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June 8/14 21:19 pm - Grand Prix Saguenay: Stage 4 report and results


Posted by Editoress on 06/8/14
 

The first Grand Prix cycliste de Saguenay ended on Sunday with an active and aggressive fourth stage, after four days of racing in the districts of La Baie and Chicoutimi, in Saguenay.

The overall victory came down to one second, with Jure Kocjan of Team SmartStop winning the stage and grabbing the bonus seconds that came with it, moving him from third to the top the standings.

The 149 kilometre stage was raced under a bright sun and scorching temperatures. Eric Young (Optum-Kelly Benefits), holder of the yellow jersey from the first stage, was being chased by Canadian Pierrick Naud (Garneau-Quebecor) and Jure Kocjan, both only a few seconds back in the general classification, so nothing was taken for granted at the start line along the beautiful Saguenay river.

The race started as expected with a very fast pace on the first lap, with many teams wanting to put pressure on the yellow jersey. A small break of three riders went away early, riding together for five laps. The peloton managed the break and kept a perfect control. In the seventh of 14 laps, the peloton had enough and brought back the leaders.

Led by Vitaliy Popkov of Team ISD Continental, another break took off very quickly after the capture of the first break, with the leaders moving over 3:30 ahead of the main bunch. In the 12th lap, with two to go, the two groups formed, and the race once again became one group. Popkov delivered a remarkable performance, racing alone at the front, for more than 50 kilometres in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius. A flat tire ended his journey at the front.

When the bunch formed again a nine-man break took off and took advantage of a crash in the peloton with 1.5 laps to get a 30-second lead, but in the last lap were brought back once again.

On the last climb in the last lap, the peloton split up in two groups, with the green jersey of Pierrick Naud and Jure Kocjan in the front group and the yellow jersey of Eric Young in the second group. The lead group took over 40 seconds on the rear group, and the Grand Prix title became a sprint race between Kocjan and Naud.

At the finish line, Jure Kocjan edged Asbjørn Kragh Andersen (Christina Watches-Kuma) to win the stage, and grab the 10 bonus seconds attached to victory. These ten bonus seconds earned him the title of the first winner of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Saguenay.

A special mention goes to Canadian Criterium champion Pierrick Naud, who finished on the podium for all four stages, finishing third on the final stage and taking four bonus seconds.

The Jerseys

The yellow jersey was won by Jure Kocjan, finishing the 560 kilometre race only one second ahead of Pierrick Naud. The competition for the Grand Prix was so tight that the Yellow and Green jersey winner were determined by the time bonus in the stage classification. Winning the final stage, Kocjan collected 10 bonus seconds, while Naud collected only four by finishing third. Kocjan also won the Green jersey, by one point, over Naud in this epic race to the end.

The Italian rider Luca Benedetti (Amore & Vita-Selle SMD) easily won the Polka Dot jersey as winner of the King of the Mountain classification. Benedetti scored big on stages two and three, and finished the Grand Prix cycliste with 28 points, 13 more than his nearest rival, teammate Michael Woods.

Asbjørn Kragh Andersen was the Best Young Rider (U23) in the general classification, returning home with the white jersey. He finished fourth in the general classification, thanks to his second place in the fourth stage.

The majority of teams present in Saguenay will now travel to Beauce, where they will take part in the 29th edition of the Tour de Beauce, starting Wednesday.

The organizers of the first Grand Prix Cycliste de Saguenay were delighted with the success of the event, which marked a major shift this year.

The race was previously part of the U23 Nations Cup, and the transition to a UCI 2.2 sanctioned event was successful, with more than 125 riders on 18 teams from seven countries taking part.

"We are extremely pleased with the success of this first edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Saguenay," commented Steve Potvin, Chairman of the Board of Directors. "All operations were completed without a hitch, and we had the pleasure to witness racing of the highest caliber, with a standout peloton."

