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Race Results

Redlands Classic Stage 5 & Final GC

California

Race Preview     Prologue    Stage 1    Stage 2    Stage 3    Stage 4     Stage 5/Final GC

Maple Leaf day in Southern California.  Canadian Geneviève Jeanson of the RONA/Esker cycling team completed the Redlands Bicycle Classic on the top level of an all-Canadian podium – that could well be a first in the history of international level cycling. 

 The Lachine, Qué. cyclist finished with an overall lead of more than 12 minutes over her fellow Canadians Lyne Bessette and Manon Jutras, both of the Satrun Cycling Team.  In terms of the lead over the runner-up, Jeanson beat her own record, set in 2001 when she beat Kim Bruckner by 9’23”. 

 Winning the prologue and three out of five stages, Jeanson wore the yellow jersey for the duration of this 6-day race.  As well, she was crowned Queen of the Mountain.  RONA/Esker’s Catherine Marsal got a podium as well, finishing second in yesterday’s stage.  For Jeanson and her team, these results as especially rewarding, since they lost two teammates early in the race, when Karen Bockel quit during stage 1 because of the flu, and Kristen LaSasso finished stage 1 with a broken elbow and could not start the next day.

 Jeanson finished the Classic by going on a solitary, 95-km breakaway today.  She created a gap during the first climb, after a little more than 5 km of racing.  She arrived at the top of Sunset Road with a 15” lead, she decided to give herself a security margin, which quickly became a comfortable  cushion. Considering her already huge lead of more than six minutes in GC, other racers obviously decided that Jeanson’s race was none of their business and focused on their own issues.  Thus the chase was short-lived.  Jeanson’s “margin” went up to 8 minutes before RONA/Esker’s team manager André Aubut made her slow down.

 A little more than six minutes after Jeanson, Lyne Bessette, Manon Jutras and Amber Neben of T Mobile came in sight of the finish line.  Bessette won the sprint.  RONA/Esker’s Magali Le Floc’h took fifth place.

 “I’m very happy!  Everything went OK, and it’s a good first test this season”, said Jeanson.  This year’s course was more difficult than the past years’, but I’m comfortable on this kind of terrain”, said the 21-year-old super climber who won her second Redlands in three starts.

 Team RONA/Esker will now recover for a couple of days before heading to Monterey, for the Sea Otter Classic, from Wednesday to Saturday.  Besides Jeanson, RONA/Esker will start Karen Bockel, Melissa Holt, Magali Le Floc’h and Catherine Marsal.

 The Redlands Classic web site is found at www.redlandsclassic.com

Stage 5 :  Sunset Road Race

Stage standings

 Final General Classification

 Yellow jersey (general classification):  Geneviève Jeanson (CAN, RONA/Esker)

Red jersey (Quenn of the Mountain):  Geneviève Jeanson (CAN, RONA/Esker)

Green jersey (best sprinter):  Helen Kelly (AUS, TDS)

 Team RONA/Esker is one of only two Canadian women’s cycling teams in the Elite Category that are recognized by the International Cycling Union. The team is made up of four Canadian racers (Geneviève Jeanson, Andrea Hannos, Carrie Tuck and Erinne Willock), French racers Catherine Marsal and Magali Le Floc’h, New Zealander Melissa Holt, German Karen Bockel and American Kristen LaSasso. 

RONA is Canada’s leading hardware and home renovation retailer (www.rona.ca). Esker is a natural spring water from the north of Canada, sold in North America and Asia (www.eskerwater.com).

 The team also receives equipment and service sponsorships from many companies, including Colnago, Biemme, Shimano, Michelin, Mavic, Diadora, Limar, Selle Italia, ITM, Look, CatEye, Tacx, Finish Line, Cane Creek, Saris, Power Tap, Cycles Lambert and Club Médico-Sportif.