Race Overview

Tour de Grand Montréal

^{30 May - 2 June 2005}

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Stage Review - Stage 4    Click here to jump on this page to >> Results   GC after Stage 4    

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OENONE WOOD WINS THE TOUR DU GRAND MONTRÉAL

Australian Oenone Wood (Nurnberger – Versicherung) won a brilliant and well-deserved GC victory at the Tour du Grand Montréal.  She and her team controlled a last, animated stage full of attacks and counter-attacks. Wood took fourth place of today’s stage, beating all GC contenders, confirming her domination of the previous days.  In final GC Wood beat, in that order, Switzerland’s Annette Beutler (Quark), Denmark’s Dorte Lohse Rasmussen (S.A.T.S.) and young Canadians Erinne Willock (Webcor) and Geneviève Jeanson (ACDA – RONA).

“I think that Tuesday’s Rigaud stage was the turning point of this stage race, analysed Wood after the race.  The Rigaud stage (one of the two stages won by Wood) limited the number of GC contenders.  It caused a lot of tiredness in the field, which created opportunities for the next stage.”

Today’s stage, held in the hilly and picturesque Saint-Hilaire region, was won by 20 year old Italian Danielle Fusar Poli (Nobili Rubinetterie – Menikini Cogeas).  She outsprinted her two breakaway companions Melissa Sanborn (USA, Subway) and Melissa Holt (NZL, S.A.T.S.).  The stage was a continuous succession of attacks and counter-attacks.  American Nicole Wangsgard (Subway) was the first to signal that the race was on five kilometres after the start of this 115-km stage.  Her venture did not last, but the tone was set for the day.  Sometimes by themselves, sometimes two, three or four at a time, riders left the peloton behind.  Sometimes the field let them go – never for long.  The first one to lose sight of the pack, after 30 kilometres of riding, was Monica Mendez Ortiz of the Columbian National Team, whose lead climbed to 35 seconds.  This break would hold for 16 kilometres.  But in the mean time eight racers crashed, some of them badly – among them GC contender Willock, whose fourth place was threatened by the accident.  All of them except for Jennifer Chapman (Velo Bella) got back onto their saddle.  They would eventually catch up with the peloton.   

Meanwhile at the front attacks were fusing as the kilometres went by.  Wangsgard, then Fusar Poli, then British racer Rachel Heal (S.A.T.S.), then Japan’s Hiroko Shimada (Velo Bella) tried to open a gap.  The “right” one happened at the 59^th kilometre.  Sanborn, who obviously had recovered from her participation in the collective crash 20 kilometres earlier, got off by herself.  Five kilometres later she had built up a one minute lead. Holt came in between, and then was joined by Fusar Poli.  Then a group of six started a chase, until two of its members, ACDA RONA’s Long and Benjamin, slowed down and waited for the main field.  

Just after kilometre 80, Holt and Fusar Poli bridged to Sanborn and smoothly integrated her in their rotation.  Sanborn would say later, “When I heard they were getting closer, I decided to wait for them to finish.”  Behind, for a while the pack fought to reel them in.  From more than 2 minutes, the gap came down to 48 seconds, before going up again as the peloton eased off.  Obviously the leading trio was not an issue.

Toward the red flame, the three escapees started to watch each other.  Entering the last uphill stretch leading the way to the finish line, Sanborn sprinted from the 200 metre mark.  Holt reacted quickly – but Fusar Poli reacted instantly.  She crossed the line with less than a bicycle length over Sanborn and Holt. 

The field arrived two minutes 20 later.  In spite of Jeanson’s effort, it was Wood – again – who won the sprint.

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Results -  Stage 4 

66 riders, 11 did not finish,  115km @ 36.8km/h

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General Classification - Final

 Total Distance raced - 368.02 km at 37km/h average