Guillaume Boivin wins stage one at Mi-Août en Bretagne UCI 2.2

August 12, 2010 – Pontrieux France, Guillaume Boivin of SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy wins the 1st stage at Mi-Août en Bretagne UCI 2.2 stage race and will wear the yellow leader’s jersey for Stage 2.
Twenty six teams of six riders each lined up for the start of stage 1 in Plouec-du-Trieux, Brittany, France. Team SpiderTech predicted that it would be an aggressive race and difficult for six rider teams to control. It was planned to race from the front, ensure the team covered the breakaways and never miss important big splits in the peloton. After only 40 km a lead group of approximately 25 rides emerged containing 3 SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy men: David Boily, Guillaume Boivin and Keven Lacombe. Most teams were represented in front but shortly thereafter a counter-attack group joined making the front group grow in size to 34 men. The peloton had no more interest to make the chase and the lead group cruised away. The 177 km stage finished with 9 laps of a tough 8.2 km, narrow, technical circuit with an 800 metres hill which began steeply and topped out with some sustained false flat. After 2 laps the attacks began with David Boily following a breakaway of five men including riders from Bretagne-Schuller, Cofidis, Cotes d’Armor and BKCP-PowerPlus.
From behind a counter attack including Boivin was launched the following lap. The chase group had difficulty to bridge the 30 seconds to the lead so Boily dropped back to the aid of Boivin. Without support of the others in the chase they were absorbed by the remainder of the lead peloton of 20 riders. With 2 laps remaining Keven Lacombe and David Boily aimed at the front for an all out final chase to reduce the 3 leaders 1 minute gap with the tactic of giving Boivin a chance to win the sprint. Crossing the finish line at 1 lap remaining the SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy duo of Lacombe and Boily had reduced the lead to a mere 11 seconds. On the final climb up the hill Boivin waited patiently to attack as none from the chase group was willing to attack first. At the mid point of the ascent Boivin opened up one attack then waited some more. Finally as the hill crested he made an all out attempt to bridge to the leaders over the false flat summit. At the turn to enter the descent Boivin had bridged to the front group with one other rider making lead breakaway 5 men at 15 seconds to the chase.
In the flat sprint for the victory Guillaume blasted his competitors taking the win and the Yellow jersey. Team-mates Lacombe and Boily finished off the pace having sacrificed all for the team victory. The rest of team SpiderTech finished in the peloton.

June 16th, Saint-Georges (Can)- After having to assume much of the work load during the last third of yesterday’s race, riders of the Canadian pro cycling team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy got a rare chance to spare energy during today’s 160 kilometers stage in the Thetford-Mines region. For this, they can be thankful to their teammate François Parisien –a contender for the overall classification- who managed to put the pressure on the other teams by slipping in the day-long breakaway.

Taking advantages of the multiple attacks launched right from the first kilometer, François Parisien was able to joined forces and get away with Darren Rolfe (Fly V Australia), John Murphy (BMC Racing Team), Javier Megias Leal (Team Type 1), Walker Savidge (Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin U23), Jean-Sébastien Perron (Garneau Club Chaussures), Flavio Pasquino (Restore Cycling) and Jamie Sparling (Canadian National Team). Working well together, the 8 man group cruised with a 3 minute priority in front of the peloton. The situation changed with only 30 kilometers to go, when the break was clearly loosing ground. Having a thought for tomorrow’s stage and for the demanding climb of Mont-Mégantic, Parisien cut the gas since he was certain the group was going to be caught. The lead group then composed of only four men (Darren Rolfe, Flavio Pasquino, Walker Savidge and Jamie Sparling) saw its lead faint away steadily until they were absorbed by the bunch with three kilometers to go. At this moment SpiderTech’s Andrew Randell was leading the chase at very high pace, preparing the sprint for his teammate Guillaume Boivin who earned his Canadian Road Champion title on similar ground, also in Beauce, last year. Boivin ended his day of work with a respectable 8^th position while the Australian David Tanner (Fly V Australia), Ukrainian Yuriy Metlushenko (Amore & Vita-Conad) and Canadian Andrew Pinfold (Unitedhealthcare p/b Maxxis) climbed on the stage podium.

