Philadelphia, PA – Canada’s Team SpiderTech powered Planet Energy came to Philadelphia to be a factor in today’s TD Bank International Cycling Championship and they were, placing two riders in the top 10 while being protagonists in key moves throughout the 250-kilometer/156-mile race.  After more than six-and-a-quarter hours on the bike riding through oppressive humidity, heat and windy conditions, the team’s Guillaume Boivin and Martin Gilbert sprinted home in sixth and seventh places in the twenty-sixth edition of America’s biggest and longest-running one-day professional road race that was won by Australian Matthew Goss (HTC-Columbia) ahead of Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Doimo) and Alexander Kristoff (BMC Racing).

An international field of nearly two hundred riders from invited pro teams, including three ProTour squads (HTC-Columbia, Liquigas-Doimo and Footon-Servetto), took the start.  The team’s Bruno Langlois got into a large early race move that escaped on the first lap.  Langlois maintained his position when the break thinned the herd during the third of ten big laps that included ascents up the steep Manayunk Wall, a seventeen-percent grade grind of one-kilometer in length.  The big lead group rode together until the sixth lap when Canadian Will Routley (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) attempted a long solo escape.  Tenaciously he held off the chase until the last trip up The Wall when he was nailed back by two four-man groups, one of which contained Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy’s Ryan Roth.  A reshuffling occurred and Roth soldiered on as part of a new four-man lead group that included Daniel Oss (Liquigas-Doimo), Ermanno Capelli (Footon-Servetto) and Serhy Grechyn (Amore & Vita – Conad).  For a time, it looked like the break might outfox the sprinters, but when HTC-Columbia, UnitedHealthCare, Jamis-Sutter Homes and Kelly Benefit Strategies combined forces, the catch was inevitable.  With approximately three kilometers remaining, they were gobbled up by what was left of the decimated peloton setting the stage for a mass gallop up the long Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  Goss came around the right side to score the coveted victory with Boivin and Gilbert close behind in the Australian’s shadow.

“Team SpiderTech was awesome today.  We had Bruno Langlois and Ryan Roth in the major breaks, which made things easier for Martin and me since other teams were forced to chase the breaks and we could focus on being there for the (finishing) sprint.  Martin did a perfect lead-out, but I got boxed in and couldn’t do the sprint I wanted.  But we were in a strong position to go for the win and with a complete team, which bodes well for upcoming races and the rest of the season,” said Boivin after the race.

“Team SpiderTech rode all the way to the line with the ambition of winning Philly,” said director Steve Bauer.  “Our guys covered breaks all day.  First it was Bruno Langlois, who kept the team relaxed in the peloton and then we put Ryan Roth into an important late race move that was caught with only three kilometers remaining.  Gilbert and Boivin went man against man with the best sprinters and came up a little short, but not by much.  Both sprinters looked disappointed after the long race, but the entire team finished strongly and contributed throughout, which is highly commendable under extreme humidity.”

In addition to close to 300,000 spectators in attendance, the race was televised live in high definition for the first time on Comcast SportsNet and Versus.

Canada’s only UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) continental team, Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy is a talented young squad comprised of Canadian Olympians and national champions that have celebrated twelve UCI wins thus far this season.  The outfit will next focus on events held on Canadian soil: the UCI Individual Time Trial in Gatineau, Quebec (June 12) where Parisien and Roth will represent the team, the Tour de Beauce (June 15-20) at which a full squad will compete and the Canadian National Championships held in Gatineau (June 25 & 28).  Additional information is available at www.cyclesportmanagement.com.

Results of the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship:

1. Matthew Goss (HTC-Columbia)
2. Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Doimo)
3. Alexander Kristoff (BMC Racing)

1. Guillaume Boivin (Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy)
2. Martin Gilbert (Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy)

For further information about the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, please visit www.procyclingtour.com.

St. Catharines, Ontario: Canada’s only UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) continental squad, Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy is ready for their close up. The cycling team comprised of Olympians and national champions will make their debut at the fifth Amgen Tour of California, the most prestigious bike race in the United States that rides from May 16-23, where they will compete against a world-class field featuring three-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer with teammate seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong (RadioShack), Saxo Bank’s Andy Schleck and Fabian Cancellara, and Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia). Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy will be the first Canadian entry in the 1280-kilometre stage race that travels from Nevada City to Thousand Oaks over eight days comprised of teams from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, and the U.S.

“Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy are preparing well for the challenges ahead at the Amgen Tour of California. We are happy about the invitation and are excited about the opportunity to compete against the best teams and riders in the world,” said team director Steve Bauer. “The team’s sprinters fared very well in last fall’s Tour of Missouri where our Martin Gilbert won the final stage. However, the boys know bunch sprints will be rare at the Amgen Tour of California thus when they occur, they will need to be at the top of their game to score a great stage result. The squad is diligently preparing and elevating their fitness and skills. Personally, I am looking forward to AToC to watch our team evolve in competition alongside some of my former teammates.”

