17 juillet 2000

Cycling veterans put aside differences in name of team unity

By Randy Starkman
Toronto Star Sports Reporter

PETERBOROUGH - With her eyes glued on the finish line, cycling phenom Genevieve Jeanson couldn't believe her ears as she charged past veteran Lyne Bessette in the final sprint.

«Let's go, Genevieve, let's go,» yelled Bessette.

In the white-hot heat of intense competition for Olympic berths at the national road championships, a team was forged yesterday.

The 18-year-old Jeanson clinched a berth on the Canadian Olympic road race team by finishing first among the five athletes who met the qualifying criteria.

Bessette and double Olympic bronze medalist Clara Hughes will join Jeanson to form a rather formidable trio Down Under. «I think we are three incredible athletes,» said Jeanson, the double junior world champion. «I think it will be a tough team to beat in Sydney.»

What was clear in yesterday's nine-lap 119-kilometre road race was that Hughes and Bessette, who race together professionally on the Saturn team, wanted Jeanson with them on the Olympic squad.

There had been great tension on Thursday when Jeanson nearly refused to step on the podium after finishing second to Hughes in a controversial individual time trial, but yesterday everyone was all smiles.

«We want her on the team with us,» said Hughes. «She's one of the best riders in the world right now. We wanted it to be the three of us, definitely.»

Jeanson actually finished 19th in yesterday's race, a strange affair that Hughes described as «embarrassing.» The five riders who met the qualifying criteria were more than seven minutes behind Sandy Espeseth's winning time of three hours, eight minutes and 59 seconds.

The Olympic contenders focused exclusively on one another, staying back in the pack and foiling any attempts to break away. Hughes and Bessette worked together and made sure to create an opportunity for Jeanson, as well.

When Bessette finally made a break for the finish line after being led out by Hughes, Jeanson went after the Knowlton, Que., native. Jeanson stayed on Bessette's rear wheel before overtaking her to nail down her ticket to Sydney.

«I was just happy that it was her and not one of the others,» said Bessette, winner of the Tour de l'Aude last year. «It's not that I don't like the other two racers, but I think it's the best for us.

«I think it will be a great race in Sydney. I think we can work really well together. She's a really good kid. She's learning fast. She's ready to help and I think to be part of a team. She's never ridden in a team before and she needs to learn the little things, but she's going to be good.»

Jeanson seemed touched by her new teammates' readiness to bring her on board.

«I was very surprised and I was very delighted,» said Jeanson of Bessette's exhortations at the end of the race.

«It feels a little bit strange because they are my competitors a bit, but I think we are three good Canadians, we don't have any bad thoughts and we want to stay friends.»

In the men's road race, 36-year-old Czeslaw Lukaszwicz of Chateaugay, Que., used an all-or-nothing approach to win the national title and an Olympic berth.

He covered the 17-lap, 224-kilometre course in five hours, 17 minutes and 33 seconds.

«I just can't believe it still,» said an exhausted Lukaszwicz. «It's like it didn't happen. My plan was to ride and be dead at the end of the race, no regrets. But it happened that I won - and I'm dead.»

Gord Fraser of Nepean, who had pre-qualified for Sydney as the top Canadian in cycling's international rankings, placed second in 5:19:15, six seconds ahead of Brian Walton of North Delta, B.C., an Olympic silver medalist also named to the Sydney squad. Eric Wohlberg of Levack, Ont., fifth in yesterday's race, rounds out a veteran men's road race team.

une page mise en ligne le 17 juillet 2000 par SVP