June 30, 2004 – His confidence brimming after winning the Canadian Road
Race Championships and two wins over Lance Armstrong this year, Gord
Fraser, ranked number two on the US Pro circuit, will bring the number one
team in the US back to BC
Superweek for the 2nd straight year, hoping to defend the overall title and
repeat his victory in the Tour de Gastown. Health Net presented by Maxxis
has dominated US racing this year and has announced it will compete in all
three races in BC Superweek, the Tour de Delta, July 16-18, the Tour de
Gastown, July 21, and the Save-On-Foods 25th Annual
Tour de White Rock, July 23-25.

“Our roster won’t be set until the last minute but I’ll definitely be
racing in everything,” says Fraser, an Ottawa native now living in Tucson,
Arizona. “We’ll also have Tyler Farrar (of Bellingham, Washington) and
Walker Ferguson, the under-23 World champ. They’re two of the best young
riders in the world. We’ll add three or four others for a total team of
six
or seven riders. Everybody loved last year at BC Superweek. It was great
racing, really well run. The organizers and promoters went out of their way
to do everything they could for us and to entice American teams to come up
each year.”

Fraser and his Health Net teammates were also impressed by the variety of
courses, ranging from the point-to-point White Spot Road race in Delta, to
the tight corners and slick cobblestones of Gastown, and the unrelenting
hills of White Rock. Most of all they loved the fan support for every
race.

“We’re pros and we love putting on a show for spectators,” says the
35-year-old, who’s been racing for 21 years. “Ladner and Gastown were
especially a lot of fun. Ladner’s a really technical race (he finished
3rd) and the crowds really get into it. Then Gastown is really special with
the 30,000 people that turn out every year. It reminds me a lot of the
Athens Twilighter in Georgia. There’s a great feel to it. The crowd’s so
loud, you can’t hear yourself think. It’s a real thrill, especially when
you win.”

Fraser’s victory in Gastown last year pushed him over 190 for his career.
The Canadian has won more races than any pro in North America in the last
decade. A powerful sprinter, who shows no signs of aging or slowing down,
the personable Fraser added to his reputation as one of the fastest men on
two wheels when he beat Lance Armstrong twice this year in daily stages of
the week long Tour of Georgia. Armstrong went on to finish first overall
but
Fraser was thrilled to prove he’s the best sprinter in North America.

“Lance and I go after different prizes,” says Fraser. “As a sprinter I
take great pride in winning over flat courses and that’s not really
Lance’s thing anymore. The real kick was beating Mario Ciopollini a couple
of times. He’s the best sprinter in the world and that was a real feather
in my cap. Not too many can say they’ve done that in their career.”

He may not come close to the 28 victory seasons he’s had a couple of times
in the last five years but this still could be one of his best seasons.
Halfway
through the year he’s ranked a close second to Chris Horner who is riding
for a more veteran Webcor team.

“Gord is not only a great racer, he’s also a great leader,” says Health
Net Technical Director Jeff Corbett. “He’s helped us (Health Net) come a
long
way in a very short time. His leadership is important on or off the bike.”

He’s also pretty good off on his own. This past weekend, without a big
team to support him, Fraser produced one of his most memorable rides to win
the road race at the Canadian Nationals on a scorching day in Kamloops.
He broke away with Svein Tuft of Langley and Tsawwassen’s Cam Evans late
in the race. He then held off the two Symmetrics teammates and left them
behind with a daring sprint up the last hill to edge Tuft by 20 seconds.
The win is expected to put Fraser on the Canadian Olympic team in Athens.
Final selection is in mid July.

“It’s been a great year even if I haven’t won as much as usual,” he says.
“Our team Health Net is a work in progress. We don’t have all the parts
in place yet so it’s been a struggle sometimes, but I’ve won some big
races against some top guys. I hope it continues at BC Superweek. My goal
is to win every stage I can and maybe take the overall again. One other
thing that all of us are looking forward to is getting back to those fruit
stands on our days off when we take training rides in Ladner or out to
Abbotsford. That’s another of the little things that makes it so great to
come up here every year.”