September 13, 2009 (Kansas City, MO) – Canada’s Martin Gilbert (Planet Energy) scored one of the biggest wins of his career, if not the biggest, as he took the final sprint over fellow Canuck Andrew Pinfold (Can) OUCH Presented By Maxxis and 2009 Tour de France green jersey winner, Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team, on the final Stage 7 in Kansas City 116.4km as the Tour of Missouri wrapped up on Sunday. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Slipstream won the overall.

“Since the beginning of the week our Planet Energy team was able to place someone in the top 10 but small errors in the final sprint prevented us from getting on the podium,” said Gilbert in a Sportcom interview. “Today (Sunday) everything was executed perfectly. We synchronized the final lead out and at 150 meters I was able to hold off the three or four other riders for the victory.”

Interviews with Steve Bauer, Martin Gilbert and Keven Lacombe
by Betsy Baker

The final stage of the Tour of Missouri was a 72.3 mi/116.4km circuit race held in Kansas City. As was true of the entire edition of the Tour of Missouri, the course was rolling and tough but the weather was cooler at least, and the fans were out in force.

This was the final opportunity for Planet Energy to achieve a podium, one that had eluded the team so far despite riding well the entire week. I arrived early to talk with Planet Energy’s DS, Steve Bauer about the team.

Is Planet Energy your first team as a Director Sportif (DS)?
Steve Bauer: Yes, this is the first team that I have taken on this position with.

Are you still running your bike tours and how has taking on the team impacted that?
SB: We don’t do tours when I am not there. We do just a few trips, such as the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and some custom trips but nothing when I am working with the team. We did a lot more previously but now with the team, we keep in lower-key.

It was a really fast race yesterday.
SB: I heard. I wasn’t there but I heard that it was really fast and hard.

Some said that it was the fastest stage ever at a North America stage race although some thought there was a faster one at the ’84 Coors Classic. What happened with Charly Vives we saw him abandon?
SB: Well he just ran out of gas. I don’t think he was fully prepared as he wasn’t expecting to come. He replaced Eric Boily who was ill at the eleventh hour so we brought Charly. He wasn’t slated to come in and he did a good job coming in and not being fully prepared.

What is your impression of this race?
SB: It has been an excellent experience for our guys. We have been knocking on the door for the podium with our team and they have been doing an awesome job. I don’t think that we could be doing much better. Obviously maybe we could be doing better on GC, and at the time trial, but you can’t force that. It has to come with the evolution of each rider and their strength and depth of talent. Ryan was expected to be a little faster but not every race is your best.

It looks like they’ve really lifted their game competing against the Pro Tour teams here.
SB: Absolutely. I think they have done a super job.

Where does the team go next?
SB: Some of the team is going to do a race in Chihuahua (Mexico) and then the Boston Crit and that will be it for the season.

Will we see you in May at the Tour of California?
SB: We certainly hope so, that is what we are aiming for.

What’s the strategy for the race today?
SB: We will have to be aggressive as there will be a lot of attacking and if there’s a break we want to be part of it. We have four guys to cover that and if it comes to a sprint we still have Martin Gilbert and Keven Lacombe to contest it. They are going to have to be attentive to splits as it will be hard enough that the field could split. It’s a little bit windier and it is a challenging course. It will be tough.

Planet Energy found the necessary combination today. Martin Gilbert came from behind and won the sprint over Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team in 3rd and Andrew Pinfold (Can) OUCH Presented By Maxxis in second. Canada held the first and second steps over the veteran Pro Tour rider. An impromptu chorus of Oh Canada broke out in the press room, in French no less!

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Press Conference statements from Martin Gilbert

Martin, can you take us through the chase, your positioning was very very fast.
Martin Gilbert: Yeah, I think all week we finished close to the podium but our team makes mistakes and me as well. Today we took things a different way, we came from the back and used the momentum of the hills. There were no mistakes today and we put it together. It’s pretty nice for the team to be invited to such a race as this a first year team and we’ve had good results, but we’re especially happy with the results today.

Your team rode really well, showing that you belong in this peloton. How would you define your win today?
MG: For sure it was great that the team was able to get here through the back door, as we were not supposed to be here. We had the chance and we wanted to take it. For us our form is always better at the end of the summer. Living in Canada there’s a lot of snow so it’s not good for training and we can’t carry our form as well in the middle of the year all the way to the end. We were really happy to be invited to the race and took our chance to show that we can be there with the big guns.