The event would not have been possible without the support and contribution of all partners involved, and without the participation of 250 volunteers.

Participating teams enjoyed their first experience in Saguenay:

Gord Fraser, Directeur sportif for Team Silber Pro Cycling:
"UCI races in North America, let alone Canada, are a great opportunity to showcase a team like Silber Pro Cycling. We are ecstatic and we appreciate the opportunity to race at a high level against great competition, close to home. For our sponsors such as Argon18, for Silber Investments, this is what it's all about. This is the reason we exist. It's to perform at a high-exposure race like this. We are very happy with the inaugural edition, and partnering up with the Tour de Beauce offers two weeks of great racing for teams."

Michael Creed, Directeur sportif of Team SmartStop:
"It's been great. I didn't know much about racing here. Overall, it's tremendous. Of all the races we've done this year, it's one of the best organized. They have been really accommodating. For me, as a first year director, they have gone out of the way to help me with the logistics. The race itself has been really simple, with no transfers and the courses are really dynamic. It's been really good, and it seems like they have the support of the community. I certainly hope it can continue."

Eric Wohlberg, Directeur Sportif of Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefits:
"I think the event has gone really well. The courses have been really good and the criterium on Saturday was very hard, and went right through the heart of Chicoutimi and a lot of spectators came out. Having twilight criterium is always good for the crowds. With the UCI sanction, we knew that the race would be very attractive to any teams coming up. I want to support Canadian cycling."

Cameron Watts, Directeur Sportif for Team Budget Forklifts, racing for the first time in North America.
"Our experience here was really good. We like the courses. It was the first time our boys were racing in North America and we are on a steep learning course with a slightly different style of racing from what we are used to. The boys have adapted well and we came close to a stage win on Saturday. The courses offered a little bit for everyone. The depth of field and quality of racing here is a lot better than in Australia."

 

