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Tour of Alberta Stage 1 Report, Full Results, PHOTOS – Zepuntke Wins + Interviews w/Anderson 3rd and Dumoulin

report by the Tour of Alberta

September 03, 2014 (Lethbridge, AB) – The Bissell Development Team, owned by Canadian resident and former cycling star Axel Merckx, took a big step forward as a program with German Ruben Zepuntke outsprinting Lithuanian sensation Ramunus Navardauskas of Garmin-Sharp, winning by less than the width of a tire in the closest finish in Tour of Alberta history Wednesday night in Lethbridge.

Ruben Zwpuntke takes the sprint © Chris Redden

Contested under torrential rain the entire race, which current race leader Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands called “horrible”, the world-class field faced puddles of water sometimes five inches deep along the circuitous route around Lethbridge. Ironically, the city has the second most dry climate in all of Canada.

“I was a little bit tired today,” said Dumoulin. “I am still a little bit jet-lagged after coming over from Holland. It is like finishing at 2 a.m. for me, so the body reacts strange. My team worked hard and I’m happy to still have leader’s jersey.”

The group of 118 cyclists started the 143-km race (6 laps x 22km) on a very aggressive note right from the sound of the gun, completing the first lap of six with an average speed of 45 km/h.

At the top of the first King of the Mountain, three riders – which included Orica-GreenEDGE’s Matthew Hayman of Australia, 22-year-old Robin Carpenter of Hincapie Development Team and 18-year-old Belgian Nathan Van Hooydonck of Bissell Development Team – attacked to gain the time bonuses at the sprint to launch the third lap. Haymen and Van Hooydonck, respectively, comprised one of the oldest riders in the race with the youngest.

Break with 3 laps to go © Chris Redden

The attack was unanswered by the peloton, content with its composition, and the three riders took off along at the front. It took most the race for Dumoulin’s Team Giant-Shimano to eventually catch the breakaway.

For their efforts, Carpenter picked up critical King of the Mountains points during his break away to claim the Go Auto KOM jersey. Hayman was named the Simpson & Maxwell Power jersey as most aggressive rider. By virtue of his win, Zepuntke claimed the Subway Sprint Points jersey.

Carpenter loving Climbers Jersey © Chris Redden
“This is the biggest win of my career, for sure,” said Zepuntke, who is only 21 years old. “The Tour of Alberta is a big race. We’re racing against some of the biggest teams in the world, so, to win is great.”
The race conditions throughout the 142-kilometre race were 9 degrees and heavy rain. Riders shivered and battled borderline hypothermia post race as they warmed in team buses.
The race remained controlled by Giant-Shimano, who started Stage 1 with Tom Dumoulin as the race leader, doing lots of the work at the front of the peloton to keep the time gap within reach. For the third and fourth laps, the three leaders remained comfortable at the front, reaching a maximum gap of 4:40.
Giant taking control in the rain © Chris Redden
“My body is not used to these conditions,” Dumoulin said. “I’ve been racing in sunny and warm conditions in Europe, so, this reminds me of the Spring in The Netherlands.”A chase group emerged in the final kilometres of the fifth lap, slowly gaining time on the leading group. The three-men break soon became a two-men break, with Van Hooydonck retrieving.
Canadian Ryan Anderson placed third in the stage at Lethbridge, elevating him to 7th place overall due to a four-second time bonus. Anderson remains only 19 seconds behind in the overall standings. Zepuntke elevated to second overall behind Dumoulin, only six seconds behind on the leader board. American Tom Danielson dropped one place to 4th overall while Romania’s Serghei Tvetcov fell to 3rd place overall after finishing second in Tuesday’s Prologue in Calgary, Tuesday.
Anderson happy as top Canadian © Chris Redden
“With the cold weather today, I personally went through different phases. At first I was feeling very well on the first lap, then I got really cold after the second lap. My teammates rallied behind me and did a great job to bring me some clothing. I started to warm up and feel better,” said Anderson, at the stage press conference. “With regards to the finish, my teammate Eric Young and I were both to be there and see how it went, and try to build the race from there. I’ve tried to adapt to the finish the best I could. There were some good guys up there, so I am still happy with the result.”http://youtu.be/yiN6os90Xxg

For the national team, it was a difficult day. Gord Fraser, the team director, expects a better outcome tomorrow: “We had some tough conditions today, and we are disappointed to miss the front split.  We look forward to better weather tomorrow.”

