May 21, 2011 (Gatineau, QC) – Current Canadian road champion, Joelle Numainville (TIBCO/To the Top) came close to victory, but the experience of reigning road worlds champ, Georgia Bronzini (Ita) Colavita Forno D’Asolo, allowed her to stay in front across the line to claim the victory. American Theresa Cliff-Ryan of Colavita was well rounded out the podium in third.

After the rain of the past few days it was clear on the riders’ faces that they were looking forward to a day of sunshine and Mother Nature delivered. The teams were limited to a maximum of six riders so the field was roughly double the size of the Choro Gatineau ITT at 77 riders.

In the team area before the race start there were riders huddled with their team directors working out strategy, which was followed by getting their bodies loose and ready for the 103.4km of racing ahead. Colavita was very focused on their preparations and it was clear they had come looking for a win. TIBCO/To the Top had set their team up around Numainville, the GP Gatineau defending champ, as they expected the race to come down to a sprint finish.

At the team sign-in, there was some confusion about the status of French legend Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli who was riding for the West of Quebec Wheelers. She wasn’t on the start list or hadn’t been issued a race number. It took more than a few minutes but all was sorted out to everyone’s satisfaction and Longo-Ciprelli was there for her call-up.

After the team sign-ins, the riders gathered just before the start line and put their race faces on. Shortly before the 11am start the call-ups began with Bronzini coming to the start line first, just as she would over 2-1/2 hours later at the finish. Clara Hughes (Team Canada) and Longo-Ciprelli chatted at length at the start line while the rest of the field rolled up.

Once the race was on the peloton set a moderate pace for the first few laps with only the occasional dig or attack. The frequent sharp corners meant that position in the pack was important and the sound of brakes on carbon wheels rose in volume further back on each turn. The climbs were also a factor and while the main climb in the Gatineau Park was a testing ground, the shorter and steeper off ramps came into play as well. Riders began slipping off the back of the pack after only a few laps as the pace began to pick up and the effort combined with the heat took its toll.

A small but potent group of eight finally got clear about 30km into the race and with many top teams represented they were quickly allowed to open up a gap – in the break were Canadians Leah Kirchmann (Team Canada), Erinne Willock (TIBCO/To the Top), Karol-Anne Canuel (Vienne-Futuroscope), Moriah MacGregor (Juverderm-Specialized), Stephanie Skoreyko (Kallisto/Wheels of Bloor), Cliff-Ryan, Italy’s Barbara Guarashi (Colavita Forno D’Asolo) and Lesla Kalistovska (Ukraine).

The break worked well together soon dropping Skoreyko along the way and building up a lead of almost a minute at one point. But it wasn’t long before they began to attack each other and pack behind started to reel them in. Longo-Ciprelli was doing more than her share of the work, putting in big pulls through the rock-cut climb and other parts of the course and ultimately pulled across the line in 10th place.

Just as the break was being caught on lap eight with four to go, Denise Ramsden (Can) Juvederm-Specialized attacked. Kirchmann, who had been in the earlier break, tried to follow the move but alone she dangled between the solo leader and the peloton. The Manitoban rider was soon absorbed and then a small group of three riders including Anna Solovey (Ukraine), Canada’s Julie Beveridge (Vienne-Futuroscope) and American Catherine Cheatley (Colavita Forno D’Asolo), escaped and tried to bridge to Ramsden to no avail.

The leader extended her lead to almost a minute with two laps to go, but that was as far as she would get. The three escapees were reeled in by the charging peloton and near the end of the 10th lap the pack was back together and eyeing each other.

Tibco and Colavita did the bulk of the work to ensure it would be a sprint finish and the last lap was all about positioning their riders for the final sprint. What the teams hadn’t planned on was a crash in the final round-about before the sprint which changed the composition of the front of the race.

After the race Numainville commented that when she looked around for her team she only heard a teammate encouraging her to go on her own. Bronzini knew there would be shelter on the right side of the course and made her sprint line in that direction. Numainville tried to come around on her right as well only to find that the door was closed before she could get through.

After the race, Bronzini said it was hard but added that she “…felt good during the race”. She wanted to “…pull the sprint for Theresa [Cliff-Ryan].” But after the crash Cliff-Ryan said, “Go Georgia go”. When asked about winning the rainbow jersey last year in Melbourne, Australia she described it as “a new feeling” for her, saying that previously she had only won races in Italy.

It was also a special feeling for Bronzini to win this race wearing the rainbow jersey commenting that it was “…her first race with the American group from her team and the team was fantastic together.” Asked about her strategy in the pack she was very clear that the wheel she was focused on was Hughes “…because she was so strong.”

Each time Hughes tried to attack, Bronzini was on her wheel and she felt that was enough for the Canadian to “stay calm for the rest of the lap”. Her strategy worked and the Colavita team was prepared for the final sprint with Bronzini coming through for the win.

Numainville was proud to have raced in the Canadian road champion’s jersey and said winning it was hard. “It will be difficult to defend the jersey but that’s for another day though,” she commented. She said that at times during the race she felt tired and wondered if the other racers were feeling the same way adding that she also felt the stress of being the team’s sprinter knowing she “…had to put up a good sprint.” And that she did.

