December 11/00 11:26 am - Mail List, B.C. Trail Access, Canadian 6 Day'rs, Photos

Posted by Editor on 12/11/00
 

CC Mail Returns

You may remember our abortive attempt to launch a mailing list in the summer. We ran into some technical problems at that time (some people got multiple messages, others got nothing). That has all been fixed, and we are ready to start again.

CC Mail will be sent out 1-2 times per week, and will keep you up-to-date and major events we are involved in (such as webcasts, chats, etc.), online registration deadlines and new products/clearouts at the CC Store. You can sign up by clicking on the CC Mail button which will be at the top of the page later today.

To launch CC Mail, we have teamed up with Computrainer to offer a contest for everyone who signs up between now and January 15th, 2001. The prize is a $2350 (retail) Pro 3D system from Computrainer!


South Island Mountain Bike Society - Victoria, B.C.

This issue of SIMBS NEWS only has one story because it is so important we really would like people to respond immediately while there is still time to make a difference.

1. LAST CHANCE TO EFFECT MOUNTAIN BIKE ACCESS ON CRD LAND
Capital Regional District (CRD) Parks is finalising a management plan for Sooke Hills Wilderness and Mount Wa huge piece of potential riding territory in Victoria that is public land and it will be off limits for bikes for several years, maybe always unless you give them feedback now! The deadline is Dec 15.

The summary of the DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLAN is available at www.crd.bc.ca/parks/soohillexe.htm. Please take the time for yourself, and at least one other friend, to fill out the CRD on-line questionnaire at www.crd.bc.ca/parks/response.htm for feedback on the plan. A printable form is also available but are you sure you will mail it?

It is essential to get in a response by Dec 15 mentioning your need for bike access to single-track trails. Question SIX asks about this. Please stress that they need to provide for cycling on single-track now, not just in a few years "maybe".

Any other info you can provide about your riding needs helps too. If only hikers respond, only hikers needs will be met.

If the Management Plan gives access to hikers only, it will be very hard to change it later. Your voice now will make a difference. Please forward this request on to anyone you know who cares about access to trails.


35th Zürich Amateur Six-Day - Six Jours de l'Avenir
(courtesy Kris Westwood)

This report is a continuation of the one posted on November 30th. We surmise it got lost somewhere in the internet void, since Kris had to re-send it.

27 November- 2 December 2000
Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland

Race report - November 30 "Six Jours de l'Avenir" day 4

The French pair of Genauzeau-Tejada stamped their domination on the amateur Zürich six-day by taking another lap. However, the rest of the teams are not very happy with the French team's tactics: yesterday, when Patrick Fäh crashed the French attacked, though they failed to gain a lap. Today, when Ryan Miller (USA) and his teammate Sven Epple (GER) both crashed during a botched exchange, the French again attacked, breaking an unwritten rule of cycling. Amateurs often fail to appreciate unwritten rules, however, and the French ultimately benefited by putting a further lap between themselves and their nearest opponents.

Glen Rendall (CAN) and Ralph Zimmermann (SUI) raced to survive today, narrowly missing out on scoring points in the closing laps. They did manage to keep themselves in contention by staying on the same lap as their direct opponents. Our other compatriot Alex Cloutier's partner Stefan Schär is showing increasing signs of fatigue and they dropped an additional lap behind. Miller and Epple recovered from their crash to rack up a few points at the end of the stage.

Stage 4: 40 km in 46:53.6 (average speed 51.179 km/h)
Stage winner: Genauzeau/Tejada FRA (0 laps/10 points)
Others: 4th Miller/Epple USA/GER (at 1 lap/9 points); 11th Rendall/Zimmermann CAN/SUI (at 1 lap/0 points); 13th Cloutier/Schär CAN/SUI (at 2 laps/0 points)

Race report - December 1 "Six Jours de l'Avenir" day 5

The final two nights of the amateur Zürich six-day have two stages each. The first stage on Friday night was again won by the French team of Genauzeau/Tejada, again with a lap on the rest of the field. This time they took the lap cleanly by out-powering their opponents on the fastest stage of the six-day.