Off to a strong start this season, Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy has already collected ten UCI victories, which ranks them fifth in wins behind ProTour teams Liquigas-Doimo, HTC-Columbia and Cofidis. Amongst the riders scoring stage wins at the Vuelta a Cuba, Vuelta Independencia Nacional (Dominican Republic) and Vuelta Ciclista al Uruguay were Gilbert, Keven Lacombe, Ryan Roth, Guillaume Boivin, Bruno Langlois and Éric Boily. Cycle Sport Management Inc. built the team with lofty goals in mind: to be the first Canadian team to compete in the Tour de France and to become Canada’s first ProTour team.

Individual riders’ performances at upcoming races such as UCI events Vuelta Telmex and Tour of the Battenkill, and NRC (National Racing Calendar) events Tour of the Gila and the Joe Martin Stage Race will help Cycle Sport Management Inc. select the eight-man Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy roster that will take the Amgen Tour of California start.

After being held for four years in February, the Amgen Tour of California will make its first May start, which will allow the race passage through the high mountains in the Sierras along with the first-ever mountaintop finish in Big Bear Lake. The route will visit sixteen host cities that showcase the Golden State’s scenic and historic areas in what has become one of the most important races on the international calendar.

Additional information about Team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy is available at www.cyclesportmanagement.com

Additional information about the Amgen Tour of California is available atwww.amgentourofcalifornia.com

Planet Energy Race Report by Steve Bauer

Tour of Gila Stage 1
Silver City to Mogollon, 151.5km, mountain top finish in 3:36:02

Planet Energy Pro Cycling Team began the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico with reserved ambitions.  The 6 men team of Francois Parisien, Ryan Roth, Andrew Randell, Bruno Langlois, Maxime Vives and Keven Lacombe was fit and well prepared however the upcoming 5 days of racing would boast the toughest competition in North America since the Tour of California in February.  Indeed, the champion of this year Tour of California Levi Leipheimer was on the start line today with team mates Chris Horner and the man himself Lance Armstrong of Mellow Johnny’s.   Our team tactics were simple: Be present in the important breaks and preserve Francois Parisien as best as possible for the tough mountain top finish.

The race rolled out of Silver City at 9:05 am sharp and it did not take long for the peloton to begin attacking.  The race never let up until a strong move of 12 riders went clear. Our team missed the important break and Andrew Randell ensured our team gets to the front to chase it down.  Keven Lacombe and Bruno Langlois were on the counter attack several times hunting for the next “good move”.  Over the next 20km, through some tough rolling hills the peloton stayed glued together. At approximately 70 km to go, 15 men went clear and once again our Team Planet Energy missed the important move.  Perhaps we were trying to hard earlier?  Mellow Johnny’s Armstrong, Leipheimer and Horner also missed!  Our Planet Energy team began chasing immediately but without help from any other team we decided to take a risk and sit up.  After the break reached 3 minutes, Lance Armstrong began to ride in front with Chris Horner and our decision was correct.  We decided to help Mellow Johnny’s since we needed to bring back the race to have any chance on GC. Otherwise it may have been over.  We rode Vives, Randell, Roth, Lacombe, Langlois with Armstrong and Horner.  Parisien and Leipheimer sat on.  After 40km of chasing over tough climbing terrain the gap was reduced to 1 min at the base of the final10 km climb.  The race to the summit was launched with Lacombe giving Parisien excellent position to do the final battle.   The peloton was splitting into multiple groups as the race ascended from the valley.

After the finish Johan Bruyneel approached me and thanked our team for the help in the chase.  He said “without you guys it would have been over for us” (having only 2 riders Armstrong and Horner to chase for Leipheimer.  I said “We missed the important move so we needed to stay in the game as well.

Aside, It is very interesting to read the Reports of the following journalists:
Steve Frothingham of Velo News:
“Mellow Johnny’s team and a few of the other teams that were not in the break began to narrow the gap”.
And Kirsten Robbins of Cycling News:
“Seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and Chris Horner did the work of eight-men, bringing star-climber Levi Leipheimer into the opening stage victory”

Our team Planet Energy did most of the work with Lance Armstrong and Chris Horner to narrow the gap.  End of story.   You can quote me on that!

Result
1^stLeipheimer
2^ndPeter Stetina
3^rdChris Baldin

8^th Lance Armstrong

14^thFrançois Parisien
139^thBruno Langlois
140^thKeven Lacombe
147^thRyan Roth
148^th Andrew Randell
152^ndMaxime Vives

Note: Planet Energy is still 4th in UCI ranking Tour of America as per April