July 26, 2003 – Men's Race:  the 2003 “The International-Tour de 'Toona” kicked off this evening in the Western Pennsylvania town of Altoona. This 6-day, 6-stage event started out with a 3.5-mile prologue that took the riders up the rolling foothills to the famous Horseshoe Curve, so named for the Pennsylvania Rail Road line built in 1854 that curves its way over the Allegheny Mountains.  With many of the domestic teams in attendance, the climbers and the tough-guys would want to have a good start to the week of racing in the hills.  Navigators' reigning Time Trial Champion, Chris Baldwin, took the top honors and the Yellow Jersey as the fastest finisher in the stage.  Finishing times were not yet available for this report.

Prologue Results:
1. Chris Baldwin (Navigators)
2. Nathan O'Neil (Saturn)
3. Tom Danielson (Saturn)

Overall G.C:
1. Chris Baldwin (Navigators)
2. Nathan O'Neil (Saturn)
3. Tom Danielson (Saturn)

Women's Race

Canada's Genevieve Jeanson of Team RONA/Esker has taken the yellow jersey on the first stage of the International Tour de Toona.  She comnpleted the 5.67 kilometres of the times trial in 9 minutes 16.27 seconds, at an average speed of 36.69 km/h, 25 seconds faster than her fellow Canadian Lyne Bessette of Team Saturn and 36 seconds before Jessica Phillips, also of Saturn.

“It was my first competition on this course. When I won here two years ago the first stage was different”, said Jeanson who cut almost a minute off the course record set last year by her former teammate Manon Jutras. “It's tough. It's deceiving, there are only a couple of real pitches, but it climbs non-stop and there is no place to recuperate.  But I felt good and I was real hungry for a time trial win.”

Prologue and Overall:

1. Genevieve Jeanson (CAN, RONA/Esker) 9:16.27
2. Lyne Bessette  (CAN, Saturn) @25″
3. Jessica Phillips (USA, Saturn) @36″
4. Susan Palmer-Komar (CAN, Genesis Scuba/FFCC) @49″
5. Lynn Gaggioli (USA, Velo Bella) @49″
6. Ina Teutenberg (GER, Saturn) @49″
7. Karen Bockel (GER, RONA/Esker) @50″
8. Cybil DiGuistini (CAN, Diet Rite) @50″