On finishing second behind Bronzini Numainville said, “I’m happy, I think one day I can win it against her. I need to work on my strategy a bit more.”

Results

1. Georgia Bronzini (Ita) Colavita Forno d’Asolo 2:38:45
2. Joelle Numainville (Can) TIBCO/To the Top
3. Theresa Cliff-Ryan (USA) Colavita Forno d’Asolo
4. Leah Kirchmann (Can) Canadian National Team 0:02
5. Ielizaveta Oshurkova (Ukr) Ukraine National Team
6. Veronique Labonte (Can) Team Juvederm-Specialized
7. Karol-Anne Canuel (Can) Vienne FutureScope
8. Clara Hughes (Can) Canadian National Team
9. Megan Guarnier (USA) TIBCO/To the Top
10. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra) West of Quebec Wheelers
11. Denise Ramsden (Can) Team Juvederm-Specialized
12. Lesla Kalitovska (Ukr) Ukraine National Team
13. Lex Albrecht (Can) Team Juvederm-Specialized
14. Anna Solovey (Ukr) Ukraine National Team
15. Svitlana Galyuk (Ukr) Ukraine National Team
16. Edwige Pitel (Fra) Vienne FutureScope
17. Heather Sprenger (Can) Colavita Forno d’Asolo
18. Barbara Guarashi (Ita) Colavita Forno d’Asolo
19. Catherine Cheatley (Nzl) Colavita Forno d’Asolo
20. Lenore Pipes (Gum) West of Quebec Wheelers
21. Julie Beveridge (Can) Vienne FutureScope
22. Susan Palmer-Komar (Can) P-K Express/HNZ Strategies
23. Natasha Elliot (Can) Reform-Body/Power
24. Cynthia Nelson (Can) Reform-Body/Power
25. Audrey Cordon (Fra) Vienne FutureScope
26. Olivia Dillon (Irl) West of Quebec Wheelers
27. Anna Harkowska (Pol) Kallisto/Wheels of Bloor
28. Rebecca Wellons (USA) Danbury Audi
29. Annie Ewart (Can) Canadian National Team
30. Leah Guloien (Can) Canadian National Team
31. Moriah MacGregor (Can) Team Juvederm-Specialized
32. Jennifer Stephenson (Can) Reform-Body/Power
33. Émilie Roy (Can) Equipe Quebec
34. Emma Mackie (Aus) TIBCO/To the Top
35. Michelle Gauthier (Can) Reform-Body/Power
36. Julia Bradley (Can) Stevens Pro Team
37. Véronique Fortin (Can) Equipe Quebec
38. Suzie Brown (Can) P-K Express/HNZ Strategies
39. Cara Gillis (Can) Canadian National Team
40. Caroline Ryan (Irl) West of Quebec Wheelers
41. Erinne Willock (Can) TIBCO/To the Top 0:16
42.ison Lampi (Can) Reform-Body/Power
43. Virginie Gauthier (Can) Atrium R2CC
44. Kathleen Billington (USA) Danbury Audi
45. Jennifer Purcell (USA) Danbury Audi 1:17
46. Rushlee Buchanan (Nzl) Colavita Forno d’Asolo 1:45
47. Élisabeth Albert (Can) Equipe Quebec 3:13
48. Stephanie Skoreyko (Can) Kallisto/Wheels of Bloor 6:31
49. Melissa Bunn (Can) Stevens Pro Team 7:03
50. Michelle Paiement (Can) Stevens Pro Team
51. Carley Taylor (Aus) TIBCO/To the Top
52. Laura Haapamaki (Can) P-K Express/HNZ Strategies 9:45
53. Heather Shearer (Can) P-K Express/HNZ Strategies
54. Anne Guzman (Can) Team Juvederm-Specialized
DNF Julia Garnet (Can) Canadian National Team
DNF Myriam Gaudreault (Can) Equipe Quebec
DNF Audrey Sarazin (Can) Equipe Quebec
DNF Caroline Brunet (Can) Equipe Quebec
DNF Lindsay Myers (USA) Danbury Audi
DNF Joanie Caron (Can) Team Juvederm-Specialized
DNF Rachel O’Reilly (Can) Stevens Pro Team
DNF Sophie Matte (Can) Stevens Pro Team
DNF Julie Lefreniere (Can) Stevens Pro Team
DNF Courtnay Darville (Can) Reform-Body/Power
DNF Cheryl Rondeau (Can) Kallisto/Wheels of Bloor
DNF Tara Kabatoff (Can) Kallisto/Wheels of Bloor
DNF Elodie Gillard (Can) Atrium R2CC
DNF Adriane Provost (Can) Atrium R2CC
DNF Anne-Marie B. Morin (Can) Atrium R2CC
DNF Évelyne Ganon (Can) Atrium R2CC
DNF Frédérique Lord (Can) Atrium R2CC
DNF Kelly Knowles (Can) West of Quebec Wheelers
DNF Arlene Marchildon (Can) West of Quebec Wheelers