June 9, 2009 (Lac Etchemin, QC) РWe knew that the Swiss-American BMC team arrived in the Beauce with big ambitions, ambitions based on its position as the only Pro Continental team in the race. By winning the first 165km stage in Lac Etchemin and taking both the yellow and white jerseys Danilo Wyss from Switzerland did not upset the plans of BMC Director Sportif, John Lelangue, now at the Criterium of Dauphin̩ Lib̩r̩.

At the start this morning in Lac Etchemin, with chillier temperatures than in recent days, just 11˚C, there were only 96 riders at the starting line, following the last-minute withdrawals of Owen Harrison (Canada) and James Duncan (DLP). All the town’s schoolchildren were present, lending an air of celebration to the Tour, now in its 24th year.

From the outset, one of the Trek Livestrong riders set the tone for a day that would be markedly offensive. Quickly caught, it was necessary to wait until kilometre 16 for the first breakaway to form at one of the numerous climbs of the day. First 7 then 10 tried to take off leaving Saint Odilon towards Saint Benjamin, but spurred on by teams not present, and they were many, the hopes of many were exhausted. Everything had to start over. Meanwhile, there was the first withdrawal of the day by Shane Kane. The first sprint of the day saw Raymond Kreder (Felt Holowesko Partners Garmin) win over Chad Beyer (BMC) and Darwin Atapuma (Colombia).

A second serious breakaway was formed again quickly with 15 riders from 10 team, but it was missing representatives from BMC, Trek and Garmin. A breakaway doomed to failure. Far behind, Antoine Matteau fought alone in front of the broom wagon before finally “putting on the turn signal” at kilometre 50. There were 42 kilometres covered in the first hour.

The decisive point of the day would occur a little into the second hour. First nine riders, Ben Day and Bernard Sulzberger ( Fly V Australia), Derrick Saint-Johns (Garneau), Guy East (Trek), Scott Zwizanski (Kelly Benefit), Ryan Roth (Planet Energy), Christopher Jones (Team Type 1) and Chad Beyer (BMC) quickly went 20 seconds ahead of a pack composed of only Garmin member. However, Darren Lill (Trek), leader in the African Continental standings, and Danilo Wyss (BMC) caught up with the 9 riders. The second sprint was won by Bernard Sulzberger.

Behind, the Garmin team was doing all the work, but they were all alone. The gap was growing first in one direction, then another, but the men of Chann McRae failed to plug the hole.

To the applause of the children of Saint Justine, at km 64, the breakaway was 35 seconds ahead. Behind, in the pack, Matthew Bell had mechanical problems and by pure willpower was able to return to the pack that he wasn’t ready to leave. At the end of 2 hours of racing everyone was working in the breakaway, no one refused the relays, the gap grew to even 3 minutes 3 seconds at the foot of the GPM. This GMP was won by Chad Beyer, over Christopher Jones and Scott Zwizanski.

First 7 riders left the pack, then 25 but by in the third GMP everything was almost back in order. The eleven were still ahead. Chad Beyer finally took the polka-dot jersey by passing ahead of Scott Zwizanski and Ben Day to the last classification of the mountain of the day. The suspense of the last hour of the race would be whether the 5 went back on the 11.

Two Colombians broke away from the group alone and tried in the last hills. At 25 km from wire, they were only 1 minute 30 seconds. They gradually came back, even faster than the group of which they came from. In a few straight lines, you could even see them, but the gap was still there, despite everything, at 1 minute 50 seconds at km 15.

In front, the agreement between the 11 was perfect. The relays succeeded, a few attacks were made but it was finally a small group of six riders who were there at the bottom of the last descent to compete for the sprint. The rest, we know.

BMC, on top of winning the yellow jersey, white jersey and the sprints while teammate Chad Beyer, will be wearing the red and white polka-dots, along with the red one of the best young rider.

