August 6/01 11:39 am - Tour de `Toona

Posted by Editoress on 08/6/01
 

Tour de `Toona
Courtesy Team Saturn

Stage 5: Downtown Altoona Criterium - August 5

The Tour de 'Toona wrapped up today with a downtown criterium in the city of Altoona. The six day race proved to be extremely successful for the Saturn Team, with the men and the women winning the final stage today, and the Saturn Men winning the overall Title.

Today's criterium offered five time bonus sprints, which were decisive in the victory of the General Classification for Saturn's Harm Jansen. After Jansen's excellent ride in Saturday's Road Race, the Lead belonged to Jansen by only 21 seconds. Jansen's Saturn Team worked to keep the peloton intact in Sunday's criterium so that he could win the necessary bonuses to defend his Yellow Leader's Jersey. The Saturn Team's cohesive teamwork enabled Jansen to out-sprint Navigator's Vassili Davidenko, who maintained second place in the overall, for the necessary bonuses and insuring Jansen's 2001 Tour de 'Toona Title before the criterium was finished. Thus, the Team then turned its focus to winning the final stage, giving a fantastic leadout to speedster Ivan Dominguez. Dominguez's win today was his second of the race. In addition to the overall win, the Saturn Men also won the Team General Classification. After passing off his Yellow Jersey to teammate Jansen, Eric Wohlberg finished the Tour strongly, third overall.

The women raced on the same eight corner, technical course. However, with Genevieve Jeanson's impressive 40 mile solo win in the previous day's race, the bonus seconds were neither substantial nor contested in the women's race. The 35-mile race developed into a two-person contest when a break with Saturn's Kim Davidge and Jeanson escaped. The two worked together to gain a gap on the group but in the final sprint it was Davidge exacting her finishing speed and experience on the young Canadian with an impressive win. Laura Van Gilder won the field sprint for third. Anke Erlank maintained her fourth place in the overall behind winner Jeanson, second place Pia Sunstedt (Intersport) and Roz Reekie May (NZL). The Saturn Team's fourth place finish was impressive considering Lyne Bessette did not start Saturday's road race due to injuries sustained in Friday's crash, which left the team with only three to defend Erlank's lead in Saturday's 100 mile, very mountainous race.


Men:
1. Ivan Dominguez

Overall:
1. Harm Jansen - Saturn Cycling Team
2. Vassisli Davidenko - Navigators
3. Eric Wohlberg - Saturn Cycling Team

We posted women's results last night , but learned this morning that Sue Palmer-Komar had finished 11th on the stage.
Complete results will be posted if and when we get them