Sea Otter Classic - 2.3

Monterey, California, USA, April 9 - 12, 2003

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Stage 4 - April 12: Road Race, Laguna Seca

Images by Bob Wilson/Bob Wilson Photography

• Danny Pate (Prime Alliance) and Jacob Erker (Schroeder Iron) escaped at the 25 mile mark.
• Pate (Prime Alliance) and Erker (Schroeder Iron) dangled off the front for over 80 miles before being reeled in by Team Saturn.
• The Saturn boys on the front, closing down the break for their man Nathan O'Neill.
• The peloton reach the top of the climb en masse.
• Inclement weather made for a slippery descent.
• The start of the women's race was almost a mirror image of the men's, with an early two-woman escape.
• The two escapees breathed a sigh of relief at the crest of the climb...
• ... but the peloton weren't far behind.
• The parcours made for a gruelling road race today, and the bodies and faces showed.
• The men's field come back on the Laguna Seca raceway.
• Matt Decanio (Prime Alliance) on his way to a solo win.
• Always a professional - Decanio (Prime Alliance) looks behind just to make sure before raising his arms aloft.
• With a 38 second margin, Matt Decanio (Prime Alliance) had plenty of time for a well-earned victory salute.
• Gord Fraser (Health Net) pips Matt Dubberley (Sierra Nevada - Cannondale) in the sprint for second.
• In another solo victory, powerful Saturn rider Manon Jutras won the women's gruelling road race ahead of her Saturn team mate, defending Sea Otter champion Lyne Bessette.
• The sprint for the minor placings.
• The men's podium for the final stage.
• The points classification winners on the podium: Gord Fraser (Health Net, L, 3rd), Michael Creed (Prime Alliance, M, 1st) and Tom Danielson (Saturn Cycling Team, R, 2nd)
• Chris Horner (Saturn Cycling Team) lends an ear to a mates-only joke.
• It was all Saturn on the podium for the first three places on overall classification, with Nathan O'Neill standing tallest
• Team Saturn have proven to be the dominant US team so far this season, and by some margin.
• Petite yet powerful - as well as taking out the overall, Geneviève Jeanson (Equipe Cycliste Rona-Esker) also took the overall in the points classification at Sea Otter.
• The women's stage winners salute the crowd.
• Give me a T, give me a M… the smiling faces of Team T-Mobile are honoured as winners of the teams classification.
• I'm going shopping! Geneviève Jeanson (Equipe Cycliste Rona-Esker) knows where she's going after this race.

Images by Mark Shimahara/Bikezen.com

• On the ascent of Laurles Grade, four riders including Ina Teutenberg (Saturn) and Magali Lefloch (Rona Esker) break away.
• With a break of four ahead, the women ascend "The Grade".
• Manon Jutrus (Saturn) wins with teammate Lyne Bessette close behind.
• Jutrus gives a thumbs up after winning the final stage of the Sea Otter Classic.
• A break of three riders including Danny Pate (Prime Alliance) and Jacob Erker (Schroeder Iron) gaps the field on Laurles Grade.
• Danny Pate's (Prime Alliance) pace only allows Eckers to hang on; ultimately Pate's work would set the stage for DeCanio's victory.
• While Pate's break is up the road, Saturn attempts to control the pack.
• Matt Decanio (Prime Alliance) digs deep with one lap to go and the pack closing in.
• The pack attempts to close down on DeCanio.
• One of the more philanthropic members of the peloton, Matt DeCanio, who helps victims of sexual assault, digs deep to win the final stage of the Sea Otter Classic.
• Gord Fraser (Health Net) wins the field sprint for second.
• Charlottesville native, Matt Decanio (Prime Alliance) speaks with his father moments after the race to explain that he just won "a hundred mile bike race".
• After holding his overall position after a wet and miserable road race, Danielson (Saturn) is hounded by the press.

