February 18/02 8:44 am - Valley of the Sun: Results & Reports, Bike Swap

Posted by Editoress on 02/18/02
 

Valley of the Sun - Arizona

Men - Courtesy Mercury

At the Valley of the Sun, Mercury's Chris Wherry emerged as the overall champion after a controversial ending to the previous days road race. In Sunday's criterium, Mercury's Plamen Staoinov finished 2nd and Mike Sayers 4th as Mercury protected the lead of Wherry.

In the road race Saturday, over 30 riders in the pro field were eventually disqualified for center-line violations including Mercury's Gord Fraser (GC Leader) and Henk Vogels (second on GC), Saturn's Jay Sweet, and 7-Up/Nutra Fig's John Lieswyn. Perhaps most controversially, the majority of those riders were not informed during the event and though Fraser arrived first at the end of 100.2 miles, he was not scored and Saturn's Chris Fisher was awarded the win.

Wherry kept the leader's jersey for Mercury, remarking, "I feel like an Australian short track speed skater."

Teammate Gord Fraser stood nearby and quipped, "I feel like a Canadian ice skater!"

Stage 3
1. Carney, Prime Alliance
2. Stoianov, Mercury
3. Littlehales, Navigators
4. Sayers, Mercury

Overall GC (Final)
1. Chris Wherry (Team Mercury) 5:32:45
2. Chris Fisher (Saturn) at 0:13
3. Scott Moninger (Team Mercury) 0:16
4. Svein Tuft (Prime Alliance) 0:19
5. Phil Zajicek (Team Mercury) 0:25
6. Plamen Stoianov (Team Mercury) 0:34
7. Peter Mazur (Kissena) 0:43
8. Danny Pate (Prime Alliance) 0:49
9. Mike Sayers (Team Mercury) 0:57
10. Todd Wells (Mongoose) 1:09

13. Scott Price (Landis/Trek/VW) 1:22
15. Mark Walters (Navigators) 1:37
20. Jacob Erker (Pharmacia) 1:52
49. Michael Moore (Gears Racing) 11:39

Women - Courtesy Rona

Team RONA took the three first spots and won all three stages at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race in the Phoenix area this weekend. Geneviève Jeanson (CAN) won one stage and the general classification of the three-stage event, while her teammates Amy Jarvis (CAN), Karen Bockel (GER) and Manon Jutras (CAN) finished second, third and fifth respectively. Bockel won a stage and another RONA rider, Andrea Hannos, won a third stage.

Jeanson won Friday's 19-km time trial, ahead of her teammate Manon Jutras.

The second stage, Saturday, was a 107.5-km road race, in the desert south of Phoenix. The race covered four laps on a relatively flat course, with a false flat turning into a slight climb over the last 2 km. The race was relatively open for the first two laps, with a dozen girls breaking away from the main pack. Four of five RONA riders (Bockel, Jarvis, Jeanson, Jutras) were part of the breakaway. A little after half race, Amy Jarvis broke away from the lead group. A few kilometers later, Karen Bockel and Rhonda Quick (USA, Giro Sportina) bridged the gap and joined Jarvis at the front. Together the girls built a gap of more than a minute over the chasing group, before Jeanson left the chasing group and caught up with the leading trio. The three RONA girls accelerated and left Quick behind. They finished together, Bockel in front of Jarvis and Jeanson, with a lead of about three minutes over four chasers, five minutes over a grupetto, and about 14 minutes over the main field.

Sunday's stage was a 40-minute criterium in the streets of Phoenix. About halfway through the race, Andrea Hannos and Geneviève Jeanson successfully broke away from the pack. They finished the criterium with a 17" lead over the peloton, Hannos taking the win and Jeanson finishing second.

"Though this is only a pre-season event, the field was stronger this year than last year", said Jeanson, who managed to take off a full 8 minutes from her time for last year's road race. "So I'm pretty pleased with my peformance this weekend."

Directeur sportif André Aubut said, "What pleased me during the weekend was that the chemistry among the girls appears to be good. They work well together and the team spirit is already very strong."