Results

1. Danilo Wyss (Sui) Bmc Racing Team 3:57:03
2. Darren Lill (Rsa) Team Type 1
3. Ryan Roth (Can) Planet Energy
4. Benjamin Day (Aus) Fly V Australia
5. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
6. Tom Southam (Gbr) Rapha Condor 0:03
7. Chad Beyer (USA) Bmc Racing Team 0:48
8. Guy East (USA) Trek Livestrong 0:48
9. Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Fly V Australia 1:12
10. Sergio Luis Henao (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie 1:21
11. Derrick St-John (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure
12. Darwin Atapuma (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie
13. Christopher Jones (USA) Team Type 1
14. Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie 4:32
15. Alex Candelario (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
16. Charles Dionne (Can) Fly V Australia
17. François Parisien (Can) Planet Energy
18. Otavio Bougarelli (Bra) Garneau-Club Chaussure
19. Antonio Cruz (USA) Bmc Racing Team
20. William Rodriguez (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie
21. Alex Howes (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23
22. Jonathan Garcia (USA) Bmc Racing Team
23. Benjamin King (USA) Trek Livestrong
24. Steve Bovay (Sui) Bmc Racing Team
25. Jackson Stewart (USA) Bmc Racing Team
26. Casey Munro (Aus) Kuk-Kinesis
27. Martin Kohler (Sui) Bmc Racing Team
28. Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Rapha Condor
29. Andris Smirnovs (Lat) Latvian National Team
30. Timothy Henry (USA) Dlp Racing
31. Jacob Erker (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies
32. Valeriy Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1
33. Kristian House (Gbr) Rapha Condor
34. Simon Richardson (Gbr) Rapha Condor
35. Neil Shirley (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
36. Scott Davis (Aus) Fly V Australia
37. Matthew Bell (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
38. Bruno Langlois (Can) Planet Energy
39. Martin Gilbert (Can) Planet Energy
40. Peter Stetina (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23
41. Moises Aldape Chavez (Mex) Team Type 1
42. Keven Lacombe (Can) Planet Energy
43. Alesandro Bazzanna (Ita) Fly V Australia
44. Cameron Evans (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
45. Bjorn Selanler (USA) Trek Livestrong
46. Dan Craven (Gbr) Rapha Condor
47. Phillip Zajicek (USA) Fly V Australia
48. Ian Macgregor (USA) Team Type 1
49. Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Latvian National Team
50. Caleb Fairly (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23
51. David Veilleux (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies
52. Jamie Riggs (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
53. Matt Wilson (Aus) Team Type 1
54. Ben Greenwood (Gbr) Rapha Condor 6:35
55. Jean-Sébastien Perron (Can) Équipe Québec 7:23
56. Peter Salon (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23 7:23
57. William Munoz (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie 8:05
58. James Moss (Gbr) Kuk-Kinesis 13:39
59. Ryan Belliveau (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
60. James Stewart (Gbr) Kuk-Kinesis
61. Daniel Summerhill (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23
62. Janis Rezins (Lat) Latvian National Team
63. Jonathan Mumford (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
64. Aroussen Laflamme (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure 17:37
65. Ugo Lapierre (Can) Équipe Québec
66. William Goodfellow (Can) Équipe Québec
67. André Tremblay (Can) Équipe Québec
68. Jean-François Racine (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure
69. Raphaël Gagné (Can) Équipe Québec
70. Bryson Bowers (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
71. Hayden Brooks (Aus) Fly V Australia
72. Charlie Bryer (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
73. Phillip Cortes (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure
74. Steve Lampier (Gbr) Kuk-Kinesis
75. Mark Bathy (Can) Planet Energy
76. Cody Campbell (Can) Trek Livestrong
77. Mathew Cronshaw (Gbr) Rapha Condor
78. Guillaume Boivin (Can) Équipe Québec
79. Eric Boily (Can) Planet Energy
80. Jesse Sergent (Nzl) Trek Livestrong
81. Indulis Bekmanis (Lat) Latvian National Team
82. Clay Murfet (Aus) Kelly Benefit Strategies
83. San Bewley (Nzl) Trek Livestrong
84. Simon Lambert-Lemay (Can) Équipe Québec 26:18
85. Jeffery Schiller (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure 30:23
86. Scott Tietzel (USA) Dlp Racing
87. Phillip Martz (USA) Dlp Racing
88. Steven Gordon (USA) Dlp Racing
89. Robert Wardell (Gbr) Kuk-Kinesis
90. Walker Savidge (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23
91. Raymond Kreder (Ned) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23
92. Camilo Suarez (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie
93. Ryan Baumann (USA) Trek Livestrong 38:08
Shawn Kane (USA) Dlp Racing
Martins Trautmanis (Lat) Latvian National Team
Antoine Matteau (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure
Owen Harrison (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
James Duncan (USA) Dlp Racing

