Grand Prix Saguenay Stage 1 Report, Full Results

June 05, 2014 (La Baie, QC) – And they’re off! The first stage of the first Grand Prix Cycliste de Saguenay was held Thursday in La Baie, QC, and Eric Young of Optum-Kelly Benefits took the top honors at the inaugural stage, raced on 166.1 km, 11 laps of a 15.1km circuit.

The race started with a very fast pace and right from the sound of the gun, with a group of 30 riders controlling the race. In the first few kilometers, the group took off on a breakaway and stayed together for about 30 kilometres before they were caught by the bunch.

A smaller breakaway group consisting of seven excellent riders then formed. In the seventh lap, four riders joined the breakaway, but the pack quickly and carefully responded to this move, deciding to close the gap. It is at the end of the seventh lap that the two groups finally came back together, just before crossing the start/finish line where the crowd had gathered.

The main bunch stayed together until the final lap, and breakaway away attempts multiplied in the last ten kilometers. As expected, all these attacks were very quickly controlled and the race was decided by a bunch sprint.

With less than 100m to go, sprint was initiated and it’s sprinter Eric Young of Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefits that crossed first the finish line first, before Martijn Verschoor Team Novo Nordisk in second and the Canadian Pierrick Naud cycling team Garneau-Quebecor in third.

« We knew that the hill would be kind of a sting in the legs, and as a sprinter I was kind of worried about that. We had to make it through the climbs and that the team was in all the moves. We did a pretty good job with all of that and once we figured it would be a sprint finish, get all the guys together, stay fuelled up and get ready for the sprint.” commented Eric Young, who puts his hand on the leader’s yellow jersey and the green jersey as leader of the points classification

Young is the National Champion of the United States in the criterium, and will be a formidable force in the event Saturday evening, presented in Chicoutimi. “The time gaps aren’t big, so let’s hope it finishes again in a sprint tomorrow. I’m guessing that if a breakaway makes it through to the finish tomorrow, well that’s the GC. We have to stay heads up, and it’s still full on racing tomorrow.”

Pierrick Naud Garneau-Quebecor team, meanwhile is very happy with his third position. “I think with the performance in Europe lately, my form is excellent. It is certain that with the time difference between Europe and here, we were not too convinced at first. As the race progressed, the better I felt. At the end of the race, my teammates have all worked well to position me for the sprint. I was very well placed at the last turn.

“Travelling in Europe has been a bit of preparation for this race. We had two big races, and it allowed me to regain some form that I missed from the winter. I hope it goes well go for the rest of the Grand Prix, “said Naud.

With respect to criterium, Naud has confidence in his team. “Garneau has done very well this year at criteriums. It is certain that we will try to give all we’ve got for the race on Saturday.”

The classification for the King of the Mountain is led by Luca Benedetti of Team Amore & Vita, who collected the most points in this first stage, 14 points, and will wear the famous Polka Dot Jersey on Friday. Benedetti has secured the jersey by winning the first two sprints of the Grand Prix de la Montagne.

The white jersey of best young rider (U23) will be worn on Friday by Asbjorn Kragch Andersen of the Danish team Christina Watches-Kuma.

The first stage was dedicated in honor of Philippe Boivin, a cycling enthusiast and longstanding volunteer who passed earlier this year after heart issues. The wife of Mr. Boivin was present at start of the race and received a bouquet of flowers.

The race continues tomorrow with the presentation of the second stage, still in La Baie. This second step will 170.4km difficulty climbing, with a portion of two kilometers with temperatures between 8 and 10% slopes.

