April 16/03 6:49 am - Euro Espoir Report, Andreu to Schroeder Iron

Posted by Editor on 04/16/03
 

Canadian European Espoir Update

Last weekend the guys had two one-day races back to back. The first one was the Circuit des vins du Blayais located just north of Bordeaux where some of the world's best wine is made; like St-Émilion.

The field for this race was a full capacity one of 190 riders that were set to ride up and down the wine country hills with winds blowing pretty hard.

The first few kms had top speeds of 80kms as the pack formed a snake-like line that seemed to stretch for kilometers on end.

For this race the guys had to cover the beginning of the race, as breaks would take off but not necessarily stick. A first group of 20 went up the road . . . no Canadians. Then a counter took off with Jean-Sébastien (Maheu) in it. Unfortunately, the pace was so high to bridge up to the first group that JS plus a few others blew up and were relegated back to the main bunch.

In the pack things were slowing down and time was building for the break in which almost all teams were represented. That being the case, 3 Canadians (Ryan Roth, Warren Tilbrook and Andrew Davidson) contributed to the chase with other team members. As it was clear that, given the wind and the hills in the last part of the race, the front would break up, it was important to stay within sticking range.

Around mid-race the 20-strong break of riders started losing guys, and the race situation was changing.

With 40 kms to go the whole race was shifting and riders from the pack were getting up to what was once the break, as a bunch of breakaway riders were blowing up, never to be seen again.

It was time for Cameron (Evans) and Ian (Condron) to come on but unfortunately the race had taken its toll and, while they did get in some moves, the ones that counted went on without them.

So the win went to a rider from the Russian team.

The Sunday race was a circuit race of 10 X 10kms; so a relatively short one. Approximately 45% of the course was uphill. Because of the short distance breaks went up the road right away and Jean-Sébastien was in one of the first moves that did not stick. A few kms later a move with Cam would go up the road and was to remain away for the majority of the race.

Meanwhile in the back, the pack was breaking up and coming together on every lap while some riders were getting dropped on the climb every lap.

In the final 3 laps the break was almost caught as all 8 riders were looking at each other. As some from the pack bridged up to the break some from the break were relegated to the pack; as was the case for Cam.

All in all, things are looking good for the Granitier Breton. Until then the guys will be racing on Saturday in Dun le Palestel and on Easter Monday in Pujols.

Jacques Landry
National Development Coach


Frankie Andreu Joins Schroeder Iron
Courtesy Schroeder Iron

Claremont, CA - April 16, 2003 - The Schroeder Iron Pro Cycling Team added a new dimension to their already strong, up-and-coming program this week with the addition of Frankie Andreu, who will lead the team as race director for major races in the 2003 season, beginning with the Tour de Georgia.

A well-respected and beloved name in American cycling, Andreu's career distinctions include the current American record of nine complete Tours de France, as well as three Tours of Spain, and one Giro d'Italia. His wealth of international experience in team leadership includes captaining the US Postal team to two Tour de France victories in 1999 and 2000, and a two-year stint as US Postal's domestic race director in 2001 and 2002.

Team owner Frank Schroeder, who sees the Schroeder Iron Pro Cycling Team becoming a force to reckon with over the coming years, welcomes Andreu's addition to the squad as "another paramount step in building a great team that is destined for the number one position in the US. Frankie brings years of experience and a huge amount of respect to the team."

Andreu looks forward to playing an important role in the growth of the team: "Over the past year and a half, I've watched Schroeder Iron develop from a small squad into one of the powerhouse teams in America," he says. "I'm very excited to be a part of Schroeder Iron as we attempt to continue to win races and help the team reach its potential."

"Frankie is an honest hardworking person; he knows what it takes to direct a team that is headed to the top," says USPro Champion Chann McRae. "The years of experience that Frankie has gained with some of the best cycling teams in the world are invaluable.  He's someone who's direction I respect and trust." 

Jacob Erker is the only member of the Schroeder Iron team to express any reservations. "I think the addition of Frankie will be very confusing, because sometimes I call Frank Schroeder 'Frankie.' What am I supposed to do now? What if their voices sound similar on the radios? Then I won't know what's going on in an already confusing situation. God help us!"

Even through those concerns, however, Jake expresses the feeling of everyone on the team, adding, "We are all very excited to have someone like Frankie come to the team. His wealth of knowledge and advice to us during races will be instrumental in our success, and will give us a big advantage over the other teams."