June 27, 2007 (Montreal, QC) – Rumours are circulating that Lyne Bessette (formerly with T-Mobile) will compete in the time trial at the Canadian Road Championships taking place July 5-11 in the Beauce region, just south of Quebec City.

“It’s not a rumour,” Bessette declared today at the Louis Garneau Montreal-Quebec City Classic press conference in Montreal. “Erik (van den Eynde, her coach of 13 years) and I have known for a long time that I would compete at the Canadian road Championships. But I am also looking at pursuit (track) cycling and am training at Bromont for that. It’s only 10km from my home in Knowlton, Quebec.”

“It’s too early to say if I will complete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” Bessette told Pedal. “I was disappointed in 2004 to be the one who crashed when I was in the (best) shape of my life. And if I do go there (Beijing), it will be the objective of winning and not just participating.” She also told us of the wonderful support the people of Knowlton gave her in 2004, with photos of Bessette and messages of support everywhere in town.

Bessette is the only woman to have completed in the Louis Garneau Montreal-Quebec City Classic in the 59 years that the event has been run, finishing the race twice. In honour of competing in “a men’s race,” she has been named president of the event for this year.

Bessette, 32, was the 2001 national road champ, but retired from professional road racing in May, 2006. “I retired from (professional) road racing, but not from cycling,” she explained today. Currently the national cyclocross champion, she also competes in mountain bike and track events.

Bessette competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and at the 2004 Games in Athens, Bessette finished 16th in the Olympic TT, 1:12:26 back from Dutch rider, Leontien van Morsel, who won with a time of 31:11.53. As recently as 2004, Bessette finished first at the Nature Valley GP and at the Tour de Toona.

Competing in the Défi Gaston Langlois in Ste-Marthe, Quebec, this past Saturday, Bessette (Independent) won ahead of Lila Fraser (Équipe Cascades) and Johanne Cyr (Équipe Cascades) with a time of 59:38.73 over a 40km distance. But Bessette declined the first place medal in favour of Fraser.

When she spoke to Pedal today, Bessette was wearing an angel pendant, explaining that it was a good luck charm given to her by her parents. “It’s meant to ward off broken collar bones, but I’m not sure that it’s working right,” quipped the cyclist who has been plagued by injuries in recent years.