Stage results and Final GC

Stage 4:Chicoutimi Circuit, 149.8 km
1 Jure Kocjan (Slo) SmartStop 3:42:38
2 Asbjorn Kragh Andersen (Den) Christina Watches
3 Pierrick Naud (Can) Garneau-Québecor
4 Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
5 Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team
6 Jacob Rathe (USA) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
7 Leonardo Pinizzotto (Ita) Amore & Vita
8 Charles Planet (Fra) Novo Nordisk
9 Chad Beyer (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
10 William Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
11 Anatoliy Pakhtusov (Ukr) ISD Continental
12 Tommy Nankervis (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling
13 Timothy Rugg (USA) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
14 Léandre Bouchard (Can) Transport Lacombe
15 Viesturs Luksevics (Lat) Amore & Vita
16 Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis Hagens Berman
17 Bjorn Selander (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
18 Brecht Dhaene (Bel) Astellas Cycling
19 Anatoliy Budyak (Ukr) ISD Continental
20 Ian Crane (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman
21 Bruno Langlois (Can) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
22 Michael Woods (Can) Amore & Vita
23 Edson Calderon (Col) 4-72 Colombia
24 Aurélien Passeron (Fra) Silber Pro Cycling Team
25 Éric Marcotte (USA) SmartStop
26 Robbie Squire (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman
27 Jordon Cheyne (Can) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
28 Julian Kyer (USA) SmartStop
29 Talor Shelden (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
30 Stephen Leece (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman
31 Maxime Jenkins (USA) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
32 Adam Matthew Farabaugh (USA) Garneau-Québecor
33 David Lozano Riba (Esp) Novo Nordisk 0:34
34 James Stemper (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
35 Kirk Carlsen (USA) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
36 Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Novo Nordisk
37 Stephen Hyde (USA) Astellas Cycling
38 Benjamin Perry (Can) Team NCCH p/b DEC express
39 Michael Torckler (NZl) SmartStop all s.t.
40 Luca Benedetti (Ita) Amore & Vita 0:37
41 Fernando Orjuela Gutierrez (Col) 4-72 Colombia 0:49
42 Jean-Michel Lachance (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team s.t.
43 Gavin Mannion (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 0:57
44 Jacob Kauffmann (Aus) Garneau-Québecor 1:04
45 Carson Miller (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman 1:06
46 Juan José Haedo (Arg) Jamis Hagens Berman
47 Enrico Rossi (Ita) Christina Watches both s.t.
48 Eric Young (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:09
49 Thomas Soladay (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 2:03
50 Charles Bradley Huff (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies s.t.
51 Joshua Berry (USA) SmartStop 4:29
52 Brodie Talbot (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling s.t.
53 David Drouin (Can) Team NCCH p/b DEC express 5:40
54 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Christina Watches
55 Maksym Vasilyev (Ukr) ISD Continental both s.t.
56 Javier Megian Leal (Esp) Novo Nordisk 6:09
57 Clay Murfet (Aus) Astellas Cycling 6:20
58 Shane Kliine (USA) SmartStop
59 Jonathan Hornbeck (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
60 Camilo Andres Suarez Albarracin (Col) 4-72 Colombia
61 Rémi Pelletier-Roy (Can) Garneau-Québecor
62 Simon-Pierre Gauthier (Can) Garneau-Québecor
63 Williams David (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
64 Matt Green (GBr) Astellas Cycling all s.t.
65 Alexis Cartier (Can) Transport Lacombe 7:00
66 Jimmi Sorensen (Den) Christina Watches
67 Yean Stefan Rodriguez Sepulveda (Col) 4-72 Colombia
68 Joonas Henttala (Fin) Novo Nordisk
69 Yors Santofimio (Col) 4-72 Colombia
70 Nicolas Lefrançois (Fra) Novo Nordisk
71 Jake Tanner (GBr) Christina Watches 8:19
72 Vitaliy Popkov (Ukr) ISD Continental 8:21
73 Christopher Uberti (USA) Astellas Cycling 8:22
74 Elliot Doyle (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 9:43
DNF Daniel Durango (Col) 4-72 Colombia
DNF James Gene Piccoli (Can) Amore & Vita
DNF Antonio Di Batista (Ita) Amore & Vita
DNF Ryan Aitcheson (Can) Astellas Cycling
DNF Sam Witmitz (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling
DNF Joshua Lucas Galloway Prete (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling
DNF Jesse Kerrison (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling
DNF Alex Wohler (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling
DNF Sebastian Forke (Ger) Christina Watches
DNF Volodymyr Dzhus (Ukr) ISD Continental
DNF Tyler Wren (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman
DNF Ian Burnett (USA) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
DNF Martin Rupes (Can) Team NCCH p/b DEC express
DNF Will Elliot (Can) Team NCCH p/b DEC express
DNF Olivier Brisebois (Can) Norco Premier Tech
DNF Jeremy Durrin (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
DNF Benjamin Chartrand (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team
DNF Kristofer Dahl (Can) SmartStop
DNF Émile Jean (Can) Transport Lacombe
DNF Frédéric Cossette (Can) Transport Lacombe
 