Canadians en route... © Chris Redden
Garrett McLeod of Wolfville, NS was the top Canadian National Team member today, taking the 39th place of the stage.  Hugo Houle of Ste-Perpétue, QC is now the highest ranked member of the Canadian National Team of the overall standings, in 42nd position.
Stage podium © Chris Redden
Wednesday’s Stage 2 starts in Innisfail, a first-time host for the Tour of Alberta and routes north to the city of Red Deer, which played host to a finish last year. The race is 145 kilometers and finishes with three circuits within the Alberta’s third largest city. The race is expected to be another fight for a sprint finish, yet, last year the race coming from the north saw a breakaway of two riders racing to the finish with the peloton chasing.
Jersey Winners for Stage 2 © Chris Redden

Jerseys
Yellow: Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
Green: Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Bissell Development Team
Red: Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
White: Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
Mountain: Robin Carpenter (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team

With files from Cycling Canada

Results

1. Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Bissell Development Team 3:18:03
2. Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin Sharp
3. Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
4. Dion Smith (Nzl) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team
5. Benjamin King (USA) Garmin Sharp
6. Daniel Summerhill (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
7. Tyler Magner (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team
8. Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Garmin Sharp
9. James Oram (Nzl) Bissell Development Team
10. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
11. Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
12. Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
13. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
14. Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica Greenedge
15. Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team SmartStop
16. Pieter Weening (Ned) Orica Greenedge
17. Nicolai Brochner (Den) Bissell Development Team
18. Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano
19. Tanner Putt (USA) Bissell Development Team
20. Leigh Howard (Aus) Orica Greenedge
21. Nicky Van Der Lijke (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
22. Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale
23. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
24. Joseph Rosskopf (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team
25. Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin Sharp
26. Christian Meier (Can) Orica Greenedge
27. Alexander Candelario (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
28. Simon Yates (Gbr) Orica Greenedge
29. Toms Skujins (Lat) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team
30. Davide Villella (Ita) Cannondale
31. Oscar Clark (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team
32. Jean-Michel Lachance (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
33. Joseph Schmalz (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team
34. Serghei Tvetcov (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
35. Michael Woods (Can) 5-Hour Energy
36. Daniel Eaton (USA) Bissell Development Team
37. Phillip Gaimon (USA) Garmin Sharp 00:48
38. Eric Young (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
39. Garrett McCleod (Can) Canadian National Team
40. Zachary Bell (Can) Team SmartStop
41. Pierrick Naud (Can) Garneau – Québecor
42. Steele Von Hoff (Aus) Garmin Sharp
43. Robin Carpenter (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team
44. James Stemper (USA) 5-Hour Energy
45. Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
46. Marc Demaar (Ned) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
47. Matej Mohoric (Slo) Cannondale
