courtesy Team RONA

August 3, 2002 (Altoona, PA) – Affected by heat and dehydration, Manon
Jutras of Team RONA managed to break away for more than 50 km
yesterday, but finally Team Goldy’s Heather Albert won the stage, arguably the
toughest of The International Stage Race, with 160 km and three major
climbs, one of them on unpaved roads. Albert and four other cyclists
completed the stage with a 6′ 45” lead over a group of 13 chasers, including
RONA’s Manon Jutras and Amy Jarvis. Such a lead caused important changes in
GC. (At this time GC is not available).

RONA’s Andrea Hannos and Amy Jarvis attacked from the gun and and attacked
again. For about 30 km, they animated the race, until their teammate Manon
Jutras managed to create a gap when she attacked on a steep pitch. Meredith
Miller of TalgoAmerica.com stayed on her wheel, but after about 5 km Jutras
dropped her and went on by herself.

Behind, the pack was chasing hard. But Jutras was flying and she increased
the gap to 2′ 15”. At the bottom of the Blue Knob Hill, after more than 70
km of racing, she still had almost 2 minutes on the chasers. “That’s when I
started to weaken,” said Jutras. “I had made sure I ate and drank, but it
was so hot, I was starting to dehydrate.”

At the Blue Knob Hill a group of six riders took 2 minutes from Jutras. They
caught her 1 km from the top. In the last steep pitch of the climb, 200
meters from the top, Jutras counter-attacked. “That was one attack too
many, admitted Jutras after the stage. In the state I was in, it killed me.
I started to shiver, I was seriously dehydrated.” So after 85 km of racing
and a 55-km break away, Manon Jutras now had to fight to minimize her
losses.

Caught by Van Gilder (Trek Plus) they both caught Cybil DiGuistini (Diet
Rite), who had been dropped by the lead group now down to five riders. Soon
after a group
of ten racers absorbed Jarvis, Van Gilder and DiGuistini and the 13 stayed
together.
And together they crossed the finish line, 6′ 45” behind the lead five.
That group had
settled their accounts in a sprint, in which Heather Albert had the best of
Jessica Phillips of Saturn Timex.

The International

5th stage : Altoona circuit race

Stage classification

(Unofficial times)

1. Heather Albert (USA, Goldy’s ) 160,0 km in 4h 22′ 19” (avg.36.6 km/h)
(bonus 15”)

2. Jessica Phillips (USA, Saturn Timex) s.t. (bonus 10”)

3. Maria Calle (COL, TalgoAmerica.com) s.t. (bonus 5”)

4. Sandy Espeseth (CAN, Hutch’s ) s.t.

5. Leah Goldstein (CAN, BOISE) s.t.

8. Amy Jarvis (CAN, RONA) 6′ 45”

17. Manon Jutras (CAN, RONA) s.t.

32. Andrea Hannos (CAN, RONA) 38′ 05”

N.B.: At this time, the General
Classification is not available.

The RONA cycling team is one of only two Canadian women’s elite cycling
teams acknowledged by the International Cycling Union.