June 14, 2008 (Saint-Georges, QC) – The sun is shining again in Beauce with little or no wind for today’s 144km Stage 5, Saint-Georges Circuit, consisting of 15 laps of a 9.6km circuit. Look for Canada’s Symmetrics to protect race leader Svein Tuft while Tecos Trek Uag and Team Type 1 will be trying to advance their top GC contenders. We’re picking up the race on lap 4…

Laps 1-4
On lap 1 a break of 4 riders including Phil Cortes (Can) Amore & Vita-McDonald’s , Jamie Sparling (Can) Trek-Red Truck Racing, Guillaume Boivin (Can) EVA-Devinci and Alexandre Cloutier (Can) Équipe Québec formed. They’ve been joined by 8 other riders – list to come – and they now have a 1:25 lead over the peloton.

Lap 6
The break is still away and increasing their lead – with no GC threats Symmetrics is controlling the peloton behind to protect Tuft’s lead. Ciaran Power (Irl) Pezula Racing has now made a move and jumped ahead of the break on his own.

Lap 8
Power now has a 1:05 gap over the break which is 3:05 ahead of the peloton under Symmetrics control behind – the race is over the 1/2 way point.

Laps 9-11
It looks like the break will soon catch Power who’s lead is down to 30 seconds and the gap to the peloton is now 2:48.

Three riders in the break have caught Power – Chris Jones (USA) Team Type 1, Carlos Oyarzun Guinez (Chi) Tecos Trek Uag, and Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team Sparkasse – the lead over the peloton is back to 3:05.

Lap 12
Now there are 6 riders leading the race as Power dropped off РSchillinger, Oyarzun, Paul Brousse (Fra) A-Style Stomn, Cameron Jennings (Aus) Pezula Racing and Jean-S̩bastien Perron (Can) EVA-Devinci. Symmetrics is chasing down any attacks in the peloton lead by Glen Chadwick (Team Type 1) with 3 laps to go Рthe gap is 2:31.

Lap 13
The 6 leaders are 3 minutes ahead of the peloton which will soon catch the remains of the initial break – attacks continue in the peloton but nothing is getting away from Symmetrics – nearly 2 laps to go.

Lap 15 Final
On the final lap it’s two Sparkasse riders who have attacked and are leading – Schillinger and Eric Baumann (Ger) Team Sparkasse with Brousse in third.

Team Type 1 attacked near the finish trying to move up Valeriy Kobzarenko (Ukr), who is 3rd overall and won here in 2006, but Tuft and Symmetrics were able to react and minimize the gap as Tuft finished in a group with Bernardo Colex Tepoz (Mex) Tecos Trek Uag who is in second 0:07 behind.

Results

1. Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team Sparkasse 3:48:07
2. Eric Baumann (Ger) Team Sparkasse
3. Paul Brousse (Fra) A-Style Stomn 3:48:58
4. Ian MacGregor (USA) Team Type 1
5. Cameron Jennings (Aus) Pezula Racing
6. Robert Partridge (Gbr) Rapha Condor Recyclingcouk
7. Jean-Sébastien Perron (Can) EVA-Devinci
8. Chris Jones (USA) Team Type 1
9. Carlos Oyarzun Guinez (Chi) Tecos Trek Uag
10. Moises Aldape (Mex) Team Type 1

GC after Stage 5

1. Svein Tuft (Can) Symmetrics

Yellow Jersey – Svein Tuft (Can) Symmetrics
White Jersey – Moises Aldape (Mex) Team Type 1
Polka Dot Jersey – Glen Chadwick (Team Type 1)
Red Jersey – Johann Rabie (RSA) South African U23 National Team