March 30/02 11:11 am - Solano Final-Wohlberg & Bessette Second

Posted by Editor on 03/30/02
 

Solano Bicycle Classic - California
Courtesy Team Saturn

The third and final stage of the Solano Bicycle Classic, the GeniSoy Criterium, was held in downtown Fairfield. The eight corner, fast course was the perfect stage for an exciting crowd pleaser, and a great way to finish up the seven week California racing campaign for the North American peloton. Having come out of the past weeks of competing with some impressive results, Talgo America and Diet Rite, both newly reorganized teams, were looking for one more win to cap off their already encouraging California campaign.

The women's one hour timed event was raced purely for the stage win as race leader, Lyne Bessette, seemingly secured her leader's jersey with her outstanding time trial yesterday, but things in a bike race can change in the blink of an eye. The attacks began from the gun with the Saturn Team trying to stir things up. Immediately, breaks began to form, but it was not until half way through that the winning break formed with Canadian Alison Sydor, Joanne Kiesonski (Diet Rite) and Saturn teammates Judith Arndt and Ina Teutenberg. Teutenberg and Arndt continued to attack the other two riders, finally shaking the tenacious Sydor off their wheels with ten laps to go. From there it was only the finish line the two were thinking about, until Arndt suffered a mishap which required a bike change with only one lap to go.

Teutenberg kept going, soloing in for the win, rabbit ears and all, with Arndt finishing second only mere seconds behind the charging field which saw Kiesonski taking third. Unplanned, Arndt had collected enough time while off the front to move over Bessette in the overall by four seconds. Their Saturn teammate Kimberly Bruckner maintained her third place in GC and the Saturn Team took home the Team Overall as well. Arndt won the sprint jersey and Bessette collected the climber's jersey.

Unlike in the women's GeniSoy Criterium, the men's ninety minute race, held on the same course as the women's, a lot more was up for grabs. After yesterday's stage win, Saturn's Eric Wohlberg had moved into third in the overall, only 43 seconds behind race leader Chris Horner. Breathing down Wohlberg's neck for a podium spot by only five seconds was Horner's Prime Alliance teammate, Danny Pate.

Things at the men's race heated up as one by one Saturn and Mercury took their turns attacking the field in an attempt to move their key riders into the hotly sought after Leader's Jersey. But Horner's Prime Alliance Team, keen on winning their third consecutive tour, was unwilling to let anything get away. Wherry came into the pit mid-way through the race for a wheel change, which after inspection from the officials was deemed unworthy of free laps, putting him down on the field one lap and moving Wohlberg into second place.

In the last five laps the lead-out trains stretched the field two blocks long, with Prime Alliance, and race leader Horner amassed at the front. Coming out of the final corner it was Prime Alliance's Jonas Carney, Mercury's Gord Fraser and 7-Up's Greg Henderson side by side until the final millimeters in a photo finish. After looking at the film, the officials determined it was Henderson over Carney and Fraser, respectively. Horner maintained the Leader's Jersey in front of Wohlberg and Lieswyn in third. Mercury's Mike Sayers won the sprinter's competition.

Unofficial Results

Women
1. Ina Teutenberg - Saturn Cycling Team
2. Judith Arndt - Saturn Cycling Team
3. Joanne Kiesonaski - Diet Rite

Final GC
1. Judith Arndt - Saturn Cycling Team
2. Lyne Bessette - Saturn Cycling Team at 0:04
3. Kimberly Bruckner - Saturn Cycling Team

Men
1. Jonas Carney - Prime Alliance
2. Greg Henderson - 7-Up
3. Gord Fraser - Mercury

Final GC
1. Chris Horner - Prime Alliance
2. Eric Wohlberg - Saturn Cycling Team at 0:40
3. John Lieswyn - 7-UP 0:44


Bessette termine au deuxième rang

30 mars 2002 (Sportcom) - Lyne Bessette a terminé dans le peloton principal de la troisième et dernière étape de la Solano Bicycle Classic qui avait lieu samedi, à Fairfield, en Californie. Première au classement général avant cette étape finale, un critérium de 60 minutes, Bessette détenait une avance de 9 secondes sur sa coéquipière Judith Arndt.

Des représentantes de l'équipe Saturn, Judith Arndt et Ina Teutenberg, se sont échappées d'un groupe de fugitives qui avait déjà déserté le peloton. Teutenberg, qui portait des oreilles de lapin de Pâques sur son casque (gracieuseté de Lyne Bessette) a été la première à franchir le fil d'arrivée." Ce n'est pas bien grave ", a expliqué Bessette, qui termine au deuxième au classement général final, 4 secondes derrière Arndt. " On a eu une super course et tout ce qu'on (l'équipe Saturn) voulait c'était de finir 1-2-3 sur le podium. "

" Cette course-ci, j'ai vraiment senti que j'ai commencé à " décoller " ", a souligné la cycliste de 27 ans, faisant référence à son début de saison. " Cette année, les courses ont été difficiles : Geneviève (Jeanson) nous a fait travailler et on a dø chasser et mettre en pratique nos tactiques. Tout ça, c'est bon pour la forme. "

L'athlète de Knowton mettra le cap sur la Belgique dans deux semaines afin de participer à la Flèche Wallonne. Cette course comptant pour le circuit de la Coupe du monde a été remportée par Geneviève Jeanson en 2000.