Final GC
1 Jure Kocjan (Slo) SmartStop 13:10:02
2 Pierrick Naud (Can) Garneau-Québecor at 0:01
3 Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis Hagens Berman 0:13
4 Asbjorn Kragh Andersen (Den) Christina Watches 0:14
5 Ian Crane (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman 0:15
6 Éric Marcotte (USA) SmartStop 0:16
7 Aurélien Passeron (Fra) Silber Pro Cycling Team
8 Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team both s.t.
9 Brecht Dhaene (Bel) Astellas Cycling 0:17
10 Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis s.t.
11 Talor Shelden (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 0:18
12 Jacob Rathe (USA) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis
13 Bruno Langlois (Can) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda both s.t.
14 Anatoliy Pakhtusov (Ukr) ISD Continental 0:19
15 Leonardo Pinizzotto (Ita) Amore & Vita 0:20
16 Léandre Bouchard (Can) Transport Lacombe
17 Viesturs Luksevics (Lat) Amore & Vita
18 Edson Calderon (Col) 4-72 Colombia
19 Timothy Rugg (USA) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
20 Charles Planet (Fra) Novo Nordisk
21 Tommy Nankervis (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling
22 Anatoliy Budyak (Ukr) ISD Continental
23 Michael Woods (Can) Amore & Vita
24 Chad Beyer (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda
25 William Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
26 Maxime Jenkins (USA) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme
27 Robbie Squire (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman
28 Stephen Leece (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman
29 Bjorn Selander (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies all s.t.
30 Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Novo Nordisk 0:45
31 James Stemper (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 0:51
32 Michael Torckler (NZl) SmartStop s.t.
33 Kirk Carlsen (USA) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 0:52
34 Benjamin Perry (Can) Team NCCH p/b DEC express 0:54
35 David Lozano Riba (Esp) Novo Nordisk s.t.
36 Luca Benedetti (Ita) Amore & Vita 0:55
37 Eric Young (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:09
38 Fernando Orjuela Gutierrez (Col) 4-72 Colombia
39 Jean-Michel Lachance (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team both s.t.
40 Gavin Mannion (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 1:17
41 Jacob Kauffmann (Aus) Garneau-Québecor 1:21
42 Carson Miller (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman 1:26
43 Adam Matthew Farabaugh (USA) Garneau-Québecor 2:08
44 Thomas Soladay (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 2:23
45 Jordon Cheyne (Can) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme 3:06
46 Charles Bradley Huff (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 3:45
47 Stephen Hyde (USA) Astellas Cycling 4:15
48 Joshua Berry (USA) SmartStop 4:49
49 Brodie Talbot (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling s.t.
50 Enrico Rossi (Ita) Christina Watches 5:41
51 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Christina Watches 6:00
52 Javier Megian Leal (Esp) Novo Nordisk 6:29
53 Jonathan Hornbeck (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 6:40
54 Juan José Haedo (Arg) Jamis Hagens Berman
55 Matt Green (GBr) Astellas Cycling
56 Williams David (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda all s.t.
57 Nicolas Lefrançois (Fra) Novo Nordisk 7:20
58 Joonas Henttala (Fin) Novo Nordisk s.t.
59 Jimmi Sorensen (Den) Christina Watches 7:40
60 Shane Kliine (USA) SmartStop 7:44
61 Maksym Vasilyev (Ukr) ISD Continental 7:48
62 Clay Murfet (Aus) Astellas Cycling 8:28
63 Christopher Uberti (USA) Astellas Cycling 8:38
64 Vitaliy Popkov (Ukr) ISD Continental s.t.
65 Jake Tanner (GBr) Christina Watches 8:39
66 Yors Santofimio (Col) 4-72 Colombia 9:08
67 Elliot Doyle (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 10:03
68 Yean Stefan Rodriguez Sepulveda (Col) 4-72 Colombia 10:41
69 Rémi Pelletier-Roy (Can) Garneau-Québecor 10:50
70 Simon-Pierre Gauthier (Can) Garneau-Québecor 14:07
71 Julian Kyer (USA) SmartStop 20:02
72 Camilo Andres Suarez Albarracin (Col) 4-72 Colombia 24:48
73 Alexis Cartier (Can) Transport Lacombe 26:59
74 David Drouin (Can) Team NCCH p/b DEC express 28:18
 
