27 mai 2000

Knowlton's Bessette and Lachine's Jeanson will be local favourites in tomorrow's race over Mount Royal

Pat Hickey, The Gazette

Cyclists Lyne Bessette and Genevieve Jeanson are rivals, but they're hoping to find themselves as teammates come September, when the Olympic Games are held in Sydney, Australia.

Bessette, a 25-year-old from Knowlton, and Jeanson, the 19-year-old wunderkind from Lachine, will be the local favourites in the World Cup women's road race that will be held tomorrow over Mount Royal.

While they are competing for different teams and have adopted different strategies en route to Sydney, they share a common goal. They are both hoping to win one of the three road-racing spots on the Canadian team.

"My No. 1 goal for this year is to make the Olympic team and do well in Sydney," said Bessette, whose resume includes medals from the Commonwealth and Pan American Games. Bessette has put the World Cup circuit on the backburner for this year.

Tomorrow's race will be her first World Cup event this season, and she will compete in her only other World Cup race next week in Philadelphia. Her results haven't been as impressive as they were last year, but she's not concerned.

"Next year, I'd like to race a full World Cup season, but the important thing is to be ready for the Olympic trials next month in Peterborough," Bessette said. "I had an extraordinary season last year, but this year I've tried to be consistent and work toward the Games.

"Before I can do anything else, I have to make the team, and then it's a question of gearing up for the race in Sydney."

Bessette, who is a relative newcomer to cycling - she has been competing at an elite level for only three years - noted that there is a strong pool of women cyclists in Canada and that there are six or seven cyclists capable of making the Canadian team.

And, while cycling is technically an individual sport, she said that Canada's hopes of winning a medal in Sydney depend on the women working together.

"When we get to Sydney, we'll have to think as a team," she said. "At that level of competition, all the teams will be helping the rider with the best chance. That's what we'll have to do. We have to realize that it's not a medal for an individual; it's a medal for Canada." Jeanson has enjoyed a meteroic rise in the sport. She won the junior women's road race at the world championships last year, and that's when she began to think about going to Sydney. She won the La Fleche Wallonne World Cup race in Belgium in April and has replaced Bessette as the top Canadian in the International Cycling Union rankings.

The latest rankings, released last week, have Jeanson at No. 17, while Bessette has dropped from No. 9 to No. 23.

Both Canadians are known as climbers, and Jeanson said she was happy with her training runs on the 8.3-kilometre circuit over and around the mountain.

"I feel comfortable on the course, but I feel a little nervous about the race," said Jeanson, who added that her biggest adjustment has been dealing with increased demands on her time from the media. "It's my first big race at home, but I think that once the race starts I won't think about that."

The racers will complete 12 laps of the Mount Royal circuit, which was used for the 1975 world championships and the Olympic Games the following year. The field will be the largest in the three-year history of the women's World Cup race, with more than 80 racers, and there is no shortage of quality.

In addition to Bessette, who finished second last year, the field is highlighted by defending- champion Tracey Gaudry of Australia, 1998 champion and current World Cup leader Diana Zilute of Lithuania; Bessette's Saturn teammate Anna Wilson, who is third in the World Cup standings; the Dutch national team and the powerful Gas team from Italy.

Team strategy will play a role in the race, but Bessette said it's difficult to plan in advance. "You go in with a plan, but it can change during the race," Bessette said. "It depends on who's riding well and how the race goes. You have to know who's making a break and whether to go with the break or hang back."

The action begins at 11 a.m., and the race will take approximately three hours and 20 minutes to complete.

page mise à jour le 27 mai 2000 par SVP