July 24, 2016 (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.) – Team Canada’s Nickolas Zukowsky finished 4th overall and fellow Canuck, Quinton Disera (Centurion Next Wave), was 9th as Team USA’s Brandon A. McNulty claimed the overall GC victory taking second place on the final 99.9 km Stage 7 as the 48th annual Tour de l’Abitibi wrapped up in Rouyn-Noranda on Sunday. Mikkel Bjerg (Den) Team Denmark took the final stage win.
A Bombshell Final for the Tour de l’Abitibi
report by the Tour de l’Abitibi
The seventh and last stage of the Tour de l’Abitibi will have been marked by an astonishing final. Brandon McNulty, holder of the brown jersey, succeeded in breaking away from the pack for nearly the whole race, thereby winning the four sprints of the stage, as well as the King of the Mountain Challenge. However, he was overtaken at the finish line by the Danish racer Mikkel Bjerg who won the gold medal.
Despite his silver medal, McNulty keeps the brown jersey for the seventh stage, which makes him the ultimate winner of the 48th edition of the Tour de l’Abitibi. He also takes the orange jersey for most points. Antoine Ippersiel of Stingray Trek Lacasse takes the polka dot jersey for best climber, whereas Kevin Goguen of Washington Spin Development wins the blue jersey for best young rider of this 48th edition.
Americans at the Top of the Rankings
The American team wins the overall team rankings, ahead of Canada who is bumped down from first to fourth, followed by the Québec team in fifth place. The Denmark national team finishes with a respectable third position while Washington Spin Development takes second position in the rankings. Nickolas Zukowsky of Team Canada distinguishes himself by finishing fifth in the overall individual rankings, whereas Jean-Denis Thibault of the Québec team ranks tenth.
The Tour de la relève IAMGOLD
Over the weekend, many riders aged between 6 and 16 from all over Québec came to Rouyn-Noranda for the Tour de la relève IAMGOLD. Among those that stood out there was Rachel St-Onge who won the trophy for the best Abitibi rider for her remarkable season.
49th Edition
Next year the 49th edition of the Tour de l’Abitibi will take place in Amos, and it is Val-d’Or who will have the honour to host the 50th edition of the Tour de l’Abitibi in 2018.
Results
1. Mikkel Bjerg (Den) Team Denmark 2:13:41
2. Brandon A. McNulty (USA) Team USA
3. Kevin Goguen (USA) Washington Spin Development
4. Morten Hulgaard (Den) Team Denmark 2:04
5. Jakob Egholm (Den) Team Denmark 2:11
6. Andreas Kron (Den) Team Denmark
7. Ian Garrison (USA) Team USA
8. Jonathan Cassivi (Can) Team Quebec 2:13
9. Mahmoud Kabbari (Mar) Team Morocco 2:15
10. Quinton Disera (Can) Centurion Next Wave 2:17
Final GC
1. Brandon A. McNulty (USA) Team USA 13:46:22
2. Mikkel Bjerg (Den) Team Denmark 0:35
3. Kevin Goguen (USA) Washington Spin Development 1:15
4. Nickolas Zukowsky (Can) Team Canada 2:16
5. Morten Hulgaard (Den) Team Denmark 2:45
6. Brian Sciba (USA) Southeastern Regional
7. Eugene Kakizaki (Jpn) Team Japan 2:50
8. Ian Garrison (USA) Team USA 2:52
9. Quinton Disera (Can) Centurion Next Wave 2:53
10. Jean-Denis Thibault (Can) Team Quebec 3:02
Full results here.