courtesy of Team Rona
August 1, 2002 (Altoona, PA) – A precocious and solitary breakaway, that
the field
did not take seriously, looks like it will be enough to settle The
International 2002 edition.
Heather Albert (USA, Goldy’s ) finished yesterday’s stage with a seven
minute lead
and took the yellow jersey with a 7′ 41” advantage over Manon Jutras (CA,
RONA), now second overall. Albert also completed her wardrobe with the
points leader and best climber jerseys.
Yesterday’s stage was 164 km long and tough, with several challenging
climbs. Heather Albert, who finished fourth at the recent U.S. road
championships, broke away halfway up the first climb of the day, less than 5
km from the start. The peloton didn’t think she would go far and let her
go. In no time at all she had a 4 minute lead. Then RONA started to chase
and, after about 60 km of racing, the lead had melted down to 2′ 20”.
Team RONA offered other teams the opportunity to take the front
of the chase, but nobody responded. Albert was free to solidify her
lead. When she crossed the line, she had a full seven minutes to freshen up
before Sandy Espeseth and Laura Van Gilder made it to the finish. A group of a
dozen racers, one of them Manon Jutras, finished 43 seconds later.
Today’s stage, around Hollydaysburg, is 97 km long.
The International – Stage 3 – Johnstown – Altoona
Stage classification (Unofficial times)
1. Heather Albert (USA, Goldy’s ) 163,6 km in 4h 49′ 34” (avg.33,9 km/h)
(bonus 15′)
2. Sandy Espeseth (CAN) 7′ 00” (bonus 10”)
3. Laura Van Gilder (USA, Trek Plus) s.t. (bonus 5”)
4. Tina Mayolo-Pic (USA, Diet Rite) 7′ 43”
5. Erin Mirabella (USA, Total Trainer) s.t.
15. Manon Jutras (CA, RONA) s.t.
17. Amy Jarvis (CA, RONA) 9′ 28”
25.Andrea Hannos (CA, RONA) 13′ 17”
Nicole Freedman (USA, RONA) DNF
The International
General Classification after three stages (Unofficial times)
1. Heather Albert (USA, Goldy’s ) 8h 04′ 25”
2. Manon Jutras (CA, RONA) 7′ 41”
3. Leah Goldstein (CA, BOISE) 7′ 42”
4. Jessica Phillips (USA, Saturn Timex) 7′ 49”
5. Kori Kelly (USA, Diet Rite) 8′ 04”
17. Amy Jarvis (CA, RONA) 10′ 03”
25. Andrea Hannos (CA, RONA) 14′ 09”
The RONA cycling team is one of only two Canadian women’s elite cycling
teams acknowledged by the International Cycling Union.