July 19/13 22:04 pm - Tour de l'Abitibi: Stage 5 report and results

Posted by Editoress on 07/19/13
 

For the second year in a row, the Tour de l'Abitibi Desjardins cyclists travelled to the region of Témiscamingue in order to participate in one of the most difficult stages of the week. The many curvy roads and the windy conditions quickly divided the cyclists into two main pelotons, who finished nearly eight minutes apart. Despite the difficult conditions, several riders managed to break away from the bunch in the last 15 kilometres and persisted until the finish line. At the finish, Olivier Brisebois of Team Quebec sprinted to gold, followed closely by Brendan Rhim (USA National Team), who also finished with the brown jersey.

Among the riders taking part in the breakaway were two cyclists from the Colombian team, as well as a rider from Morocco. These two teams, who attempted several breakaways during the week, took advantage of the hilly roads of Témiscamingue to put their climbing talents to use, which earned them a place among the top five. Steven Calderon Acero keeps the polka-dotted climbing leader jersey, while his teammate Edgar Adolfo Tique Avila finished third on the stage. Abderrahim Zahiri, the Moroccan youth champion, took fourth place.

From the start, several riders were unable to keep pace and fell behind of two main squads. Over the road from Timiskaming First Nation to Lorrainville, seven riders dropped out and two completed the race after the time limit, proving the difficulty of this stage. Therefore, only 109 cyclists will be taking the next departure.

The Tour de l'Abitibi Desjardins cyclists took advantage of their time in Témiscamingue to visit several villages, such as Guerin, Béarn, Ville-Marie, St-Eugène-de-Guigues and Lorrainville. The population was very proud to host a competition of this caliber in their region, and citizens were present all along the way.  For a second year, the native population of Timiskaming First Nation presented a traditional dance, to the delight of all.

Results from the fifth stage of the 2013 Tour de l'Abitibi Desjardins, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4