July 31, 2008 (Val-d’Or, QC) – The Australian Team is celebrating this evening after the first stage of the Coupe des Nations Abitibi 2008. Nick Aitken (Australian National Team) won the race that was run on the highway between Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d’Or. During the stage Aitken took part in two breakaways totalling approximately 60 kilometres over the 105.5km course. During the first breakaway he was joined by two other riders from Hot Tubes and France, while the second and final breakaway was comprised of 12 competitors.

Aitken is now the proud bearer of both the brown (leader) and orange (sprint) jerseys. He had been named the most competitive racer by the technical managers and commissioners at the Tour de l’Abitibi that ended this past Tuesday. Ruslan Abdulmanov of Kazakhstan climbed to the second step of the podium, while the Pierrick Naud (Can) Quebec, a local racer from Amos, was very warmly received as he fulfilled the trio on the podium this evening. The top twelve cyclists in today’s race had crossed the finish line in 2 hours 17 minutes 13 seconds.

Although some torrential rain poured down today, thankfully it didn’t cause any falls among the 68 junior cyclists who participated in the event. There were ten or so mechanical problems or flat tires — nothing worse. The second stage of the Coupe des Nations will take place tomorrow evening, covering 95.1km through the streets of Val-d’Or. The start/finish of the race will be at the Belvedere lookout.

Full results pdf here.

GC standings pdf here.

Results

1. Nick Aitken (Aus) Australian National Team 2:17:13
2. Ruslan Abdulmanov (Kaz) Kazakhstan National Team
3. Pierrick Naud (Can) Québec