July 21, 2013 (Rouyn-Noranda, QC) – Several riders attempted all-or-nothing attacks during this final leg of the Tour de l’Abitibi Desjardins, marked by a few breakaways. Along the 43 kilometers separating the village of Mont-Brun and the city of Rouyn-Noranda, the Moroccan team, Borah Development, and the American team, ISCorp, attempted to take control of the race, but were quickly caught during the in town criterium. After 10 laps around the urban circuit, Owen Gillott, a rider from Team Racers Against Childhood Cancer, gained a 10-second lead over the rest of the pack to finish in first place with a time of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 38 seconds. Not far behind, Stephen Bassett, from team ISCorp, and Emmanuel Gagné, from team Québec, finished in second and third respectively, with only 4 seconds separating them.

–
Two Divided Groups
From the beginning of the race, a major fall at the end of the pack delayed more than ten racers and forced a few cyclists to abandon. However, despite the large distance separating both packs, several cyclists managed to catch up the leading pack during the in town criterium. This is the case for Steven Acero, holder of the polka dot jersey for best climber, who fell after winning the first two King of the Mountain challenges, only to make a comeback after a few circuit laps. This determination and his good ranking throughout the week permitted him to hold on to the jersey, just ahead of his teammate, Edgar Adolfo Tique Avila.

The Overall Winners
After seven legs, American cyclist Brendan Rhim earns the brown jersey, with a small 2 second advantage over Australian Owen Gillott, winner of the seventh leg. Despite fewer spots on the podium this year, the American team finishes with the blue jersey as well, thanks to young cyclist William Barta. As for Hendrik Pineda, from team Canada, he finishes with the orange jersey, with 114 points, a lead of 22 points more than his pursuer.

Already Over
This 45th edition of the Tour de l’Abitibi Desjardins was marked by the Canadian national team and team Québec dominating, by winning numerous challenges during the week and by ranking well overall. In addition, it is the fourth time in the Tour’s history that a racer wins the orange jersey for all seven legs, which was achieved by Hendrik Pineda. Thus, several new records will be added to the Tour’s history, which has been present in Abitibi-Témiscamingue for 45 years now.

Jerseys
– Brown GC Leader’s Jersey – Brendan Rhim (USA) Team USA
– Orange Sprint Leader’s Jersey – Hendrik Pineda (Can) Team Canada
– Green Climbing Leader’s Jersey – Steven Calderon Acero (Col) Colombie-Fundación Everet
– Blue Best Young Rider Jersey – William Barta (USA) Team USA

Results

1. Owen Gillott (Aus) Racers Against Childhood Cancer (RACC) 2:13:38
2. Stephen Bassett (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team 0:04
3. Emmanuel Gagné (Can) Team Québec
4. Jay Major (Bah) GS CycleLife
5. David Duquette (USA) Mid-Atlantic Development Foundation

Final GC

1. Brendan Rhim (USA) Team USA 13:46:34
2. Owen Gillott (Aus) Racers Against Childhood Cancer (RACC) 0:02
3. Olivier Brisebois (Can) Team Québec 0:10
4. Jack Burke (Can) Team Canada 0:15
5. William Barta (USA) Team USA 0:22
6. Stephen Bassett (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team 0:26
7. Peter Goguen (USA) CF Racing 0:29
8. Geoffrey Curran (USA) Team USA 0:30
9. Justin Oien (USA) Team USA  0:36
10. Rudyard Peterson (USA) Borah Development

Full results here.