May 21, 2006 – Hell normally invokes images of fire, lava and burning coals but for Bromont, Quebec residents this weekend, Hell took another form – water, heavy rains and flooding ravaged the area. But would that stop the daredevil, mud-eating racers competing in the Downhill event at l’Invitation internationale Intersport de Bromont? Hell, no.

“It takes much more than that to cancel an MTB race”, said Ben’J Thibeault, Director of Marketing for Mondial du Vélo, wearing a well-suited-for-the-weather yellow rainsuit.

Curse the Course!

One of the big stars of the event was the course itself. “The toughest I ever rode”, said Courtenay, B.C.’s Adrienne Miller (Devinci). “It was muddy, slippery, with unexpected jumps. And the pouring rain made things even worse.” Miller still flew over the competition, winning in 6:46:23. “The bottom half of the course was very technical. I fell twice, but I nailed my turns in the critical parts, so it’s a good start for me,” she added, her Team Canada jersey soaked and muddy.

“It’s like Vietnam out there,” blurted out one of the first senior men to finish the course, describing the tough conditions that riders faced.

The men’s event was expected to be a close affair, with at least a half-dozen potential winners. “A top-5 finish would be great for me,” said Devinci’s Mathieu Laurin. The Quebec City native had little time to get familiar with the course, but he knew the Bromont venue very well. His wish was granted, as he crossed the finish line in 5th place.

His teammate, Victoria, B.C.’s Geoff Pendrel, thought he held the key to the Gold, with a time of 5:12:26. But he would have to settle for silver as Fredericton’s Eric Goss (Giant) squeezed past him in 5:10:23, ousting Pendrel from the pole position. Montreal’s Luke Kitzanuk (Giant) completed the podium.

Move over, Junior!

Although most of the big MTB names were on hand – Moreland, Goss, Dubé etc.-, the buzz around the course was for a 17-year-old Junior racer, Hans Lambert, from St-Bruno, Qc, who opened quite a few eyes by posting a sensational 5:23:00, which would have earned him a top-10 finish had he entered the Elite men’s race. Was the youngster surprised by his own performance? “Yes and no,” he said hesitantly. “I had never made a complete run of the course before the race, and I’m with a new team so I didn’t quite know what to expect.” Remember this rider’s name as he looks like he’ll be a force to be reckoned with over the next few years.

Enjoy Quebec’s Hospitality

The riders will meet again next weekend, May 27-28 at Mont-Tremblant in the Laurentians, for round #2 of the Canada Cup. So for the next few days, with Mother Nature’s permission, hopefully they can enjoy some of Quebec’s joie de vivre, and train in top notch conditions.

Results

Elite Men
1. Eric Goss 5:10.230
2. Geoff Pendrel 5:12.260
3. Luke Kitzanuk 5:14.280
4. Tyler Morland 5:15.660
5. Mathieu Laurin 5:18.950
6. Charles-Alexandre Dubé 5:19.510
7. Louis-Philippe Leonard 5:19.720
8. Antoine Aubert-Larose 5:22.940
9. Hans Lambert 5:23.650
10. Benoit Rioux 5:26.090
11. Dominick Ménard 5:26.170
12. Justin Brown 5:28.470
13. Mathieu Lagrange 5:29.180
14. Stuart Couper 5:30.920
15. Nick Dignard 5:32.780
16. Olivier Laprade 5:34.400
17. Jonathan Pilon 5:37.050
18. Jean Philippe Da Silva 5:42.480
19. Derek Cowell 5:43.200

Elite Women
1. Adrienne Miller 6:46.23
2. Caroline Milot 8:46.62
3. Sheila Morris 8:59.92
4. Genevieve Gagnon 9:23.41
5. Isabelle Plante 9:47.18

More results as they become available.