Results

1. Eric Young (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 3:51:55
2. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Novo Nordisk
3. Pierrick Naud (Can) Garneau-Québecor
4. Jure Kocjan (Slo) SmartStop
5. Leonardo Pinizzotto (Ita) Amore & Vita
6. Asbjorn Kragh Andersen (Den) Christina Watches
7. Luca Benedetti (Ita) Amore & Vita
8. Anatoliy Pakhtusov (Ukr) ISD Continental
9. Éric Marcotte (Usa) SmartStop
10. Aurélien Passeron (Fra) Silber Pro Cycling Team
11. Benjamin Perry (Can) NCCH
12. Ian Crane (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman
13. Elliot Doyle (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team
14. Tommy Nankervis (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling
15. Edson Calderon (Col) 4-72 Colombia
16. Michael Vink (Nzl) Budget Forklifts Cycling
17. Brecht Dhaene (Bel) Astellas Cycling
18. Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Christina Watches
19. Chad Beyer (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
20. Joshua Berry (Usa) SmartStop
21. Jonathan Hornbeck (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
22. Gavin Mannion (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
23. Javier Megian Leal (Esp) Novo Nordisk
24. Oleksandr Sheydyk (Ukr) ISD Continental
25. Léandre Bouchard (Can) Transport Lacombe
26. Anatoliy Budyak (Ukr) ISD Continental
27. Viesturs Luksevics (Lat) Amore & Vita
28. Jake Tanner (Gbr) Christina Watches
29. Timothy Rugg (Usa) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
30. Robbie Squire (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman
31. Christopher Uberti (Usa) Astellas Cycling
32. Michael Woods (Can) Amore & Vita
33. Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team
34. Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
35. Matteo Dal-Cin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team
36. Brodie Talbot (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling
37. James Stemper (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
38. Matt Green (Gbr) Astellas Cycling
39. Frédéric Cossette (Can) Transport Lacombe
40. Charles Planet (Fra) Novo Nordisk
41. Talor Shelden (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
42. Jacob Kauffmann (Aus) Garneau-Québecor
43. Bruno Langlois (Can) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
44. William Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
45. Jacob Rathe (Usa) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
46. Maxime Jenkins (Usa) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
47. Jordon Cheyne (Can) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
48. Joonas Henttala (Fin) Novo Nordisk
49. Kirk Carlsen (Usa) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
50. Yohan Patry (Can) Transport Lacombe
51. Daniel Durango (Col) 4-72 Colombia
52. Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis Hagens Berman
53. David Lozano Riba (Esp) Novo Nordisk
54. Vitaliy Popkov (Ukr) ISD Continental
55. Nicolas Lefrançois (Fra) Novo Nordisk
56. Volodymyr Dzhus (Ukr) ISD Continental
57. Julian Kyer (Usa) SmartStop
58. Jean-Michel Lachance (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team
59. Will Elliot (Can) NCCH
60. Jimmi Sorensen (Den) Christina Watches
61. Bjorn Selander (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