Points GC
1 Jure Kocjan (Slo) SmartStop 55 pts
2 Pierrick Naud (Can) Garneau-Québecor 54
3 Asbjorn Kragh Andersen (Den) Christina Watches 48
4 Leonardo Pinizzotto (Ita) Amore & Vita 38
5 Eric Young (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 30
6 Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Novo Nordisk 29
7 Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis Hagens Berman 15
8 Ryan Roth (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 15
9 Elliot Doyle (Can) Silber Pro Cycling Team 15
10 Juan José Haedo (Arg) Jamis Hagens Berman 15
11 Ian Crane (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman 15
12 Serghei Tvetcov (Rou) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 15
13 Shane Kliine (USA) SmartStop 14
14 Anatoliy Pakhtusov (Ukr) ISD Continental 14
15 Jacob Rathe (USA) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 12
16 Éric Marcotte (USA) SmartStop 11
17 Luca Benedetti (Ita) Amore & Vita 11
18 Yean Stefan Rodriguez Sepulveda (Col) 4-72 Colombia 10
19 Aurélien Passeron (Fra) Silber Pro Cycling Team 10
20 Charles Planet (Fra) Novo Nordisk 8
21 Maksym Vasilyev (Ukr) ISD Continental 7
22 Charles Bradley Huff (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 7
23 Chad Beyer (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 7
24 Léandre Bouchard (Can) Transport Lacombe 6
25 Tommy Nankervis (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 6
26 William Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 6
27 Benjamin Perry (Can) Team NCCH p/b DEC express 5
28 Edson Calderon (Col) 4-72 Colombia 5
29 James Stemper (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 4
30 Christopher Uberti (USA) Astellas Cycling 4
31 Brecht Dhaene (Bel) Astellas Cycling 3
32 Jacob Kauffmann (Aus) Garneau-Québecor 3
33 David Drouin (Can) Team NCCH p/b DEC express 3
34 Michael Torckler (NZl) SmartStop 3
35 Timothy Rugg (USA) Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme 3
36 Vitaliy Popkov (Ukr) ISD Continental 3
37 Talor Shelden (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 2
38 Enrico Rossi (Ita) Christina Watches 2
39 Bruno Langlois (Can) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 2
40 Kirk Carlsen (USA) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 2
41 Viesturs Luksevics (Lat) Amore & Vita 1
 
KOM
1 Luca Benedetti (Ita) Amore & Vita 28 pts
2 Michael Woods (Can) Amore & Vita 15
3 Edson Calderon (Col) 4-72 Colombia 13
4 Joshua Berry (USA) SmartStop 12
5 Kirk Carlsen (USA) JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 11
6 Daniel Durango (Col) 4-72 Colombia 10
6 Christopher Uberti (USA) Astellas Cycling 10
6 Michael Torckler (NZl) SmartStop 10
9 Aurélien Passeron (Fra) Silber Pro Cycling Team 10
10 Vitaliy Popkov (Ukr) ISD Continental 7
11 Robbie Squire (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman 7
12 Fernando Orjuela Gutierrez (Col) 4-72 Colombia 6
13 Jonathan Hornbeck (USA) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 5
14 Bruno Langlois (Can) 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda 3
14 Joonas Henttala (Fin) Novo Nordisk 3
16 James Gene Piccoli (Can) Amore & Vita 2
16 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Christina Watches 2
16 Enrico Rossi (Ita) Christina Watches 2
19 Brodie Talbot (Aus) Budget Forklifts Cycling 1
19 Anatoliy Pakhtusov (Ukr) ISD Continental 1
19 Luis Romero Amaran (Cub) Jamis Hagens Berman 1
19 Carson Miller (USA) Jamis Hagens Berman 1
19 William Routley (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1
19 Alexis Cartier (Can) Transport Lacombe 1
 
Team GC
1 SmartStop 39:31:06
2 Amore & Vita - Selle SMP
3 Jamis Hagens Berman
4 5 hour Energy p/b Kenda all s.t.
5 JellyBelly p/b Maxxis 0:34
6 Silber Pro Cycling Team 0:49
7 Novo Nordisk 1:08
8 Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies 1:09
9 Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme 2:46
10 Garneau-Québecor 2:52
11 ISD Continental 5:40
12 Christina Watches 6:46
13 Astellas Cycling 6:54
14 4-72 Colombia 7:09

 

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