48. Theo Bos (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
49. Hugo Houle (Can) Canadian National Team
50. Adam Matthew Farabaugh (USA) Garneau – Québecor
51. Chad Beyer (USA) 5-Hour Energy
52. Travis McCabe (USA) Team SmartStop
53. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Cannondale
54. Benjamin Perry (Can) Canadian National Team
55. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale 01:08
56. Edward King (USA) Cannondale
57. Stuart Wight (Can) Canadian National Team 01:13
58. Eric Marcotte (USA) Team SmartStop
59. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 01:31
60. Joseph Lewis (Aus) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team 01:47
61. Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 01:49
62. Thomas Leezer (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team
63. Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) Orica Greenedge 03:51
64. Mathew Hayman (Aus) Orica Greenedge
65. Robert Förster (Ger) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
66. Sam Basseitti (USA) 5-Hour Energy
67. Matthew Goss (Aus) Orica Greenedge
68. Simon-Pierre Gauthier (Can) Garneau – Québecor
69. Benjamin Chaddock (Can) Garneau – Québecor
70. Jacob Kauffmann (Aus) Garneau – Québecor
71. Brad Huff (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
72. Nic Hamlton (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
73. Sean Mazich (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
74. Jonas Ahlstrand (Swe) Team Giant-Shimano
75. Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 04:20
76. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 04:22
77. Davide Frattini (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
78. Gavin Mannion (USA) Garmin Sharp
79. Caleb Fairly (USA) Garmin Sharp
80. Fred Rodriguez (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 06:02
81. Kirk Carlsen (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
82. Ian Burnett (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
83. Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
84. Jean-Sebastian Perron (Can) Canadian National Team
85. Thierry Hupond (Fra) Team Giant-Shimano
86. Matteo Dal-Cin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
87. Taylor Sheldon (USA) 5-Hour Energy 06:05
88. Georg Preidler (Aut) Team Giant-Shimano
89. David Williams (USA) 5-Hour Energy
90. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) Bissell Development Team 08:36
91. David Tanner (Aus) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 08:48
92. Rob Britton (Can) Team SmartStop
93. Jordan Cheyne (Can) Canadian National Team
94. Daan Olivier (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
95. Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
96. Travis Livermon (USA) Team SmartStop
97. Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
98. Robert Sweeting (USA) 5-Hour Energy
99. Will Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
100. Adam De Vos (Can) Canadian National Team
101. Janvier Hadi (Rwa) Garneau – Québecor
102. Logan Owen (USA) Bissell Development Team
103. Nigel Ellsay (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
104. Gregory Daniel (USA) Bissell Development Team
105. Shane Kline (USA) Team SmartStop
106. Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
107. Bruno Langlois (Can) 5-Hour Energy
108. William Goodfellow (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 13:12
109. Aurélien Passeron (Fra) Silber Pro Cycling 13:18
110. Thomas Soladay (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
111. Steven Lammertink (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
112. Kristofer Dahl (Can) Team SmartStop 22:31
113. Thomas Peterson (USA) Team Giant-Shimano
DNF Robert Ralph (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
DNF Derrick St. John (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
DNF Cody Canning (Can) Canadian National Team
DNF Geoffroy Dussault (Can) Garneau – Québecor
DNF Julien Gagne (Can) Garneau – Québecor

