August 21/97 22:51 pm - Tour Feminin, US Results, Jetform Tour Of Silicon North Story

Posted by Editor on 08/21/97
 

Tour Feminin

Stage 9, Albi to St. Pierre de Trivisy - 114.2 km

1. Valeria CAPPELLOTTO (Sanson) 3:20:27
2. Kathy Watt (Aus) s.t.
3. Valentina Gerassimova (Rus, Isoglass Goodyear) at 0:18
4. D. Vogel (Svi) 1:50
5. C. White (Aus) 1:54

GC

1. Fabiana LUPERINI (Sanson) 26:27:10
2. Barbara Heeb (Svi) at 2:57
3. Linda Jackson (Can) 3:58
4. V. Polkhanova (Rus) 4:54
5. J. Polikievicute (Lit) 5:13

Tomorrow‚s stage is an 18.6 individual time trial


Ontario Road Website

Chuck Bonnaffon, Newsletter editor for Ontario road and track has established a website for the Newslette. The address is on our Links page, but here it is again:

http://netrover.com/~cbonnaff/


Wendy's International Cycling Classic, Grandview Heights, OH.

1. Karen Livingston Saturn
2. Susy Pryde Saeco/Timex
3. Cheryl Binning Potomac Racing

6. Sue Palmer Canada (Saturn)


The Fall Meeting of the Ontario College of Commissaires will be held on Sunday 28th September, 1997 at 10.00a.m. at the offices of Sayers and Associates Limited, TID Division, 2283, Argentia Road, Units #'s 13 & 14, Mississauga. All Licensed Ontario Officials are invited to attend. Please advise (905) 814 - 8906 if you cannot make it.
Agenda items include: Review of 1997 season, recommendations or proposals to CCA and/or OCA, various officials courses for upgrading, review, other disciplines and to recruit new blood.


Jetform Tour of Silicon Valley North, Ottawa, Ontario (August 15-17)
(report by Phil Hunter)

Highly competitive fields were massed in Ottawa this past weekend for the JetForm Tour of Silicon Valley North stage race. The Senior 1-2 field was very top-heavy, and promised to put the local riders in a world of pain. Rolling to the line were national mountain bike team members Josh Hall (Schwinn) and Seamus McGrath (Kona), national champion Czeslaw Lukaszewicz (VB/Saeco), 1996 Olympian Jacques Landry and recently crowned Canada Cup champion Peter Wedge (both from Everfresh), super-strong men Mark Hlady (Ital Pasta) and Darko Ficko (Woodbridge Italia), Andrew Randall (Espoirs de Laval), Dominique Perras (Excellence Sports/Harveys), and defending champion Marc Cousineau (Schwinn).

Friday night's Rideau Health & Fitness miss & out at Capital City Speedway set the theme for the weekend of racing, fast and aggressive from the start. The race got under way just as the rain began to fall - in buckets. Laszlo Alberti (Team Sportable) set it off from the line, stretching the pack out half way around the 500m track. As the rain got heavier, the race blew apart, and the officials had to make some quick decisions in the interest of rider safety - there would be no miss & out, lapped riders would be pulled,
and anyone who wanted to pack it in for the night would receive the same finish time as the pack. This left a dozen or so riders on the track to go after the time bonuses.

Early in the race Mark Hlady (Ital Pasta), Marc Cousineau (Schwinn), and Aaron Fillion (Team Sportable) got away and and stayed at 15-30 seconds on the pack. The two Mark's (Marc's) traded sprints back and forth with Aaron picking up a few seconds as well. As the break got caught, Marc Cousineau decided he had enough and called it a night. As the first break got caught, Peter Wedge took off with Graham Plaunt (Team
Sportable) in tow, and grabbed a bit of time before a group including Lukaszewicz, Jacques Landry, and Mark Hlady bridged. At the line it was Czeslaw all the way, but with time bonuses it was Peter Wedge, Mark Hlady, and Jacques Landry as the top 3.

