July 27/14 21:59 pm - Tour de l'Abitibi Desjardins: Stage 7 and Final GC

Posted by Editoress on 07/27/14
 

The final stage between held between Senneterre and Amos was marked with several break away attempts from teams that had fallen under the radar all week. Racers from teams Ontario, Hincapie Sportswear Development, Cycling BC, and  the regional team IAMGOLD-Specialized succeeded in getting away for several minutes before getting caught up by the rest of the pack, who was led by the national teams. Despite the fact that France, Denmark, and the United States controlled the pack, Team Japan’s Daiki Magosaki was able,  against all odds,  to  get the win.

The racers finishing in second and third place were also a surprise to the public, who were present in large numbers to encourage cyclists who made it to the seventh stage. Ahmed Amine Galdoune, from Morocco, won the silver medal, while his teammate, Abderrahim Zahiri, won the polka dot jersey, for best climber. As for the Columbians, they may not have won the King of the Mountain challenge, but Johnatan Canaveral Vargas still managed to bring home a bronze medal for the last stage. Even without a spot on the podium today, Team Denmark’s Jorgenson got to keep the blue jersey for best rookie.

France Wins It All
All week, the podium was shared between the Americans, the Danes, and the French, who were the three favourite teams at the start of the Tour. The International Cycling Union’s (UCI) ranking turned out to be a good indicator, as France won both brown and blue jerseys. Rayane Bouhanni was thus crowned winner of the 2014 Tour de l’Abitibi Desjardins, and his teammate, Adrien Carpentier, won the orange jersey, with just one point ahead of Bouhanni. The United States did not disappoint either, finishing as the best team in the overall ranking.

The Tour de la Relève Desjardins
This weekend, several racers aged between 6 and 16 years old from the four corners of Quebec gathered in Amos for the Tour de la Relève Desjardins. Amongst the cyclists standing out was the Atom-aged racer from Amos, Jérôme Gauthier who earned four medals out of eight won by the Amos Cycling Club, finishing 4th in the ranking of the Quebec Cup.

Sharing of the Host Cities
The Tour de l’Abitibi Desjardins will continue to be shared between the cities of Val-d’Or, Rouyn-Noranda, and Amos for the next six editions. Next year, the Tour will return to Val-d’Or, after an absence of 4 years, in honour of its 47 years.

Tour de l’Abitibi press release

Results from the seventh stage and final overall standings