62. Stephen Leece (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman
63. Williams David (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
64. Fernando Orjuela Gutierrez (Col) 4-72 Colombia
65. Michael Torckler (Nzl) SmartStop
66. Thomas Soladay (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
67. Carson Miller (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman
68. Charles Bradley Huff (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 00:18
69. Shane Kliine (Usa) SmartStop 01:10
70. Jeremy Durrin (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 01:48
71. Martin Rupes (Can) NCCH 01:48
72. Yors Santofimio (Col) 4-72 Colombia 01:48
73. Adam Matthew Farabaugh (Usa) Garneau-Québecor 01:48
74. Tyler Wren (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman 01:48
75. Alex Wohler (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 01:48
76. Alexis Cartier (Can) Transport Lacombe 01:48
77. James Gene Piccoli (Can) Amore & Vita 01:48
78. Clay Murfet (Aus) Astellas Cycling 01:48
79. Enrico Rossi (Ita) Christina Watches 01:48
80. Maksym Vasilyev (Ukr) ISD Continental 01:48
81. Sam Witmitz (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 02:10
82. Joshua Lucas Galloway Prete (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 02:12
83. Jesse Kerrison (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 03:21
84. Stephen Hyde (Usa) Astellas Cycling 03:21
85. Rémi Pelletier-Roy (Can) Garneau-Québecor 03:21
86. Ian Burnett (Usa) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 03:21
87. Yean Stefan Rodriguez Sepulveda (Col) 4-72 Colombia 03:21
88. Sebastian Forke (Ger) Christina Watches 04:18
89. Benjamin Chaddock (Can) Garneau-Québecor 05:24
90. Juan José Haedo (Arg) Jamis Hagens Berman 05:24
91. Émile Jean (Can) Transport Lacombe 05:24
92. Simon-Pierre Gauthier (Can) Garneau-Québecor 06:38
93. Kristofer Dahl (Can) SmartStop 06:38
94. Cortlan Brown (Usa) Astellas Cycling 13:27
95. Ryan Aitcheson (Can) Astellas Cycling 13:27
96. Antonio Di Batista (Ita) Amore & Vita 13:27
97. Camilo Andres Suarez Albarracin (Col) 4-72 Colombia 18:08
98. David Drouin (Can) NCCH 22:18
99. William Goodfellow (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 22:22
100. Luke Van Lauwe (Can) NCCH 22:47
101. Olivier Brisebois (Can) Norco Premier Tech 22:50
102. Benjamin Chartrand (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 22:50
DNF Simon Lambert-Lemay (Can) Garneau-Québecor
DNF Nic Hamlton (Can) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
DNF Matthew Lloyd (Aus) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
DNF Jack Burke (Can) NCCH
DNF Jacob Restall (Can) NCCH
DNF Étienne Samson (Can) Norco Premier Tech
DNF Maxime Lepluart (Can) Norco Premier Tech
DNF Adam Andersen (Can) Norco Premier Tech
DNF Simon Ouellet (Can) Norco Premier Tech
DNF Guillaume Fiset (Can) Norco Premier Tech
DNF Jean-François Racine (Can) Norco Premier Tech
DNF Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
DNF Lucas Bent (Can) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
DNF Casey Roth (Can) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
DNF Kiernan Orange (Can) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
DNF Dennis Cottreau (Can) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
DNF Samuel Gagnon (Can) Transport Lacombe
DNF Stephen Keeping (Can) Transport Lacombe

