the first points sprint of the day, Peter Hult (Sportsbook.com) launches a solo attack on the run into downtown Altoona.
Saturn rider Tim Johnson tests his legs on the rolling hills outside downtown Altoona.
A dangerous-looking group containing Tim Johnson (Saturn) attacks early on as the peloton headed towards the the first climb of the day.
Jeremy Spartain of Team Bianchi-Grand Performance leads the break.
Eneas Freyre (Lemond Fitness) does his share of the work on the approach to the first climb.
Scottie Weiss and Tim Johnson lead the breakaway up the 4.1 mile climb to the summit of the Blue Knob ski resort.
The group nails their lead over the chasing peloton, with the gap blowing out to five minutes.
Scottie Weiss (West Virginia Cycling) keeps the group together on the tough climb.
The road rears up ahead… but the breakaway dial up the pace.
Scottie Weiss seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much on the 3,000 ft. climb.
The front group soon approaches the summit.
The chase group screams down the long and twisting descent in pursuit of the break up the road, reaching speeds in excess of 65 mph.
Overall GC leader Chris Baldwin (Navigators) leads a chase group up Sugar Run after the peloton split to pieces on Blue Knob Hill.
Tom Danielson (Saturn) leads his team-mate Tim Johnson (Saturn), Mark Walters (Navigators), and Brice Jones (7up-Maxxis) in a counterattack on the approach to the 2,500 ft. climb up Horseshoe Curve.
Tom Danielson sets a blistering pace with 10 miles to go, the two Saturn riders riding with sheer strength in an attempt to drop Jones (7up-Maxxis) and Walters (Navigators).
Brice Jones cracks under the pressue set by Danielson, but manages to hold onto a very respectable 6th place on today's difficult stage.
Chris Wherry (Navigators) drives the 12-man chase group up Horseshoe Curve, managing to bring back the gap down to 40 seconds.
Jason McCartney (7up-Maxis) counterattacks the chasing group with 5 miles until the run into downtown Altoona, but is not able to bridge up to help his teammate.
Mark Walters (Navigators) forces the two Saturn riders to do all of the work on the descent into downtown Altoona...
... but neither Saturn rider could find the legs to beat Walters in the sprint.
Chris Horner (Saturn) battles it out with Chris Baldwin (Navigators) in the sprint for fourth.
The stage podium - (L to R) Tom Danielson (Saturn, 2nd), Mark Walters (Navigators, 1st) and Tim Johnson (Saturn, 3rd).
Tim Johnson proudly displays his King of the Mountains jersey.
Ian Dille (Team Snow Valley) dons the sprinter's green jersey.
Tom Danielson feels the confidence as he dons the last of his yellow jerseys.
The final podium - Tom Danielson (Saturn, M) wins the Tour de Toona, with Navigators Mark Walters (L) and Chris Baldwin (R) takind 2nd and 3rd.
Team Saturn stand tall on the podium as winners of the team classification.