07.08.07 - 2007 Tim Hortons Road Nationals - Stéphane Cossette crowned the junior road race champion

Montreal, July 8, 2007 (Sportcom) – Quebec’s Stéphane Cossette and Ontario’s Denise Ramsden won the junior road races on Sunday at the Tim Hortons Road Nationals cycling competition at St-Georges de Beauce, Que.

The 120 kilometre men’s race featured attacks and counter-attacks. Cossette and his Eva-Devinci teammate Guillaume Boivin as well as B.C.’s Evan Flater of B.C. made their first break with 26 kilometres to go. ‘’With three kilometres left, Guillaume told me he was going to take off. Flater didn’t follow therefore I broke away as well and I caught Guillaume in the final kilometre. With 400 metres to go I took off in a sprint.’’ Cossette clocked three hours and 16 minutes and 30 seconds. Guillaume Boivin (3:16:36) and Evan Flater (3:16:45) were second and third respectively. Boivin also won silver in the time trial.

The Saguenay resident savoured his first national title. He wasn’t able to complete the race last year. ‘’It’s a big surprise,’’ he confessed. ‘’I’m a sprinter and I didn’t think I had a chance. Still I’m not sure if that win can get me on the world championship team,’’ said Cossette. He will need a strong performance next week at the Tim Hortons Track Nationals to be considered for the squad.

In the women’s 80 kilometre race, Denise Ramsden of Ontario was the winner. She edged Danielle Kenny in sprint to the finish. Both clocked 2:24:48. Raphaelle Chrétien of Quebec was third in 2:34:34.

Quévillon and the Chalifour-Cloutier tandem triumph again

Jean Quévillon (CP 3-4) and the Daniel Chalifour and Alexandre Cloutier tandem both completed a golden sweep with victories in their respective road races. They also won the time trial on Thursday.

Lisa Stowe (LC 1-4), Stéphane Chaput (CP 1-2) and the Carly Grigg and Barbara Bialokoz (pilot) tandem also won a second title in their respective categories, although they were the sole entries.

In the men’s tandem race, Chalifour and Cloutier as well as Stéphane Côté and Pierre-Olivier Boily (pilot) broke away from the pack and built a one minute lead after only a lap.

Chalifour and Cloutier capitalized on a 2.5 kilometre climb to take a commanding lead with only a dozen kilometres to go. ‘’We made a few attacks but Pierre-Olivier and Stéphane kept coming back,’’ said Cloutier, a two-time Paralympian. ‘’It finally worked on our third attempt but we had to maintain a strong pace because it wasn’t that big a gap.’’

In the LC 1-2 category, Mark Breton overcame season-long back pain to win his sixth national title. He battled Éric Bourgault before edging him at the finish in the final sprint. They both clocked the same time.
‘’I played my cards well. I didn’t feel fit enough to attack with 100 metres to go so I made my move with 50 to go and rode as hard as I could.’’

In hand cycling, Mark Beggs of Montreal posted the win in 1:36:24 with Quebec’s Rico Morneau second in 1:41:05. Morneau won the time trial Thursday.

Ontario’s Jeff Dickson was the only entry in the men’s LC 3-4 race.

Today’s medallists

Junior women
1- Denise Ramsden (ON) 2h 28:48
2- Danielle Kelly (AB) ST
3- Raphaëlle Chrétien (QC) 2h 34:34

Junior men
1- Stéphane Cossette (QC) 3h 16 :30
2- Guillaume Boivin (QC) 3h 16 :36
3- Evan Flater (BC) ST

LC 1-4 women
1- Lisa Stowe (AB) 1h 25:03

LC 1-2 Men
1- Mark Breton (QC) 1h 55:02
2- Éric Bourgault (QC) ST

LC 3-4 Men
1- Jeff Dickson (ON) 1h 23 :02

CP 1-2 Men
1- Stéphane Chaput (QC) 1h 28:33

CP 3-4 Men
1- Jean Quévillon (QC) 1h 13:33
2- Sébastien Bouchard (QC) 1h 13:36
3- Brayden McDougall (AB) 1h 14:49

HCB Men
1- Mark Beggs (QC) 1h 36:24
2- Rico Morneau (QC) 1h 41:05
3- Sébastien Fortier (QC) 2h 16:25

Tandem women
1- Carly Grigg and Barbara Bialokoz (pilot) 1h 55 :08

Tandem men
1- Daniel Chalifour and Alexandre Cloutier (pilot) (QC) 2h 04 :49
2- Stéphane Côté and Pierre-Olivier Boily (pilot) (QC) 2h 06 :38
3- Gene della Siega and Craig Deveers (pilot) (BC) 2h 20 :35

Full results
http://www.tourdebeauce.com/en/site.asp?page=element&nIDElement=1002