June 11/09 10:25 am - Tour de Beauce: Stage 3 UPDATES

Posted by Editoress on 06/11/09
 

Stage 3: Saint-Georges to Mont-Mégantic, 155 km

The rain seems to have moved on this morning, but high clouds remain.  It is 15C this morning and a bit humid.

10:20 am:  15 km completed and while there have been lots of attacks and counter attacks, nothing has stuck and the peloton is all together.

10:35 pm:  The attacks continue and this is keeping the pace quite high (averaging 55kmph) higher than expected and they are ahead of schedule as they have already covered 25km and are approaching the first Sprint point of the day at St-Honoré

10:45 am:  Dionne wins the Sprint (GPM), with Beyer 2nd and Cruz 3rd

11 am:  Just past the sprint San Bewley (Trek Livestrong) jumped off the front and now as they near the 30 km pt has nearly 2 minutes on the peloton

Yesterday, first time Director Sportifs Dom Perras (Team Canada) and Matt Toulouse (Team Quebec) where fined for "unseemly behaviour" in the peloton.  The fine (UCI rule 12.1.040.29) carries a fee of 50 Swiss francs.  The officials would not elaborate but this morning Rob spoke to both "offenders" and they came clean.

Dom Perras:  Matt Bell got a flat, so we stopped and the mechanic fixed it quickly.  Bell was quickly back on the road, but then got another one (flat).  Bell had been in the main bunch but by the time we fixed it he was facing a hard chase to get back on,  so I decided to motor pace him back up.  I was warned once by an official, but I ignored them.  Thus the fine.

Matt Toulose:  Guillaume Boivin (Team Quebec) became tangled up in his jacket while trying to remove it.  I had the mechanic assist him while he (Boivin) held onto the car.  I was fined for imprope use of the mechanic.

11:35 am:  San Bewley has been joined by an additonal 15 riders and they have a gap of 2:20 on the peloton.

List of 16 leaders: David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies), Ryan Baumann, Cody Campbell, Benjamin King, San Bewley(Trek Livestrong), Steve Bova, Antonio Cruz (BMC Racing Team), Walker Savidge (Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23), Dan Craven (Rapha Condor), Alesandro Bazzanna, Charles Dionne (Fly V Australia), Moises Aldape Chavez, Christopher Jones (Team Type 1), François Parisien, Eric Boily (Planet Energy), Janis Rezins (Latvian National Team)

They are at 60 kms

11:55 am:  At 70 km.  The break is not working together and the gap is dropping - now 1:20.  Fly V is at the front of the peloton chasing hard.

12:05 pm:  Now at 85 km and the gap is 30 seconds

Parisien and Bewley have attacked from the break and gone clear.  Peloton is moving closer and will soon catch the remnants of the break

12:45pm:  100 kms in.  We have a new  group (of 20) off the front of the peloton - 2:25 gap.  Unsure if Parisien and Bewley are in it or still away or are back in the pack

UPDATE:  Early break caught at 110 km.  Shortly afteward another attack was launched and 22 went away and quickly established a gap of over 2 min.

NOTE:  Reports are going to get difficult.  Cell coverage is spotty at best in the region AND the problem is compounded by the COMPLETE LACK of Rogers coverage in the area (Bell and Telus only).  Locals say you cannot even purchase a Rogers phone of any kind locally!

1:03pm:  There are  22 in the break and consists of:  Cameron Evans, (Canadian National Team), Neil Shirley, Scott Zwizanski, Jacob Erker, (Kelly Benefit Strategies), Bjorn Selanler, (Trek Livestrong), Martin Kohler, Steve Bovay, Antonio Cruz, (BMC Racing Team), Raymond Kreder, Peter Salon, (Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23), Kristian House, Simon Richardson, (Rapha Condor), Phillip Zajicek, (Fly V Australia), Sergio Luis Henao, Darwin Atapuma, William Rodriguez, (Colombian National Team), Matt Wilson, Christopher Jones, Valeriy Kobzarenko, Ian MacGregor, (Team Type 1), Bruno Langlois, (Planet Energy), Gatis Smukulis, (Latvian National Team)

They have over 2 min on the pelton.  Group now 16.  Evans,  Erker and Langlois still there.

105 km:   2nd KOM was won by Darwin Atapuma (Colombia)

115 km:  gap is 2:45.  Planet Energy at front of peloton.

Sprint #2 at 123 km won by Sergio Luis Henao (Colombia),

1:28pm:  20 km to go.  Break is down to 13 riders

1:40pm:  10 km to go and the gap is 3:10.  Climb starts in 5 km and the front bunch has 2 Colombians!

Final

Unofficial

1 Darwin Atapuma (Col) Colombian National Team
2 Sergio Luis Henao (Col) Colombian National Team
3 Neil Shirley (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
4 Bjorn Selanler (USA) Trek Livestrong
5 Christopher Jones (USA) Team Type 1
6 Scott Zwizanski (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
7 Steve Bovay (Sui) BMC Racing Team
8 Ian MacGregor (USA) Team Type 1
9 Phillip Zajicek (USA) Fly V Australia

Cam Evans (Can) Canadian National Team,  made top 15