GC after Stage 1

1. Eric Young (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strateg 3:51:45
2. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Novo Nordisk 00:04
3. Pierrick Naud (Can) Garneau-Québecor 00:06
4. Jure Kocjan (Slo) SmartStop 00:07
5. James Stemper (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 00:07
6. Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis Hagens Berman 00:07
7. Ian Crane (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman 00:08
8. Bruno Langlois (Can) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 00:08
9. Jacob Rathe (Usa) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 00:08
10. Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 00:09
11. Jacob Kauffmann (Aus) Garneau-Québecor 00:09
12. Leonardo Pinizzotto (Ita) Amore & Vita 00:10
13. Asbjorn Kragh Andersen (Den) Christina Watches 00:10
14. Luca Benedetti (Ita) Amore & Vita 00:10
15. Anatoliy Pakhtusov (Ukr) ISD Continental 00:10
16. Éric Marcotte (Usa) SmartStop 00:10
17. Aurélien Passeron (Fra) Silber Pro Cycling Team 00:10
18. Benjamin Perry (Can) NCCH 00:10
19. Elliot Doyle (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 00:10
20. Tommy Nankervis (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 00:10
21. Edson Calderon (Col) 4-72 Colombia 00:10
22. Michael Vink (Nzl) Budget Forklifts Cycling 00:10
23. Brecht Dhaene (Bel) Astellas Cycling 00:10
24. Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Christina Watches 00:10
25. Chad Beyer (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 00:10
26. Joshua Berry (Usa) SmartStop 00:10
27. Jonathan Hornbeck (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 00:10
28. Gavin Mannion (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 00:10
29. Javier Megian Leal (Esp) Novo Nordisk 00:10
30. Oleksandr Sheydyk (Ukr) ISD Continental 00:10
31. Léandre Bouchard (Can) Transport Lacombe 00:10
32. Anatoliy Budyak (Ukr) ISD Continental 00:10
33. Viesturs Luksevics (Lat) Amore & Vita 00:10
34. Jake Tanner (Gbr) Christina Watches 00:10
35. Timothy Rugg (Usa) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme 00:10
36. Robbie Squire (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman 00:10
37. Christopher Uberti (Usa) Astellas Cycling 00:10
38. Michael Woods (Can) Amore & Vita 00:10
39. Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 00:10
40. Matteo Dal-Cin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 00:10
41. Brodie Talbot (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 00:10
42. Matt Green (Gbr) Astellas Cycling 00:10
43. Frédéric Cossette (Can) Transport Lacombe 00:10
44. Charles Planet (Fra) Novo Nordisk 00:10
45. Talor Shelden (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 00:10
46. William Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strateg 00:10
47. Maxime Jenkins (Usa) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme 00:10
48. Jordon Cheyne (Can) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme 00:10
49. Joonas Henttala (Fin) Novo Nordisk 00:10
50. Kirk Carlsen (Usa) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 00:10
51. Yohan Patry (Can) Transport Lacombe 00:10
52. Daniel Durango (Col) 4-72 Colombia 00:10
53. David Lozano Riba (Esp) Novo Nordisk 00:10
54. Vitaliy Popkov (Ukr) ISD Continental 00:10
55. Nicolas Lefrançois (Fra) Novo Nordisk 00:10
56. Volodymyr Dzhus (Ukr) ISD Continental 00:10
57. Julian Kyer (Usa) SmartStop 00:10
58. Jean-Michel Lachance (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 00:10
59. Will Elliot (Can) NCCH 00:10
60. Jimmi Sorensen (Den) Christina Watches 00:10
61. Bjorn Selander (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strateg 00:10
62. Stephen Leece (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman 00:10
63. Williams David (Usa) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 00:10
64. Fernando Orjuela Gutierrez (Col) 4-72 Colombia 00:10
65. Michael Torckler (Nzl) SmartStop 00:10
66. Thomas Soladay (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strateg 00:10
67. Carson Miller (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman 00:10
68. Charles Bradley Huff (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strateg 00:28
69. Shane Kliine (Usa) SmartStop 01:20
70. Jeremy Durrin (Usa) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strateg 02:08
71. Martin Rupes (Can) NCCH 01:58
72. Yors Santofimio (Col) 4-72 Colombia 01:58
73. Adam Matthew Farabaugh (Usa) Garneau-Québecor 01:58
74. Tyler Wren (Usa) Jamis Hagens Berman 01:58
75. Alex Wohler (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 01:58
76. Alexis Cartier (Can) Transport Lacombe 01:58
77. James Gene Piccoli (Can) Amore & Vita 01:58
78. Clay Murfet (Aus) Astellas Cycling 01:58
79. Enrico Rossi (Ita) Christina Watches 01:58
80. Maksym Vasilyev (Ukr) ISD Continental 01:58
81. Sam Witmitz (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 02:20
82. Joshua Lucas Galloway Prete (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 02:22
83. Jesse Kerrison (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 03:31
84. Stephen Hyde (Usa) Astellas Cycling 03:31
85. Rémi Pelletier-Roy (Can) Garneau-Québecor 03:31
86. Ian Burnett (Usa) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 03:31
87. Yean Stefan Rodriguez Sepulveda (Col) 4-72 Colombia 03:31
88. Sebastian Forke (Ger) Christina Watches 04:28
89. Benjamin Chaddock (Can) Garneau-Québecor 05:34
90. Juan José Haedo (Arg) Jamis Hagens Berman 05:34
91. Émile Jean (Can) Transport Lacombe 05:34
92. Kristofer Dahl (Can) SmartStop 06:47
93. Simon-Pierre Gauthier (Can) Garneau-Québecor 06:48
94. Cortlan Brown (Usa) Astellas Cycling 13:37
95. Ryan Aitcheson (Can) Astellas Cycling 13:37
96. Antonio Di Batista (Ita) Amore & Vita 13:37
97. Camilo Andres Suarez Albarracin (Col) 4-72 Colombia 18:18
98. David Drouin (Can) NCCH 22:28
99. William Goodfellow (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 22:32
100. Luke Van Lauwe (Can) NCCH 22:57
101. Olivier Brisebois (Can) Norco Premier Tech 23:00
102. Benjamin Chartrand (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 23:00