July 4/09 20:06 pm - Road Nationals: Junior Men and Women's Road Race results

Posted by Editoress on 07/4/09
 

Team Ontario's Kevin Massicotte won the road event in the junior category at the Canadian Championships being held in Saint-Georges. Virginie Gauthier of Quebec did the same in the women’s category.

The race, which took place under intermittent showers, experienced numerous crashes and flats. The cyclists chose a moderate tempo and kept a watchful eye on each other for most of the race. Though a few small attacks were made, it was in the final minutes of the race where the winning move was made.

Massicotte, who had tried to go it alone earlier in the race, eventually shook off most of the pack but was closely followed by two riders. He finally pulled ahead, finishing in front of Jacob Bouchard and Francis Desbiens, third.

“Toward the end, I was cramping, but I continued to push. Seven or eight kilometres from the finish, I attacked in the descent and two guys came with me. With 250 metres to go, one of them took off too early and jumped while the other fell back, which allowed me to win”, said the victor.

The women’s race was also run at a moderate speed. A few riders tried to break away from the main pack, but without success. With about ten kilometres to go, Virginie Gauthier broke away alone to take victory. Second place was hotly contested and it was Florence Laplante-Lamarche who had the last word at the expense of Laura Bietola.

“At the beginning, the speed was not very fast. A few attacks were made, but nothing serious. But with only 15 kilometres to go, Adrianne Provost was caught by the pack and I took advantage for a counterattack”, said Gauthier, who was aiming for the top of the podium

Reported by Catherine Barbeau