September 10/10 18:32 pm - ProTour Quebec report and full results

Posted by Editoress on 09/10/10
 

The first ProTour event on North American soil has set a high standard for the future, with flawless execution and an exciting last lap solo win by French champion Thomas Voeckler (BBox Bouygues Telecom) ahead of a closing peloton.  Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) was the top Canadian in fourth place, behind Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) and Robert Gesink (Rabobank).

172 riders took the start for 15 laps of the tough 12.6 kilometre circuit that included a steep narrow climb through the old city of Quebec.  After rain most of the week, the skies cleared on the morning of race day, and by the start the sun was out.  It would stay clear for the first hour of the race, before gradually clouding over and getting much cooler, but the rain held off through the day, to the relief of everyone involved.

Team Canada's François Parisien started the action with an attack right after the gun, but was quickly brought back.  Just before the end of the first lap a group of seven riders went clear, including Parisien.  This group quickly gained 25 seconds on the bunch, but as more and more riders jumped across the gap fell to below 20 seconds.  Dom Rollin (Team Canada) was having the first of multiple mechanical problems, and Gesink suffered a flat and had to be paced back up by his team.

The group solidified on the second lap with 13 riders:  Jakob Fuglsang (SaxoBank), Jussi Veikkanen (FDJ), Markel Irizar and Yaroslav Popovych (Radioshack), Valerio Agnoli and Elia Viviani (Liquigas), Julien Fouchard (Cofidis), Jurgen Van de Walle (Quickstep), Sebastien Turgot (BBox Bouygues Telecom), Dominik Nerz (Milram), (Liquigas), François Parisien (Canada/SpiderTech), Alfredo Balloni (Lampre) and Bram Tankink (Rabobank).

The group was working well together, but the peloton was vigilant, and never allowed them to get too far in advance.  The gap maxed out at the halfway point in the race, and then started to drop, and was down to a minute and a half with 50 kilometres to go.  The front group was shedding riders at that point, with only seven left at the front with two laps to go, with a bit of a reshuffle:  Tom Stamsnijder (Rabobank), Christopher Horner (Team Radioshack), Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas-Doimo), Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step), Kasper Klostergaard ( Saxo Bank), Alfredo Balloni (Lampre - Farnese Vini) and Dominik Nerz (Team Milram).

There was a crash just as the peloton was starting the second last lap, taking down George Hincapie (BMC) and Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step), among others.  Late in the lap, Hesjedal launched a massive attack, joined by Damiano Cunego (Lampre), and then Gesink, Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) and Fabian Wegmann bridged up.  Hesjedal was driving it along the lower section of the course, with the gap reaching 25 seconds.

However, a select group behind was still chasing hard, as Team Sky worked for Boasson Hagen, and the leaders were caught with less than two kilometres to go.  As the leaders sat up, Voeckler made perfectly timed effort before the long, false flat climb to the finish.  Everyone was looking at each other, waiting for someone to lead the chase, and a clearly fading Voeckler was able to roll across the line one second in front of 14 chasers.  Svein Tuft made a mighty effort on behalf of Hesjedal to bring the French rider back, but it wasn't enough.  Keven Lacombe was the top team Canada finisher, in 24th place.

"I could feel the enthusiasm from the fans," commented Voeckler, "and I was surprised - I didn't know that I was so well known over here!  In the early part of the race I was sitting too far back, so I had to make a real effort to move up.  My goal was to finish in the top ten, so I was surprised to take this victory."

"Obviously the show today was for Ryder.  I'm sorry to say, but I am glad to spoil his show. That is cycling. In the Grand Prix de Plouay, I was the star. I realized here that Ryder has become a great star in this country because he was seventh at the Tour de France and it was only natural that he should be the star."

Hesjedal had mixed feelings about coming so close to victory.  "I'm disappointed and also happy.  I would have liked to win, of course, but it is good that I was there for the final.  In that final break everyone was working, but I had to do the biggest part, because I was at home.  When Voeckler attacked, there was some hesitation, and I was not able to react immediately.  But the cheering helped me find more strength for the finish."

15 laps, 189 km