Miller/Epple did not have a very good race, failing to score any points, though they managed to stay with the group one lap behind the leaders. Rendall/Zimmermann sneaked in for one point and also finished at one lap, but Cloutier/Schär showed increasing fatigue and lost a further three laps.

Stage 5: 40 km in 46:10.7 (average speed 51.972 km/h)
Stage winner: Genauzeau/Tejada FRA (0 laps/0 points)
Others: 7th Rendall/Zimmermann CAN/SUI (at 1 lap/1 point); 8th Miller/Epple USA/GER (at 1 lap/0 points); 15th Cloutier/Schär CAN/SUI (at 4 laps/0 points)

The second stage of the evening again saw the French choose their moment to attack well. They benefited from in-fighting between the Swiss teams, and attacked when everybody was blown following a hectic and fruitless chase. Nobody is willing to put up a strong opposition anymore so the lap was quickly gained. In the closing laps Rendall/Zimmermann launched an attack that almost stuck, but they were caught with one lap to go and scored no points.

Because the second stage was run late in the evening, when the stadium was full of spectators, Glen Rendall commented that "when you looked across the track to locate your partner, you could barely see him through the cigarette smoke. With the music playing, the crowd cheering when you're trying to take a lap, it's pretty cool."

Stage 6: 30 km in 34:59.2 (average speed 51.448 km/h)
Stage winner: Genauzeau/Tejada FRA (0 laps/2 points)
Others: 6th Miller/Epple USA/GER (at 1 lap/0 points); 8th Rendall/Zimmermann CAN/SUI (at 1 lap/0 points); 15th Cloutier/Schär CAN/SUI (at 1 lap/0 points)

Race report - December 2 "Six Jours de l'Avenir" day 6

The final night in Zürich was again made up of two stages. The first stage saw many attacks, particularly a long but ultimately unsuccessful attempt by Oliver Mattmann/Michael Lato (SUI) to gain a lap. Though they came within 50 meters of lapping the field they were eventually brought back . Rendall/Zimmermann also made several attacks, without success. The stage was eventually won on points by Miller/Epple. Cloutier Schär dropped a further two laps, simply lacking the legs to follow the accelerations in the pace.

Stage 7: 40 km in 47:13.9 (average speed 50.813 km/h)
Stage winner: Miller/Epple USA/GER (0 laps/18 points)
Others: 9th Rendall/Zimmermann CAN/SUI (0 laps/0 points); 13th Cloutier/Schär CAN/SUI (at 2 laps/0 points)

The final of the "Six Jours de l'Avenir' was run over 45 km and proved to be a further demonstration of the dominance of the French team Genauzeau/Tejada. They again lapped the field in a display of speed and, above all, excellent tactical sense. Though their sportsmanship in earlier stages had been a little questionable - attacking when other teams crashed - they were clearly the best team in the six-day. Miller/Epple picked up some further points in the final stage to guarantee their third place in the overall standings. Rendall/Zimmermann made a series of attacks to try and gain a lap, but the other teams were able to bring them back every time. Though they struggled in the last three nights, Cloutier/Schär had some good rides and, most importantly learned a lot.

Final overall standings:
Overall winner: Genauzeau/Tejada FRA (0 laps/44 points)
Points winner and second overall: Fäh/Kraus SUI (at 5 laps/83 points)
Third overall: Miller/Epple (USA/GER) (at 5 laps/46 points)
. . .
8th overall Rendall/Zimmermann CAN/SUI (5 laps/15 points)
. . .
15th overall Cloutier/Schär CAN/SUI (at 17 laps/0 points)

So what do they think of six-day racing?

Alex Cloutier: "It's awesome, I really like it. Man, it was crazy."

Glen Rendall: "It's the craziest thing in the world. It's a spectacle: from bars to stayer racing [a discipline for specialists racing behind huge motorcycles at 75 km/h] to dancing girls to the haze of cigarette smoke, it's almost impossible to describe. Everyone should check out a six day. You have to see it to believe it. I definitely want to come back."