How will this experience help you in your participation next year at the two Canada Pro Tour races?
MG: The team is directed by Steve Bauer who has a lot of experience racing in big races so it is good for us to learn what is important. I think that we’ll continue to mature in the future. We are excited, and our sponsors are excited about cycling, and now it us up to us continue to grow.

Was this a good test for next year?
MG: Yes. We had our first chance at Philly and our second big chance here. Now we have a stage win and know what it feels like and next year it will allow us to grow bigger as a team and work better and improve our specialties. We will have to work harder.

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We also had a brief conversation with Keven Lacombe prior to the start of the final stage of the Tour of Missouri.

Is today the day for Planet Energy?
Keven Lacombe: Like we said in our team meeting earlier – today is the last chance to get on the podium.

What did Steve say to the team that would get them to reach just that little bit deeper for a top result?
KL: We’ve been trying and do the same thing since the beginning of the week. We focused on trying to be in the break if one develops, and be more aggressive.

Are you happy with what you have done this week racing against Pro Tour riders such as Thor Hushovd and Mark Cavendish?
KL: Yes. It’s been really good. We are one of the best teams.

What are your thoughts on the week of racing that’s behind you now?
KL: It is been a really hard stage race. We trained really hard to be here with some of the best riders in the world. We’ve tried to do our very best since the beginning of the week and have done well. Now we have one more chance to reach the podium.

How was the stage yesterday? It was really fast (48km/hr) and you lost one of your teammates.
KL: It was very fast and it was a nice course but actually it wasn’t very hard because the wind was more of a tailwind. There were attacks all day though so the finish was really hard. But I think it’s good when it’s hard as we’re more of a sprinting team and do better when it is hard.

Do you think that Planet Energy had something to prove here? If so, do you think the team has stepped up and achieved it?
KL: To come here for sure we had to step up and prove that we’re one of the best teams here in America. Actually it was our goal when we came here and we deserved the invite. Now we have one more chance to podium.

Have you lifted your game to compete here with the Pro Tour riders or are you riding well within yourself?
KL: We ride at this level each time we race. We do our best each time and of course there’s a lot of racing during the year – but I think that each race we put out 100%.

What’s after this for you?
KL: I will go Mexico and do a race in Chihuahua and then my season is over.

How many riders is Canada sending to the 2009 Road World Championships?
KL: I believe two or three.

Is being on the Canadian Road Worlds Team a long term goal for you?
KL: For each rider, it’s an aspiration to race at the Worlds, but right now we’re really focused on the race here and the goal is to make it to the podium.

Good luck today and it would be good to have Planet Energy at the Tour of California in May. You’ve certainly have shown that you belong.
KL: We’re going to try hard to get there and to be in good shape.

No longer the bridesmaid, Planet Energy finally earned the podium in Missouri they were striving for. The team delivered Gilbert to the line first in the sprint, besting fellow Canadian Andrew Pinfold (Team OUCH) and Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team). A job well done and much deserved. The team raced hard and well and earned the respect of the other teams in the peloton. We look forward to seeing them next May at the Tour of California.

