06.28.09 - Guillaume Boivin wins national title

Saint-Georges-de-Beauce, June 28, 2009 – Guillaume Boivin won the road race at the Canadian championships in Saint-Georges-de-Beauce. The Quebec rider edged André Tremblay at the finish. Andrew Hunt was third. All three were 23-years-old and finished ahead of the elite field.

Guillaume Boivin winning the Elite/U23 road race Photo credit: www.canadiancyclist.com

There was an initial nine-rider attack at the 20 kilometre mark. The leading riders increased the gap to as much as nine minutes.

Some groups set chase on the leaders including one that featured defending champion Christian Meier. A second counter attack with 12 riders was also formed. With 50 kilometres to go, the two chase groups were neutralized by the peloton which was led by the Planet Energy team.

The peloton gained ground on the lead group which had dispersed in the last 10 kilometres. Several failed attacks followed.

‘’There wasn’t much room to manœuvre so I knew if it came down to the sprint I had a chance to win it,’’ said the winner.

‘’My strategy was to join a breakaway early in the race,’’ he said. ‘’I wanted to ride at the front so I would be well positioned when the top contenders attacked. The gap was widening but I only believed victory was possible on the final lap. At that point our group’s cohesion was not at its best and I tried to motivate the others.’’

Aaron Filion was fourth overall in the 180 kilometre race and won the men’s elite title. Osmond Bakker and Ryan Roth were fifth and seventh overall and ranked second and third in the Elite standings.

Filion, from Ontario, was surprised with how the race unfolded. ‘’My expectations were not that high. I came here to see how I measured up against this field because I hadn’t raced lately. I knew the potential was there. I just needed to capitalize on my opportunities. I was having trouble maintaining the pace and I thought we would get caught. I stayed positive and the race went our way.’’

This Thursday, juniors, masters and the Paracyclists will be in action here at the Canadian championships.

RESULTS

• Canadian National Road Race Championship Elite and U23 Men (PDF 56 KB)

• Canadian National ITT Championship Elite and U23 Men (PDF 62 KB)

• Canadian National Road Race Championship Elite and U23 Women (50 KB)

• Canadian National ITT Championship Elite and U23 Women (50KB)