Stage 3 - April 11: Circuit race, Laguna Seca, 40 km/60 km

Images by Bob Wilson/Bob Wilson Photography

• The start was a slow one as the women were not happy about their race being rescheduled
• Amber Neben (T-Mobile) in the thick of it on lap one
• Here comes the cavalry
• Laura Van Gilder (Saturn) at the top of the Laguna Seca 'corkscrew'
• Lyne Bessette leads the peloton at about the mid-way point
• Riders descend from the hill on the Laguna Seca course
• Genevieve Jeanson and Lyne Bessette worked together in a powerful breakaway
• Lyne Bessette leads the break
• Lyne Bessette celebrates as she beats Jeanson to the line
• Genevieve Jeanson waits for the award ceremony
• Genevieve Jeanson gives an interview
• Rugged up against the chill, Lyne Bessette waits for the podium
• The women's podium
• Somewhere in there is a bike race
• Sea Otter only gets a few riders entering
• A bunch of lollies… or a pair of Jelly Belly riders.
• Saturn leads the bunch out
• Saturn riders sticking together
• The breakaway is on
• Ever get the feeling you are being followed?
• Sweeping corners that are usually the domain of race cars
• A brief chance to catch your breath
• The breakaway continues
• … then you add the chilli and black pepper.
• Michael Creed (Prime Alliance) crosses the line
• The race for third place
• Third place winner Gord Fraser (Health Net)
• Second place went to Tom Danielson of Saturn
• And in first place, Michael Creed
• Michael Creed also wears the green jersey

Images by Mark Shimahara/Bikezen.com

• After several laps a break begins to form.
• The inital break included Zabriskie (USPS), Pate (Prime Aliance), Danielson (Saturn), Larsen (AltoVelo), and McManus (Jelly Belly-Carlsbad).
• Saturn tried to control the race and protect their overall GC.
• The technical track and strong winds broke the pack in pieces. Here Lieswyn (7-Up) and Friedrick (Jelly Belly-Carlsbad) lead a chase.
• Despite controlling the field throughout the race, the Saturn train couldn't hold back Creed.
• The initial break of five dwindled to just Michael Creed and Tom Danielson.
• Creed wins stage 3.
• Fraser wins the field sprint for third place.
• Teammate and friend Danny Pate congratulates Creed on his victory.

Stage 2 - April 10: Laguna Seca Time trial, 12 miles

Images by Bob Wilson/Bob Wilson Photography

• Nicole Freedman (Basis) grits her teeth as she struggles with the ascent
• With 30 seconds between riders passing on the hill was common
• A rider from Team Veloclips tackles the climb
• Manon Jutras (Saturn) and support car
• Kim Bruckner (T-Mobile) seems to have recovered from Redlands with a solid second place
• Genevieve Jeanson (Rona-Esker) was once again unbeatable on the climb
• The women's podium featuring Genevieve Jeanson (Rona-Esker) in her usual top spot
• Team Marco Polo - traveling round the world to race
• Nathan O'Neill (Saturn) kept digging and never got to the bottom of his reserves
• Dave Zabriskie (US Postal Service) pants his way to fourth place
• On your left!
• The TV guys get up close with Robbie Ventura (US Postal)
• Kurt Hackler (CDS/WCS) looks like he's almost out of air at the top
• I have you now, Bond!
• Are we there yet? Almost.
• Tom Danielson (Saturn) showing the effort for a good time
• Matt Dubberley (Sierra Nevada) is faster in a sprint than a climb
• Being passed by one of Saturn's mountain goats is no disgrace
• Lower the blast shield! A Navigators rider gets space-age.
• Chris Horner (Saturn) approaches the finish on the final climb
• The men's podium was once again the Saturn trio of O'Neill, Danielson and Horner