Ryan Miller [who rode the Dortmund and Ghent amateur sixes before coming to Zürich]: "I hurt everywhere. On the short tracks [Ghent is a 166 m track] it's like a sped-up film of bike race. I've finally developed the pectoral muscles I've dreamed of [from the hand slings]!"

Kris Westwood: "Alex and Glen now are going to play an important role in the future of Canadian cycling. The invaluable experience they gained here would be impossible to have elsewhere. I hope that I can continue to play a role in exposing ever-younger riders to this form of racing, and that we can qualify a madison team for the 2004 Athens Games as a result. I think our chances of winning a medal in this type of event, where luck and opportunism play a significant role, are a lot higher than in timed events, but by exposing more and more riders to track cycling, talented pursuiters will also be discovered."


World Tour
Courtesy Glen Rendall

Tomorrow the world tour comes to an end which is good because I need to relax. The past couple of days have been pretty good at the Three Days of Geneva. Yesterday I got 2nd in the miss and out, 3rd in the madison riding with my partner from Zurich because my teammate Alex Cloutier was sick, 3rd in the points race and I won the derny race. Basically a derny race is a motorpaced race with 8 teams on the track, each behind their own moto. I lapped everyone on the track only because I was trying to see how fast I could go on the 166m track so we were going insane speeds because I kept yelling "GAS MAN" at Kris Westwood (who was making his professional debut as psycho derny pilot and was fielding offers from other riders to pilot the next heat which he won in championship style...although less fast). We were clocked at 62kmph at the top of the track as we terrorized the other teams with the wailing derny motor. We didn't just win , we humiliated the opposition. Today I got 2nd in the tempo/points race (Alex was 5th), 3rd in my Keirin heat, (Alex got second in his heat finally back from the dead and partially over his cold) and 2nd in the madison final riding with Alex. All this put us into 3rd for the final overall. Not bad considering the second madison wasn't scored since I rode with another rider. Tomorrow I fly home and start working on the next objective......figuring out a team and planning the next race. Berlin 6-day I think, since Alex and I are in if we can get there.

Take care, Glen Rendall


Cloutier et Rendall troisièmes à Genève

Genève, Suisse (DIAPO) - Alexandre Cloutier, de Sainte-Foy, et l'Ontarien Glen Rendall ont terminé au troisième rang des Trois jours cyclistes de Genève. Au cours de la fin de semaine, Rendall a remporté une course individuelle et fini 2e lors d'une course par éliminations, tandis que Cloutier a mérité un deuxième rang lors d'un Kirin. En équipe, Cloutier et Rendall ont excellé dans les épreuves à l'Américaine: ils ont terminé 3e samedi et 2e, dimanche.

" On aurait sûrement fait mieux si j'avais été en parfaite santé, mais je crois sincèrement que notre 3e rang est excellent ", a indiqué Cloutier, membre de l'équipe de cyclisme sur route Volkswagen. Ce fut une expérience absolument géniale pour nous. D'autant plus qu'avec les bourses gagnées, mon voyage ne m'aura coûté que 500 dollars au total. Je suis très heureux d'avoir pu faire autant de bonnes courses sur piste en aussi peu de temps. " Rappelons que la semaine dernière, les deux Canadiens avaient participé aux Six jours de Zurich.

Heureux au bout du fil, Cloutier a cependant ajouté une phrase qui en disait long : " Là, je suis content d'avoir fini ma saison. Elle a été longue. " Cloutier retournera chez lui où il retrouvera son emploi d'ébéniste.

Daniel Aucoin
L'Agence DIAPO...au service des athlètes 24 heures par jour
L'Agence DIAPO...Serving athletes 24 hours a day
www.diapo.qc.ca


Roger Sumner Photos

Rob Naish has sent along a couple of his photos of Roger Sumner at the 2000 Road Nationals in Peterborough.

Photo 1 - Roger
Photo 2 - Roger sprinting for second place behind John Parkinson

Have you have photos, please send them in to rjones@canadiancyclist.com