June 18/10 14:06 pm - Tour de Beauce: Stage 4 report, photos and full results

Posted by Editoress on 06/18/10
 

The stage four time trial shook up the standings once again at the Tour de Beauce.  To no one's surprise, Ben Day (Fly V Australia) won the 20 kilometre race against the clock, and took the Yellow jersey off the back of Marc de Maar (United Healthcare p/b Maxxis) less than 24 hours after the Dutchman had donned it.  Day led an Australian sweep of the podium, with Nathan O'Neill (Bahati Foundation) taking second and Day's team mate Darren Rolfe third.  Frank Parisien (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy) was the top Canadian, in fourth place.  Day also took the lead in the Points competition, while David Boily (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy) retained the Best Young Rider jersey after a strong 17th place finish in the time trial.

Photos

The 20 kilometre out and back course was a rolling one, with a tight turn in the middle after a fast downhill section.  Gusty breezes gave the riders a headwind on the way out and tailwind coming back.  Jamie Sparling (Team Canada) set the first fast time of 26:36, which held up for 25 riders, before O'Neill smashed it by 32 seconds.  O'Neill stayed in the top spot until Day finished a full minute faster and took control of the race.  Rolfe rode a few places later to slot into third.  Former Yellow jersey holder de Maar finished well back in 21st place, with second-placed Derrick St-John (Garneau Club Chassures) in 24th.

After the calculations were completed, Day now has a 46 second lead over team mate Rolfe, with Valeriy Kobzarenko (Team Type1) in third at 1:02.  de Maar has dropped to fourth at 1:18.  Parisien is now the top Canadian in the overall standings, in sixth at 1:34, with St-John down to eighth, 1:36 back.  Boily is ninth at 1:49 and Ryan Roth (SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy) tenth at 1:52.

"I knew my form was good," commented Day, "but I hadn't expected to come into the time trial 39 seconds behind de Maar, so that was a bit of a worry.  I'm very pleased to be in the lead, and I know we have a strong team to defend it over the last two days.  It's a special race for me [he won in 2007, and subsequently married Isabel Vachon from the race organization], so it would be special to win."

Parisien, who is not generally the top time trialist on the SpiderTech squad, was pleased with his ride.  "I didn't ride as well as I had wanted yesterday on [Mont Megantic], so I was a little bit angry today, and it helped me ride better.  I hope to improve on my eighth place at Beauce last year, and maybe finish top-five, so this will help."

Race Notes

- Race leader de Maar and his team director Gord Fraser were angry with the officials, who claimed that the nose of his saddle pointed down too much, and needed to be raised.  Fraser explained that de Maar has problems with an enlarged prostate [for which he has had surgery], and uses a special saddle.  "If you look at it, you can see that it dips in the middle, but from front to back it is level.  We broke a bolt trying to get it to the level they wanted.  It is the same one he raced in Tour of California, and that he used last weekend at the Chrono Gatineau, with the same officials, and it was okay then."

Fraser also said that the same officials had passed the saddle of Ryan Roth, even though it was pointing down further than de Maar's [according to Fraser].  When he pointed this out, the officials made Roth adjust his saddle.

- Tomorrow the race moves to Quebec City for 11 laps of a 11.63 kilometre circuit through Old Quebec and along the St Lawrence river.  The circuit is similar to previous years, but now goes through the Plains of Abraham national park instead of along the Grande Allée.  It is the actual route which will be used for the ProTour race in September.