Final GC

1. Genevieve Jeanson (Equipe Cycliste RONA) 3:44:48
2. Amy Jarvis (Equipe Cycliste RONA) at 2:28
3. Karen Bockel (Equipe Cycliste RONA) 3:30
4. Rhonda Quick (Giro Sportiva) 6:26
5. Manon Jutras (Equipe Cycliste RONA) 6:29
6. Kristin Armstrong (Goldy's) 7:03
7. Elizabeth Emery (New Mexico Velosport) 7:10
8. Patricia Choo (Helens/Trek/VW) 7:23
9. Alison Bergeson (RMCC) 7:40
10. Cybil Diguistini (Diet Rite) 7:58

18. Andrea Hannos (Equipe Cycliste RONA) 16:01
26. Allyson Fox (Amoroso's/HH Racing) 18:02

First Stage Standings
Time Trial, Pecos Road
1 Geneviève Jeanson (CAN, RONA) (Official times unknown)
2 Manon Jutras (CAN,RONA)
3 Elizabeth Emery (New Mexico Velosport
4 Patricia Choo
5 Larssyn Staley

Second Stage Standings
Road Race, Cottonwood
1 Karen Bockel (GER, RONA) 107.5 km in 2h 46' approx.
2 Amy Jarvis (CAN, RONA) s.t.
3 Geneviève Jeanson (CAN, RONA) s.t.

Third Stage Standings
Criterium, Phoenix
1 Andrea Hannos (CAN, RONA) 40'
2 Geneviève Jeanson (CAN, RONA) s.t.
3 Lauren Franges (USA, Amoroso/HH Racing) 17"
4 Sarah Hammer (USA, Diet Right) s.t.
5 Karen Bockel (GER, RONA) s.t.
35 Amy Jarvis(CAN, RONA) s.t.
40 Manon Jutras (CAN, RONA) s.t.


La Victoire à Jeanson et Tout le Podium à RONA

Phoenix, Arizona, le 17 février 2002 – L’Équipe cycliste RONA a pris les trios premières places et a remporté les trois étapes de la Valley of the Sun Stage Race disputée ce weekend dans la région de Phoenix en Arizona. Geneviève Jeanson a gagné le classement général et a remporté une étape de la course, alors que ses coéquipières Amy Jarvis (CAN), Karen Bockel (ALL) Manon Jutras (CAN) se classaient respectivement deuxième, troisième et cinquième. Karen Bockel a remporté une étape alors qu’une autre coureuse RONA, Andrea Hannos (CAN) remportait une troisième étape.

Jeanson a remporté le contre-la-montre de 19 km de vendredi devant sa coéquipière Manon Jutras.

La deuxième étape était une course de 107,5 km, disputée samedi au sud de Phoenix : quatre tours d’un parcours relativement plat, qui se termine par un faux plat se transformant en légère ascension sur les derniers 2 km. La course a été ouverte pendant les deux premiers tours, une douzaine de filles s’échappant du peloton. Quatre RONA (Karen Bockel, Amy Jarvis, Geneviève Jeanson et Manon Jutras) étaient dans l’échappée. Peu après la mi-course, Amy Jarvis se détacha du groupe de tête. Quelques kilomètres plus loin Karen Bockel et Rhonda Quick ont rejoint Jarvis à l’avant. Ensemble les trois filles ont pris plus d’une minute d’avance sur le groupe de chasse, jusqu’à ce que Geneviève Jeanson fausse compagnie au groupe de chasse pour aller rejoindre ses coéquipières dans le groupe de tête. Les trois filles de RONA ont ensuite accéléré pour larguer Quick. Elles finirent toutes trois ensemble, Bockel devant Jarvis et Jeanson, avec une avance de quelque 3 minutes sur un groupe de quatre coureuses, de cinq minutes sur un grupetto et d’environ 14 minutes sur le peloton.

L’étape d’aujourd’hui était un critérium de 40 minutes dans les rues de Phoenix. À la mi-course, Geneviève Jeanson et Andrea Hannos se sont échappées et ont réussi à creuser l’écart. Elles ont fini, Hannos en tête et Jeanson dans sa roue, avec une avance de 17 secondes sur le peloton.

"Bien que ce ne soit qu’une course pré-saison, le calibre était supérieur à celui de l’an passé, a indiqué Jeanson, qui a retranché 8 minutes de son temps de l’an dernier pour l’étape de samedi. Alors je suis assez contente de mon weekend."

"Je sens que la chimie s’installe entre les filles, a commenté le directeur sportif André. Aubut. Les filles travaillent bien ensemble et l’esprit d’équipe est déjà très fort."


Bike Swap, April 6th
Courtesy Curtis Gloade

Hello everybody! Check out the WCC Website for details about an upcoming
WCC event - it's the first annual Bike Swap

Hey, can you help us market this event? First, tell all your friends who are interested in cycling. Secondly, download and print this file Downloadable PDF Poster of Event (on coloured paper if possible) and post it at work, at school, at the gym, at the hockey arena, or anywhere else that it may generate some interest. Thanks and I hope to see you all there!