Things dried out for Saturday morning's Microsoft Gatineau Park Road Race, a 110 km affair on one of the premier race circuits in the country. The major climb, Fortune Lake Hill, was a great viewing area for the many spectators who came out to watch as the big guns took the local riders to school and showed them what real racing is. The action started early in the race, with a 3-man break getting a 90 second lead on the first of the 5 laps. After a couple of hard attacks, Jacques Landry got away and soloed across, as the gap climbed to 3:12 on a chase group, with the pack another minute
behind. With two laps to go, and thinking it was the last lap, Andrew Randall attacked hard and only Jacques Landry had the legs to follow. The two riders kept it turning smoothly and steadily increased their lead throughout the next lap over the chasing 6 consisting of Joe Giulliano (Ital Pasta), Simon Small (Ital Pasta), Dominique Perras (Excellence Sports/Harveys), Matt Hansen (Jet Fuel), Marc Cousineau (Schwinn), and Darko Ficko (Woodbridge Italia).

On the last lap, as Landry and Randall started to jockey a bit, Darko Ficko came out of nowhere to join the two leaders. Ross Knight, the motorcycle following the break, said, "I wish I had a camera to get the expression on Jacques' face when Darko rode up. I had just stopped to get a time check, and they were still at over a minute, and then all of a sudden there's Darko in my rear view mirror."

Darko blew as they hit the bottom of the final climb to the finish, leaving Landry and Randall to jockey with each other. At the finish it was Landry taking the stage over Andrew Randall. Darko Ficko hung on for third place, a very respectable finish for a guy who says he can't climb. The stage win also gave Landry the overall lead over Andrew Randall.

Sunday morning's Corel WordPerfect road race around the Corel Centre was pancake flat, but the consensus was that it was the hardest stage of the weekend. The riders had to go 18 laps of a wide open circuit with a permanent headwind. With several riders still in contention, the order of the day was single file death line gutter riding. Mark Hlady, Giovanni Trianna (Team Sportable), and Walter Meco (VB/Saeco) went early and steadily increased their lead over a pack controlled by the Everfresh duo of
Landry and Wedge. The gap climbed to 90 seconds and then Landry and Wedge went to work. First, Jacques pulled for a full lap of the 7 km circuit, averaging 45 km/h in the brutal wind. Then it was Peter's turn to do the same. Then it was back to Jacques again for another full lap. Soon after they caught the break, Darko Ficko went to work, stringing the front group out into the head/cross wind. Darko's pull was well over 50kph. He looked back once, was not satisfied with who he saw and pulled some more. Darko's pull ripped the front group apart, leaving only Marc Hlady, Jacques Landry, Peter Wedge, Lukaszewicz, Andrew Randall, Joe Guilliano, Walter Meco with Ficko. This group rode away to finish minutes up on a decimated pack. Many of the riders who abandoned stayed around to watch the finish, and everyone agreed that Lukaszewicz would probably win the stage. He didn't disappoint. Mark Hlady mad a strong bid for the stage, attacking after a series of efforts by Peter Wedge. Hlady opened an excellent gap in the final 2 km, but Lukaszewicz rocketed from the chase group with 500 metres to come around Hlady for the stage win. Hlady hung on for second, with Darko Ficko snagging another podium finish with third place. Jacques Landry kept the overall lead going into the afternoon's final stage, the Sportable Individual Time Trial.

The afternoon's 9.2 km TT on Richardson Side Road featured a short but steep climb known by locals as a hill that isn't easy to get over at the best of times, much less in the 4th race in 3 days. Jacques Landry took his second stage of the weekend and the overall lead with a 17 second victory over Darko Ficko. With his second place finish, Ficko capped an excellent weekend of racing by moving past Andrew Randall into second place overall. Aaron Fillion solid third place in the TT secured his 7th place overall his status as the top local rider. Andrew Randall tied for 4th place in the
time trial with Matt Hansen (Jet Fuel), putting him third overall for the weekend.

