July 17, 2007 (Montreal, QC) — It was Brazilian Kleber Ramos DaSilva (Flying Horse), racing in a pink Garneau Crocs jersey, who crossed the finish line first in tonight’s stage 5 of the pro elite men’s Mardis Cyclistes Saputo Cup with a time of 49:01. Erik Lyman (Calyon/Litespeed) and Maxime Vives (Calyon/Litespeed) rounded out the podium. The race was shortened to only 40.3km (25 laps) instead of the customary 50km (31 laps) this evening because of an oil spill on the third corner of the 1.61km circuit around LaSalle Park.

Greg Reain (Calyon/Litespeed) was among those who went down on this corner. Pedal caught up with him as a medic attended to what Reain called, “a ton of road rash, but nothing serious. I clipped a pedal on the fourth lap, trying to bring Charly (Vives) up to the front. It was a pretty juvenile mistake. At least I did well at the Nationals last week”¦”

Race organizer Tino Rossi thought differently and made the decision to shorten tonight’s race and add six laps onto next Tuesday’s race, bringing it to 37. “The oil spill was right where the cyclists were turning. If it were on a straightaway, it would have been different. The safety of the riders was at stake,” explained Rossi.

We hope for a few words from DaSilva but he doesn’t speak English or French. Third place finisher, Maxime Vives said the shortened race was a surprise. “We were expecting there to be another nine laps and then saw there were only three. But it was better that the organizers did that. There is no sense racing if we only fall down.”

The winner of stages three and four, Jean-Francois Laroche (Sleeman Clear TATV), was sixth across the finish and retains his yellow jersey with 392 points. It was a respectable showing for a rider with three broken spokes. “Charly Vives (Calyon/Litespeed) didn’t want to let me past and rammed into me,” claimed Laroche. Vives, who is in second place in overall points (321), had troubles of his own, flatting 600m from the finish line and ending up in eighth tonight. DaSilva, who has participated in three Tuesday night races, is now in third overall (294 points).

The 24km Laits Go Cup was won tonight by Frederic Poisson (Velo 2 Max) with a time of 32:13, followed by Christopher Bernard (Elicycle/Sports Experts) and Pierre-Etienne Boivin (Velo Club Longueuil). In overall points, it is Raphael Masse-Viau (Maillot bleu) at 445, followed by Philippe-Antoine Alexandre (Club Record) at 436 and Poisson at 417.

The 24km women’s Shape Cup, run concurrently with the Laits Go Cup, was won by Laurie-Anne Dupont-Renaud (CIBC Wood-Gundy) with a time of 33:50, followed by Catherine Couture (Equipe Cascades) and Shanie Bergeron (Specialized-Vinci-Menikini). Dupont-Renaud also leads in overall points now at 308, versus 278 for Bergeron and 170 for Couture.

In the 16km minime Hop and Go race, Maxim Verreault (Velo Club Longueuil) won with a time of 21:18, followed by Felix Bouvette (VC Sud-Ouest) and Sebastien Boivin (Maillot bleu). Sebastien Boivin (Maillot bleu) still leads in overall points, however at 435, followed by Francis Lambert Lemay (Velo Club Longueuil) at 431.

The next stage is Tuesday, July 24. The Hop and Go race starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Laits Go and the Shape races at 6:20 p.m. and then by the elite men’s race at 7 p.m. The races around LaSalle Park in Lachine, are free to watch.


Results (brief)

1. Kleber Ramos DaSilva (QC) Garneau-Crocs
2. Eric Lyman (QC) Calyon/Litespeed
3. Maxime Vives (QC) Calyon/Litespeed