The Tour de Beauce continues tomorrow with its third and mythical stage of Mont-Mégantic and its summit finish. The Tour de Beauce is being presented for the 25th consecutive time and it is one of the most important and difficult stage race in Canada. It is listed very high among the team SpiderTech powered by Planet Energy’s objectives for this season.

Additional information is available at www.tourdebeauce.com

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.

La course d’aujourd’hui a été très rapide, la dernière heure s’est même déroulée à plus de 50km/h de moyenne avec quelques sections de bordures. Hier, Steve nous a fait repérer les 3 derniers km. Donc nous avons pu discuter et établir un bon plan d’action. Nous savions que nous devions arriver premiers à l’entrée de la ville, car la route devenaient plus étroite et la chaussée était très mauvaise. C’est ce que nous avons fait. Nous avons été patients jusqu’à 2km de l’entrée de la ville. Mark Batty et Simon Lambert-Lemay devaient s’assurer que Guillaume Boivin, Keven Lacombe et moi serions les premiers à passer exactement là où la route se rétrécissait de deux à une voie.

Avec un kilomètre à faire, la chaussée qui était très mauvaise et les vélos rebondissaient partout. Nous étions toujours premiers au dernier virage à moins de 400m à faire. C’est alors que j’ai vu les deux roues de Keven devant moi déraper sur plus de 50cm avant de reprendre la bonne ligne et de continuer. Suivant l’effort de Guillame, Keven a pris le « lead » pendant 200m, il s’est tassé sur ma gauche et ce fut à moi de compléter le sprint durant près de 200m. Et voilà notre première victoire d’étape à la Vuelta del Uruguay! Encore deux autres étapes. On semble avoir trouvé la bonne formule…Ce soir c’est un litre de crème glacée chaque que nous avons commandé. À suivre!

From the gun the Planet Energy riders made the race hard and sustained.  Francois Parisien opened the race early with a solo effort hoping that some other strong men would join in the attempt.  With no riders participating Francois returned to the bunch and new counter attacks were sprung.  Eric Boily and Bruno Langois and Andrew Randell were all active ensuring good control on the front of the race.  At around 15 laps to go, the most important breakaway of the day formed with Ryan Roth (Planet Energy)Anibal Borajjo (Colavita), Clay Murfet of Kelly Benefit, Amauri Perez of Mengoni, Mark Walters and one additional Empire rider.

The break managed to extend their lead up to around 26 seconds before the peloton became nervous and more active at about 8 laps to go.  David Veilleux of Kelly Benefit did the majority of the chase to bring the gap back for his sprinter Jake Keogh during closing laps.

With the gap getting down to about 10 seconds, Borrajo launched and attack on the hill taking Roth and Perez along and dropping their breakaway companions.  Soon thereafter the peloton made its final surge to rejoin the break. With only 4 laps to go Andrew Randell took a moments lull in the pace to attack solo.  For two laps Andrew kept the pressure on the Colavita team and damaged some of their horsepower for the final sprint.  A bunch sprint was eminent eventually as Colavit led the group into the final lap working on a lead for Haedo.  In the right-left chicane turns at 1 km to go Colavita led the race with Planet Energy in position. During the stretch into the wind before the final turn, Gilbert blasted past the Colavita leading out with Boivin and Lacombe tight on the wheel.  Gilbert took the final turn and into the home straight. Boivin led out Lacombe as hard as could.  Lacombe timed his sprint perfectly winning Chris Thater Memorial over a fast surging Haedo trying to overtake.
Race Report by Steve Bauer

 Results
1st – Keven Lacombe first. 
2nd – Sebastian Haedo
3rd – Yosvany Falcon