Stage 1 - April 9: Circuit Race, Redwood City

Images by Bob Wilson/Bob Wilson Photography

• Plenty of spare wheels
• Vaniqa riders warm up before the start
• Lyne Bessette (Saturn) and Genevieve Jeanson (Rona), ready for the off
• The women's race gets underway
• Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) leads the women's field
• Shadowed by Mavic yellow the women climb again
• The final selection stayed together despite Jeanson's and T-Mobile's efforts
• Kim Bruckner (T-Mobile) managed to finish despite a buckled rear wheel
• The leading women take one of the course's many corners
• Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) narrowly edges out Dede Barry (T-Mobile) and Lyne Bessette (Saturn) in the sprint
• Jelly Belly rider Brian Forbes signs on
• The men's race gets off to a cautious start
• No dash for the holeshot as the men had already agreed to neutralise the first two laps
• Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) gets busy with the fizzy
• The women's podium
• A day out in leafy suburbia
• The men's peloton tackles one of the course's steep suburban climbs
• The men round the final corner into the finish
• Mike Sayers (Healthnet) gets the men's sprint win
• The men's podium - all 'unofficial' of course
• Mike Sayers (Healthnet) chases the competition off the podium
• Dede Barry (T-Mobile) was delighted with second place
• Lyne Bessette (Saturn) gives interview and beams from the podium
• Miguel Meza (Schroeder Iron) on the podium
• Mike 'many jerseys' Sayers shows off his wardrobe from the podium

Images by Stuart Bone

• The riders have stopped. The peloton is confused.
• Johnathan Vaughters explaining an altered/shorter race route to the peloton after the riders stopped the circuit race because they felt that the race was too dangerous due to the auto traffic on the course.
• Floyd Landis and Chann McRae share a joke during the stop
• The peloton laughs during the stop as Dave Zabriskie of US Postal makes a joke
• John Lieswyn of 7Up comes in off the sidewalk as the riders start rolling.
• Another shot of Vaughters talking to the peloton
• Randomly parked cars (like the black SUV shown here on the right) on the race course were one of the concerns of the riders.
• Victor Rapinski of Saturn doesn't like the way things are going.
• Floyd Landis, who suffered a broken hip earlier this year is back on the bike, feeling strong, and says that he will race the Tour this year.
• The sprint for the finish
• The bunch finishes

Images by Ruben Villarreal

• The front of the men's field on lap one
• Genevieve and Rona at the front
• Kristin Armstrong goes off the front on the last lap
• Team Cliff's Gina Hall chases on the climb

Images by Garrett Lau

• Genevieve Jeanson grinds her way up the climb
• Erin Kassoy showing the strain
• The women's field passes one of many driveways that worried the riders
• Nicole Freedman continues the climb
• Saturn leads the women's field
• Genevieve Jeanson still leads
• The Men's field casually climb after deciding to shorten the race due to safety reasons
• The riders enjoy a few laughs

Images by Mark Shimahara/Bikezen.com

• Jeanson (Rona-Esker) pops open the champaign as Barry (T-Mobile)and Bessette (Saturn) fearfully look on.
• The top five women finishers of stage one.
• The third through fourth place women (Dede Demet-Barry, Lyne Bessette, and Nicole Demars) patiently wait for Jeanson to arrive to the awards ceremony.
• Pro men line up for stage one of the Sea Otter Classic.
• Pro men begin their protested race.
• The men wind their way through the twisty neighborhood roads of Redwood City.
• Steve Larsen (Webcore) heads the charge up Summit Drive in lap two, with the San Francisco bay to his back.
• Mike Sayers (Healthnet) leads out the pack of selected leaders who would contest this protested race.

Images by Mark Shimahara/Bikezen.com

• Jeanson (Rona-Esker) pops open the champaign as Barry (T-Mobile)and Bessette (Saturn) fearfully look on.
• The top five women finishers of stage one.
• The third through fourth place women (Dede Demet-Barry, Lyne Bessette, and Nicole Demars) patiently wait for Jeanson to arrive to the awards ceremony.
• Pro men line up for stage one of the Sea Otter Classic.
• Pro men begin their protested race.
• The men wind their way through the twisty neighborhood roads of Redwood City.
• Steve Larson (Alto Velo) heads the charge up Summit Drive in lap two, with the San Francisco bay to his back.
• Mike Sayers (Healthnet) leads out the pack of selected leaders who would contest this protested race.