July 26/15 14:04 pm - Pan Am Road races: Report, Videos, Audio and Photos

Posted by Editor on 07/26/15
 

The cycling events at the Pan Am Games concluded Saturday with the women's and men's road races, and Canada went out strong with three medals, bringing the total medal tally for Canadian cyclists at the Games to 20 - more then double the previous high.

Jasmin Glaesser took her fourth medal of the Games and her second gold by winning the women's race while team mate Allison Beveridge won bronze - her second medal. Guillaume Boivin finished off the day with a bronze medal in the men's race.

The 16.5 kilometre route for the race started on Lakeshore Blvd opposite Ontario Place, heading west to Parkside Dr. then a short jog north before the riders turned left, entering High Park on Colborne Lodge Dr. for a short power climb to West Rd, then south out of the park, where they made two quick rights to Ellis Ave, heading north. After a false flat residential section there was a fast curving descent that took them into the most popular spectator section of the course - a left hand switchback and the steepest climb of the circuit. At the top of the climb they went right onto Bloor, heading east, right again to head south beside the park and left back onto Lakeshore, where they went past the start-finish line for a short loop through a parking lot to start the next lap. The women did 5 laps for 82.5 km and the men 10 laps for 165 km.

The women's race started out conservatively, with Canada and Cuba, the two strongest teams covering any small moves. A brief rain shower dampened the roads through High Park, but they dried out within a lap.

The decisive move happened near the end of lap three, when Glaesser attacked and Marlies Mejias bridged across. The U.S. tried to chase but, without the support of Canada and Cuba, they could not close the gap, and Lauren Tamayo crashing into a parked bike at the start of the final lap did not help.

Jasmin Glaesser beats Marlies Mejias to the line

Glaesser took her 4th Games medal

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The two leaders went over a minute clear, but as they entered the final half lap began to play cat and mouse. Mejias, based on the track events, was clearly the faster sprinter, however, Glaesser played it smart, forcing the Cuban to the front. Out of the final corner, the paired weaved across the road, with Mejias trying to get Glaesser into the lead. The Canadian was patient and with less then 200 metres to go jumped from the back and held off Mejias at the line. Beveridge easily won the field sprint for the bronze.



Jasmin Glaesser & Allison Beveridge

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The men's race started more aggressively, with numerous attacks in the opening laps of the ten lap competition. The lone American in the race, Eric Marcotte, was particularly aggressive, and was the first to establish a serious break after getting away on Lap 4. He was joined by riders from Mexico, Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela, but they were brought back by some strong work from Canada's Sean MacKinnon.

However, the attacks kept coming and the bunch was thinning. Canada lost both Remi Pelletier Roy and MacKinnon, leaving just Boivin and Hugo Houle. After six laps the situation had stabilized somewhat, with Marcotte, Diaz (Mexico) and Navarrette (Ecuador) away. They were 1:10 clear and there seemed to be disorganization in the chase. Canada wasn't doing the work and the Colombians, who had their strong sprinter Gaviria, had not stepped up.

Four up sprint for the medals

Eric Marcotte, Miguel Ubeto, Guillaume Boivin

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Finally, with two laps to go, Canada sent Houle to the front and Colombia sent Cano, and the gap started to come down. Entering the final lap the leaders still had 35 seconds and the chase was splintering the field. Marcotte attacked his breakaway companions, while Boivin, Miguel Ubeto (Venezuela) and Mauro Richeze (Argentina) dropped the rest of the field and bridged to Marcotte in the final five kilometres.

Ubeto came into the final straight in the lead with Marcotte second wheel and Boivin third. On paper, Boivin was the strongest sprinter in the group, but the Canadian road champion hesitated to start the sprint early into the headwind, and then got boxed in behind Ubeto and Marcotte. Ubeto took the win in a photo finish over Marcotte, with a bitterly disappointed Boivin third.

Guillaume Boivin
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Results

Women

Men

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Pan Am Games July 10/15 - July 26/15, Toronto area