Results

1. Martin Gilbert (Can) Planet Energy 2:33:11
2. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Ouch Presented By Maxxis
3. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
4. Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Columbia-HTC
5. Kyle Wamsley (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light
6. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas
7. John Murphy (USA) Ouch Presented By Maxxis
8. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Quick Step
9. Davide Frattini (Ita) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light
10. Alex Candelario (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
11. Danilo Wyss (Sui) BMC Racing Team
12. Florian Stalder (Sui) BMC Racing Team
13. Shawn Milne (USA) Team Type 1
14. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light
15. Guillaume Boivin (Can) Planet Energy
16. Jeremy Vennell (Nzl) Bissell Pro Cycling
17. Peter Latham (Nzl) Bissell Pro Cycling
18. Matthew Rice (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team
19. Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling
20. Tom Zirbel (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling
21. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana
22. Antonio Cruz (USA) BMC Racing Team
23. Kiel Reijnen (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team
24. Brett Lancaster (Aus) Cervelo Test Team
25. Thomas Frei (Sui) BMC Racing Team
26. George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia-HTC
27. Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team Saxo Bank
28. Thomas Vedel Kvist (Den) Quick Step
29. Dominique Cornu (Bel) Quick Step
30. Jackson Stewart (USA) BMC Racing Team
31. Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team Columbia-HTC
32. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team
33. Chris Anker Sorensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank
34. Jeremy Hunt (Gbr) Cervelo Test Team
35. Craig Lewis (USA) Team Columbia-HTC
36. Frederique Robert (Bel) Quick Step
37. Moises Aldape Chavez (Mex) Team Type 1
38. Michael Barry (Can) Team Columbia-HTC
39. Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light
40. Jeremy Powers (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team
41. Gustav Larsson (Swe) Team Saxo Bank
42. Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Astana
43. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Slipstream
44. Kevin Lacombe (Can) Planet Energy
45. Darren Lill (RSA) Team Type 1
46. Steve Morabito (Sui) Astana
47. Jason Mccartney (USA) Team Saxo Bank
48. Andrew Bajadali (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
49. Matthew Wilson (Aus) Team Type 1
50. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana
51. Danny Pate (USA) Garmin-Slipstream
52. Michael Creed (USA) Team Type 1
53. Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team Saxo Bank
54. Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas
55. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
56. Marcel Wyss (Sui) Cervelo Test Team
57. Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank
58. Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Team Columbia-HTC
59. Brian Vandborg (Den) Liquigas
60. Anthony Colby (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light
61. Valery Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1
62. Rory Sutherland (Aus) Ouch Presented By Maxxis
63. Frank Pipp (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling
64. Mathias Frank (Sui) BMC Racing Team
65. Neil Shirley (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
66. Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia-HTC
67. Andrew Guptill (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light
68. Karl Menzies (Aus) Ouch Presented By Maxxis
69. Alexandr Dyachenko (Kaz) Astana
70. Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas
71. Fabio Calabria (Aus) Team Type 1
72. Reid Mumford (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
73. David Veilleux (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies
74. Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step
75. Dan Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies
76. Timothy Duggan (USA) Garmin-Slipstream
77. Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test Team
78. Joaquin Novoa Menedez (Esp) Cervelo Test Team
79. Christopher Baldwin (USA) Ouch Presented By Maxxis
80. Ryan Roth (Can) Planet Energy
81. Floyd Landis (USA) Ouch Presented By Maxxis
82. Jeffry Louder (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:19
83. Andreas Klier (Ger) Cervelo Test Team
84. Timothy Johnson (USA) Ouch Presented By Maxxis 0:38
85. Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 1:04
86. Francois Parisien (Can) Planet Energy
87. Andrew Randell (Can) Planet Energy 1:53
88. Tyler Wren (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 2:16
89. Edward King (USA) Cervelo Test Team
90. Bruno Langlois (Can) Planet Energy 2:29
91. Will Routley (Can) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 4:16
92. Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank
93. Gregory Rast (Sui) Astana
94. Steven Cozza (USA) Garmin-Slipstream
95. Christopher Jones (USA) Team Type 1
DNF Jason Donald (USA) Garmin-Slipstream
DNF Michael Friedman (USA) Garmin-Slipstream
DNF William Frischkorn (USA) Garmin-Slipstream
DNF Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Astana
DNF Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Astana
DNF Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank
DNF Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Liquigas
DNF Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Quick Step
DNF Andy Jacques-Maynes (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling
DNF Omer Kem (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling
DNF Bradley White (USA) Ouch Presented By Maxxis
DNF Ryan Anderson (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies
DNF Anibal Borrajo (Arg) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light
DNF Bernard Van Ulden (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team
DNF Matthew Crane (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team
DNF Phillip Gaimon (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team
DNF Charles Bradley Huff (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team/td