GC after Stage 1

1. Danilo Wyss (Sui) Bmc Racing Team 3:56:50
2. Darren Lill (Rsa) Team Type 1 0:07
3. Ryan Roth (Can) Planet Energy 0:09
4. Benjamin Day (Aus) Fly V Australia 0:13
5. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 0:13
6. Tom Southam (Gbr) Rapha Condor 0:16
7. Chad Beyer (USA) Bmc Racing Team 0:59
8. Guy East (USA) Trek Livestrong 1:01
9. Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Fly V Australia 1:20
10. Christopher Jones (USA) Team Type 1 1:33
11. Sergio Luis Henao (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie 1:34
12. Derrick St-John (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure
13. Darwin Atapuma (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie
14. Caleb Fairly (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23 4:44
15. Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie 4:45
16. Alex Candelario (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
17. Charles Dionne (Can) Fly V Australia
18. François Parisien (Can) Planet Energy
19. Otavio Bougarelli (Bra) Garneau-Club Chaussure
20. Antonio Cruz (USA) Bmc Racing Team
21. William Rodriguez (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie
22. Alex Howes (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23
23. Jonathan Garcia (USA) Bmc Racing Team
24. Benjamin King (USA) Trek Livestrong
25. Steve Bovay (Sui) Bmc Racing Team
26. Jackson Stewart (USA) Bmc Racing Team
27. Casey Munro (Aus) Kuk-Kinesis
28. Martin Kohler (Sui) Bmc Racing Team
29. Darren Lapthorne (Aus) Rapha Condor
30. Andris Smirnovs (Lat) Latvian National Team
31. Timothy Henry (USA) Dlp Racing
32. Jacob Erker (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies
33. Valeriy Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1
34. Kristian House (Gbr) Rapha Condor
35. Simon Richardson (Gbr) Rapha Condor
36. Neil Shirley (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
37. Scott Davis (Aus) Fly V Australia
38. Matthew Bell (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
39. Bruno Langlois (Can) Planet Energy
40. Martin Gilbert (Can) Planet Energy
41. Peter Stetina (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23
42. Moises Aldape Chavez (Mex) Team Type 1
43. Keven Lacombe (Can) Planet Energy
44. Alesandro Bazzanna (Ita) Fly V Australia
45. Cameron Evans (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
46. Bjorn Selanler (USA) Trek Livestrong
47. Dan Craven (Gbr) Rapha Condor
48. Phillip Zajicek (USA) Fly V Australia
49. Ian Macgregor (USA) Team Type 1
50. Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Latvian National Team
51. David Veilleux (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies
52. Jamie Riggs (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
53. Matt Wilson (Aus) Team Type 1
54. Ben Greenwood (Gbr) Rapha Condor 6:48
55. Jean-Sébastien Perron (Can) Équipe Québec 7:36
56. Peter Salon (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23 7:36
57. William Munoz (Col) Éq. Nationale De Colombie 8:18
58. James Moss (Gbr) Kuk-Kinesis 13:52
59. Ryan Belliveau (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
60. James Stewart (Gbr) Kuk-Kinesis
61. Daniel Summerhill (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23
62. Janis Rezins (Lat) Latvian National Team
63. Jonathan Mumford (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
64. Aroussen Laflamme (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure 17:50
65. Ugo Lapierre (Can) Équipe Québec
66. William Goodfellow (Can) Équipe Québec
67. André Tremblay (Can) Équipe Québec
68. Jean-François Racine (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure
69. Raphaël Gagné (Can) Équipe Québec
70. Bryson Bowers (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
71. Hayden Brooks (Aus) Fly V Australia
72. Charlie Bryer (Can) Éq. Nationale Canadienne
73. Phillip Cortes (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure
74. Steve Lampier (Gbr) Kuk-Kinesis
75. Mark Bathy (Can) Planet Energy
76. Cody Campbell (Can) Trek Livestrong
77. Mathew Cronshaw (Gbr) Rapha Condor
78. Mathew Cronshaw (Gbr) Rapha Condor
79. Guillaume Boivin (Can) Équipe Québec
80. Eric Boily (Can) Planet Energy
81. Jesse Sergent (Nzl) Trek Livestrong
82. Indulis Bekmanis (Lat) Latvian National Team
83. Clay Murfet (Aus) Kelly Benefit Strategies
84. San Bewley (Nzl) Trek Livestrong
85. Simon Lambert-Lemay (Can) Équipe Québec 26:31
86. Jeffery Schiller (Can) Garneau-Club Chaussure 30:36
87. Scott Tietzel (USA) Dlp Racing 30:36
88. Phillip Martz (USA) Dlp Racing 30:36
89. Steven Gordon (USA) Dlp Racing 30:36
90. Robert Wardell (Gbr) Kuk-Kinesis 30:36
91. Walker Savidge (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23 30:36
92. Raymond Kreder (Ned) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23 30:36
93. Ryan Baumann (USA) Trek Livestrong 38:21