GC after Stage 1
1. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano 3:24:09
2. Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Bissell Development Team 00:06
3. Serghei Tvetcov (Mda) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 00:14
4. Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin Sharp 00:17
5. Davide Villella (Ita) Cannondale 00:18
6. Daniel Summerhill (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
7. Ryan Anderson (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 00:19
8. Joseph Rosskopf (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team 00:22
9. Christian Meier (Can) Orica Greenedge 00:23
10. Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica Greenedge
11. Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano
12. James Oram (Nzl) Bissell Development Team
13. Pieter Weening (Ned) Orica Greenedge 00:26
14. Kiel Reijnen (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
15. Benjamin King (USA) Garmin Sharp
16. Michael Woods (Can) 5-Hour Energy 00:28
17. Leigh Howard (Aus) Orica Greenedge 00:30
18. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 00:31
19. Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin Sharp 00:32
20. Dion Smith (Nzl) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team
21. Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 00:33
22. Simon Yates (Gbr) Orica Greenedge 00:34
23. Joseph Schmalz (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team 00:35
24. Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale 00:36
25. Oscar Clark (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team 00:37
26. Tyler Magner (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team 00:39
27. Daniel Eaton (USA) Bissell Development Team
28. Tanner Putt (USA) Bissell Development Team 00:40
29. Jean-Michel Lachance (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 00:42
30. Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Garmin Sharp 00:44
31. Toms Skujins (Lat) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team 00:45
32. Nicky Van Der Lijke (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 00:48
33. Jure Kocjan (Slo) Team SmartStop 00:50
34. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 00:51
35. Nicolai Brochner (Den) Bissell Development Team 00:55
36. Alexander Candelario (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 00:57
37. Phillip Gaimon (USA) Garmin Sharp 01:00
38. Zachary Bell (Can) Team SmartStop 01:03
39. Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 01:04
40. Robin Carpenter (USA) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team 01:12
41. Travis McCabe (USA) Team SmartStop 01:18
42. Hugo Houle (Can) Canadian National Team 01:20
43. Adam Matthew Farabaugh (USA) Garneau – Québecor 01:21
44. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Cannondale 01:23
45. Matej Mohoric (Slo) Cannondale 01:24
46. Steele Von Hoff (Aus) Garmin Sharp 01:25
47. Garrett McCleod (Can) Canadian National Team 01:26
48. Marc Demaar (Ned) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 01:31
49. Chad Beyer (USA) 5-Hour Energy 01:33
50. Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale 01:36
51. Benjamin Perry (Can) Canadian National Team 01:42
52. Eric Marcotte (USA) Team SmartStop
53. James Stemper (USA) 5-Hour Energy 01:45
54. Pierrick Naud (Can) Garneau – Québecor 01:48
55. Eric Young (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 01:50
56. Edward King (USA) Cannondale 02:02
57. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 02:04
58. Theo Bos (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 02:09
59. Joseph Lewis (Aus) Hincapie Sportswear Development Team 02:13
60. Stuart Wight (Can) Canadian National Team 02:14
61. Thomas Leezer (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 02:27
62. Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 03:02
63. Nic Hamlton (Can) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 04:25
64. Sam Basseitti (USA) 5-Hour Energy 04:29
65. Mathew Hayman (Aus) Orica Greenedge 04:30
66. Jacob Kauffmann (Aus) Garneau – Québecor 04:36
67. Benjamin Chaddock (Can) Garneau – Québecor 04:39
68. Matthew Goss (Aus) Orica Greenedge 04:40
69. Brad Huff (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 04:46
70. Jonas Ahlstrand (Swe) Team Giant-Shimano 04:47
71. Gavin Mannion (USA) Garmin Sharp 04:50
72. Simon-Pierre Gauthier (Can) Garneau – Québecor 04:58
73. Christopher Jones (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 04:59
74. Sean Mazich (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
75. Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 05:00
76. Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) Orica Greenedge 05:01
77. Caleb Fairly (USA) Garmin Sharp 05:06
78. Robert Förster (Ger) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 05:08
79. Davide Frattini (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 05:14
80. Tom Zirbel (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 06:31
81. Georg Preidler (Aut) Team Giant-Shimano 06:34
82. Taylor Sheldon (USA) 5-Hour Energy
83. Kirk Carlsen (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 06:36
84. Thierry Hupond (Fra) Team Giant-Shimano 06:39
85. David Williams (USA) 5-Hour Energy 06:43
86. Ian Burnett (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis
87. Matteo Dal-Cin (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 06:44
88. Fred Rodriguez (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 07:03
89. Jean-Sebastian Perron (Can) Canadian National Team 07:28
90. Rob Britton (Can) Team SmartStop 09:05
91. Daan Olivier (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano 09:07
92. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) Bissell Development Team 09:11
93. David Tanner (Aus) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 09:14
94. Bruno Langlois (Can) 5-Hour Energy
95. Jordan Cheyne (Can) Canadian National Team 09:15
96. Will Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 09:17
97. Robert Sweeting (USA) 5-Hour Energy
98. Adam De Vos (Can) Canadian National Team 09:30
99. Gregory Daniel (USA) Bissell Development Team
100. Travis Livermon (USA) Team SmartStop
101. Nigel Ellsay (Can) Silber Pro Cycling 09:31
102. Logan Owen (USA) Bissell Development Team 09:34
103. Jacob Rathe (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 09:36
104. Shane Kline (USA) Team SmartStop
105. Steve Fisher (USA) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 09:39
106. Janvier Hadi (Rwa) Garneau – Québecor 10:04
107. Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team 10:11
108. Thomas Soladay (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 14:12
109. Aurélien Passeron (Fra) Silber Pro Cycling 14:18
110. Steven Lammertink (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano 14:25
111. William Goodfellow (Can) Silber Pro Cycling
112. Thomas Peterson (USA) Team Giant-Shimano 23:24
113. Kristofer Dahl (Can) Team SmartStop 23:30





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