Final GC

1. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Slipstream 22:26:56
2. Gustav Larsson (Swe) Team Saxo Bank 30
3. Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team Columbia-HTC 42
4. Tom Zirbel (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling 44
5. Dario* Cataldo (Ita) Quick Step 1:02
6. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 1:09
7. Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling 1:13
8. Dominique* Cornu (Bel) Quick Step 1:15
9. Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team Saxo Bank 1:16
10. Rory Sutherland (Aus) Ouch Presented By Maxxis 1:22
11. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana 1:30
12. Brian Vandborg (Den) Liquigas 1:31
13. Jason Mccartney (USA) Team Saxo Bank 1:31
14. Scott Zwizanski (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:32
15. Jeremy Vennell (Nzl) Bissell Pro Cycling 1:41
16. Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia-HTC 1:43
17. Timothy Duggan (USA) Garmin-Slipstream 1:43
18. Thomas* Frei (Sui) BMC Racing Team 1:46
19. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 1:50
20. Peter Latham (Nzl) Bissell Pro Cycling 1:55
21. Daniel* Oss (Ita) Liquigas 1:58
22. Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank 2:02
23. Danny Pate (USA) Garmin-Slipstream 2:05
24. Michael Barry (Can) Team Columbia-HTC 2:06
25. Michael Creed (USA) Team Type 1 2:08
26. Marcel* Wyss (Sui) Cervelo Test Team 2:13
27. George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia-HTC 2:15
28. Darren Lill (Rsa) Team Type 1 2:16
29. Antonio Cruz (USA) BMC Racing Team 2:17
30. David* Veilleux (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies 2:18
31. Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 2:19
32. Christopher Baldwin (USA) Ouch Presented By Maxxis 2:24
33. Brett Lancaster (Aus) Cervelo Test Team 2:28
34. Jackson Stewart (USA) BMC Racing Team 2:34
35. Reid Mumford (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 2:36
36. Alexandr Dyachenko (Kaz) Astana 2:41
37. Karl Menzies (Aus) Ouch Presented By Maxxis 2:51
38. Ryan Roth (Can) Planet Energy 3:00
39. Alex Candelario (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 3:03
40. Danilo* Wyss (Sui) BMC Racing Team 3:04
41. Thomas* Vedel Kvist (Den) Quick Step 3:05
42. Andrey* Zeits (Kaz) Astana 3:06
43. Valery Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1 3:07
44. Moises Aldape Chavez (Mex) Team Type 1 3:08
45. Floyd Landis (USA) Ouch Presented By Maxxis 3:28
46. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team 3:32
47. Jeremy Powers (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 3:33
48. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Ouch Presented By Maxxis 3:41
49. Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test Team 3:47
50. Anthony Colby (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 4:03
51. Andrew Bajadali (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 4:09
52. Matthew Wilson (Aus) Team Type 1 4:12
53. Kiel* Reijnen (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 4:18
54. Timothy Johnson (USA) Ouch Presented By Maxxis 4:22
55. Chris Anker Sorensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank 4:23
56. Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Team Columbia-HTC 4:25
57. Dan Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 4:26
58. Joaquin Novoa Menedez (Esp) Cervelo Test Team 4:51
59. Jeffry Louder (USA) BMC Racing Team 4:54
60. Andrew Guptill (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 4:54
61. Martin Gilbert (Can) Planet Energy 4:58
62. Mathias* Frank (Sui) BMC Racing Team 5:07
63. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 5:07
64. Craig* Lewis (USA) Team Columbia-HTC 5:13
65. Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step 5:14
66. Neil Shirley (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 5:16
67. Guillaume* Boivin (Can) Planet Energy 5:18
68. John Murphy (USA) Ouch Presented By Maxxis 5:21
69. Florian Stalder (Sui) BMC Racing Team 5:24
70. Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team Saxo Bank 5:30
71. Andreas Klier (Ger) Cervelo Test Team 5:37
72. Kyle Wamsley (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 5:42
73. Edward King (USA) Cervelo Test Team 5:43
74. Frank Pipp (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling 5:49
75. Frederique* Robert (Bel) Quick Step 5:51
76. Steve Morabito (Sui) Astana 5:55
77. Davide Frattini (Ita) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 6:03
78. Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Columbia-HTC 7:02
79. Kevin* Lacombe (Can) Planet Energy 7:07
80. Jeremy Hunt (Gbr) Cervelo Test Team 7:17
81. Fabio* Calabria (Aus) Team Type 1 7:18
82. Andrew Randell (Can) Planet Energy 7:40
83. Bruno Langlois (Can) Planet Energy 7:43
84. Shawn Milne (USA) Team Type 1 7:44
85. Christopher Jones (USA) Team Type 1 7:52
86. Gregory Rast (Sui) Astana 8:56
87. Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 8:57
88. Will Routley (Can) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 10:21
89. Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank 10:46
90. Matthew Rice (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 11:22
91. Francois Parisien (Can) Planet Energy 12:21
92. Tyler Wren (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 12:38
93. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas 13:17
94. Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas 17:21
95. Steven* Cozza (USA) Garmin-Slipstream 18:24

*=U23