Senior 1/2 General Classification

1. Jacques Landry Everfresh 7:09:47
2. Darko Ficko Woodbridge Italia 7:10:42
3. Andrew Randall Espoirs de Laval 7:10:49
4. Joe Giulliano Ital Pasta 7:12:38
5. Peter Wedge Everfresh 7:13:30
6. Czeslaw Lukasewich VB/Saeco 7:15:09
7. Aaron Fillion Team Sportable 7:16:51
8. Mark Hlady Ital Pasta 7:18:08
9. Walter Meco VB/Saeco 7:19:22
10. Dominique Perras Excellence/Harveys 7:20:34




The Vet/Senior 3 saw three different overall leaders during the course of the weekend. Friday night's miss & out for the Vet/Senior 3 field was completed before the rain came down, but there were several crashes nonetheless. Independant rider Dan Leger collected enough time bonuses to become the overall leader and wear the Giordana Leader's Jersey in stage 2, the Microsoft Gatineau Park road race, with Craig Burge and Peter Metuzals close behind. Unfortunately for Dan, a flat early in the first of four laps of the Gatineau Park put an end to his chances for the weekend. He chased hard the entire race, but never regained the lost time. Several strong attacks saw the field worn down a bit before the finish, a torturous 1400 metre climb up to Ski Fortune. On the last lap, the gloves came off, and constant attacks split things up further. At the finish it was junior rider Charlie Gorman (Espoirs de Laval) stomping up the hill with Drew McCutcheon (Team Sportable) in hot pursuit. Third on the stage was Derek Teed (Sportable). These 3 riders were now the top 3 on G.C., with several others only a few second behind.

Sunday morning saw the riders back on their bikes for the Corel WordPerfect road race. Young Charlie Gorman had assistance from his brother Brendan with the difficult task of defending a slim 8 second margin over Drew McCutcheon. Gilbert Marois (Independant) went early and alone for many laps of the 7 km circuit, fighting against heavy winds that seemed to be coming from every direction. Gilbert steadily increased his lead until he was the leader on the road, when fatigue began to set in and he was caught by a chase group. As the pack was coming back to the leaders, Craig Burg (West Quebec Wheelers) jumped away and rode alone in the wind for 30 km until everything came back together on the last lap. A split in the final km put
8 riders at a 17 second advantage over the pack, with National Champion Desi Desrochers powering through for the win. Close behind were Craig Burge and Peter Metuzals in second and third, with Charlie Gorman maintaining his hold on the overall lead.

The afternoon's 9 km individual time trial saw Desi Desrocher make it a double for the day with his second stage win, and the overall victory. James Ferguson of the Ottawa Bicycle Club took second on the stage, moving himself into 5th overall, and pro triathlete Phil Coldrey (All-Sport) took third. Drew McCutcheon's missed start cost him 2 minutes and second overall. Charlie Gorman was able to hang in for second place, despite having to ride on a damaged rear disk wheel. Gilbert Marois fought through the fatigue of the morning's stage to come through for third overall.

Veteran/Senior 3 General Classification

1. Desi Desrochers Schwinn 5:34:51
2. Charlie Gorman Espoirs de Laval 5:35:19
3. Gilbert Marois Independant 5:35:26
4. Yves Bourget Timmins Cycling Club 5:35:36
5. James Ferguson Ottawa Bicycle Club 5:35:48
6. Peter Metuzals West Quebec Wheelers 5:36:06
7. Ian Dalling Sportable 5:36:10
8. Ian Stewart Ottawa Bicycle Club 5:36:12
9. Bob Hicks Ottawa Bicycle Club 5:36:15
10. Derek Teed Sportable 5:36:15


Note: we forgot to thank Kevin Field for the earlier Route 66 MTB Race info.