June 27/09 17:01 pm - Road Nationals: Women's Road Race Report, PHOTOS and Full Results

Posted by Editoress on 06/27/09
 

Alison Testroete (Total Restoration) took the biggest win of her cycling career on Saturday, when she outkicked favourite Gina Grain (Webcor) to win the Canadian national women's road title in a sprint finish with a time of three hours, 35 minutes and 22 seconds for the 135 kilometre race.  Merrill Collins (La Bicicletta/J Lindeberg) finished third with the same time, as did fourth placed Joelle Numainville (Equipe du Quebec), who won the Under-23 age category title.  Numainville was actually leading the sprint with less than 200 metres to go, when her shoe unclipped, causing her to swerve halfway across the road.

Photos

The race seemed destined to come down to a sprint, with most of the climbing in the first half of the 45 kilometre loop the women covered three times, and a long descent in the second half to bring any breaks back.

Grain's team mate Erinne Willock definitely took the Most Aggressive Rider award, attacking less than one kilometre into the race and stretching her lead to nearly a minute before she was brought back near the end of the first lap.  On the second lap, Anne Samplonius (Lip Smacker) and Moriah MacGregor (Cycling BC) tried the same thing, but didn't build up as much of a gap before time trial champion Tara Whitten (Velocity Cycling Club) went to the front and pulled them back.

On the last lap, Samplonius tried to go on the first climb without success, but Willock waited until the false flat after the climb to launch another attempt.  She did open a gap, and was quickly joined by Samplonius.  The duo got their lead up to 20 seconds before the bunch started to pull them back and, with 30 kilometres remaining in the race, it looked like the break was over, with a gap of only a couple of hundred metres.

However, Willock and Samplonius persevered, and the chase became disorganized, as no one wanted to go out into the crosswind, so the gap began to grow again.  With 23 kilometres, it was up to 40 seconds, and a two up sprint was looking like it had possibilities.  Unfortunately, it wasn't enough when the race hit the long descent and Numainville went to the front, and within four kilometres the field was back together.

"Anne and I were working well together," said Willock. "I had a green light the whole race to get in a breakaway that worked, because we always have the backup of Gina as a sprinter.  But we hit that big long descent, and you're doing 50 kilometres an hour, and the pack is just so much faster than two riders alone.  It's a really hard course to stay away on because you are always hitting a descent or a headwind."

Once Samplonius and Willock were back in the fold, everyone seemed to settle down and wait for the sprint.  The final kilometre consisted of a slight uphill as the road curved to the right.  Willock was the first to go, leading out Grain, with Numainville then jumping onto the wheel of her team mate Audrey Lemieux, who delivered Numainille to the front with 250 metres remaining.

Numainville had a gap on Grain, who was behind and to her right, with Testroete starting her attack a little later and over to the left.  With about 150 metres to go, Numainville unclipped, swerving to the left, causing Grain to check her momentum, while Testroete continued to fly up on the left side of the road.  Grain got going again, but it was too late, with Testroete winning by half a bike length.

"Joelle was having a great sprint, and I was beside-behind her when she unclipped," commented Grain.  "I certainly hesitated, and I can't say that was the reason for my second place, but when something like that happens ... I thought I was actually going down at one point because there was a bit of chaos, so I had to readjust my line, and whenever you have to do that you are losing some momentum."

For Numainville, it was a bittersweet victory in the U23 category.  "Of course, I am happy to win [the U23 title], it is a great victory.  But I had a small gap and my pedal unclipped and I totally lost control.  I was first with maybe a hundred meteres to go and I lost control.  I'm really happy to win [U23], but when you are so close to winning it all, it is a disappointment as well.  But this is part of the sport, so what can you do."

"This is definitely a huge win for me; I've been mainly racing local races this year.  Hopefully it will give me a bit of leverage with teams for next year," said Testroete.  "Nobody really had an organized leadout, so it was really just choosing wheels [to follow].  I was getting a bit boxed in and then stuck out in the wind, but it was a longer sprint and a bit uphill, which suits me.  With about 200 metres to go I was actually behind Joelle and Gina, and then Joelle unclipped and I went around her.  I knew that I really wanted to win today, so I made sure that I had a bit of power left for the end.  I'm a bit hit and miss in sprinting, but when I work at it I can be a pretty good sprinter."

Results from today's Women's Road Race