May 30/15 12:40 pm - Crit Stage Returns to 30th Annual Tour de Beauce

Posted by Editoress on 05/30/15
 

The 2015 Tour de Beauce will get underway on June 10th at its home base in Saint-Georges, and throughout the five days and six stages of racing nearly 140 cyclists from 21 teams will compete over a total distance of 683.4 kilometres in the Chaudière-Appalaches, Estrie and Quebec regions.

2014 Tour de Beauce leaders on the line for Stage 4 start

The three UCI Continental teams based in Canada will be on the start line:  Garneau-Quebecor, Silber Pro Cycling Team and Team H&R Block.

Seven of the 21 teams are from Canada, nine from the United States and four are international.

Two Quebec regional teams will be present on the starting line:  Norco Bicycles / Premier Tech and Santé Universelle/Marin Bikes. There will also be two other teams from Canada: Wheels of Bloor and Ride with Rendall from Ontario.

The International presence will include the presence of two Pro Continental team registered with the UCI:  Team Novo Nordisk (USA) and Caja Rural Seguros RGA (ESP).

Latvia's Tom Skujins, winner of the 2014 Tour de Beauce, will be back to defend his title with Hincapie Racing Team (USA). Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies (USA) will provide punch in all stages with a strong overall team, which includes five Canadians in Michael Woods, 2010 Canadian Champion Will Routley, Ryan Anderson, Tour de Beauce stage winner Guillaume Boivin and Pierrick Naud. Team Smartstop's squad includes Rob Britton, second in the GC of the 2014 edition, and 2013 Canadian Champion Zach Bell.

To celebrate 30 years of the Tour de Beauce, fans will be treated to the spectator-friendly, fast-paced criterium in the downtown core of Saint-Georges. The short 60km-race makes it return to the Tour de Beauce after a six year hiatus, thanks to an exemption from the UCI. The crit will be preceded by a time trial earlier in the day on a brand new and closed section of Highway 73.

"Each year, the Tour de Beauce welcomes cyclists from around the world to participate in this sporting event of international caliber. The majestic roads of Beauce and surrounding areas are now recognized worldwide by the cycling community, through the Tour de Beauce," says Francis Rancourt, Executive Director of the Tour de Beauce. "We are particularly pleased to welcome a record number of teams this year, with 21 teams from nine countries vying for top honors."

"We also take this opportunity to thank all our partners from the municipal governments, which facilitate road usage for the duration of the Tour de Beauce. The warm welcome we receive annually in different municipalities is remarkable and provides exceptional tourism showcase for the regions visited," expressed Francis Rancourt.

The first stage will take place Wednesday, June 10th with both the start and finish at Saint-Georges. The course used in Stage 1 will be the same used later in the month for the Global Relay Canadian Road Championships.

On the way to Mont-Mégantic

Thursday, the peloton will face its first big challenge. The second stage will showcase climbers with the finish of the race at the top of the difficult climb of Mont-Mégantic, after more than 160 kilometres in the saddle. Last year, the mountain top finish was deviated to Mont-Saint-Joseph as there were road renovations during the event. Expect a complete reshuffle of the general classification at the end of this stage.

The individual time trial race will take place during the third stage on Friday, June 12th, in Saint-Georges, on a new section of Highway 73, totaling a distance of 21 km. Later in the evening, the downtown core of Saint-Georges will be utilized for the very exciting criterium, rolling around a 1.5 km circuit in front of patios and restaurants.

Quebec City

Quebec City will once again host a classic stage of the Tour de Beauce on Saturday, June 13th. Residents of Quebec City and surroundings areas will have the opportunity to witness a traditionally exciting race in the heart of Old Quebec, which borrows several sections of the circuit used by the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, UCI WorldTour stage. This year's street circuit is 9.6 km.

The 2015 Tour de Beauce champion will be crowned Sunday, June 14th, after a 122.4 km stage contested on an urban circuit of 10.2 km in Saint-Georges. This stage has often resulted in an upset of the general classification.

Stage 1 - June 10: Saint-Georges-Saint-Georges (186.2 km)
Stage 2 - June 11: Lac Mégantic/Parc National du Mont-Mégantic (169 km)
Stage 3a - June 12: Saint-Georges (21 km) [Time Trial]
Stage 3b - June 12: Saint-Georges (60km) [Criterium: 40 laps of 1.5km]
Stage 4 - June 13: Ville de Québec (124.8 km) [Urban Circuit: 13 laps of 9,6 km]
Stage 5 - June 14: Ville de Saint-Georges (122.4 km) [Urban Circuit: 12 laps of 10,2 km]
Total distance: 683.4 km

Jerseys
Yellow Jersey Desjardins: Leader of the General Classification
White Jersey Hydro-Québec: Leader of the Points classification
Polka Dots Jersey: Leader of the King of the Mountain classification
Red Jersey Le Georgesville: Leader of the Best Young Rider classification (U23)
Blue Jersey Ville de Québec: Winner of the Quebec Stage