In the World Cup, Switzerland's Priska Doppman rode for Opus. Priska placed 7th in the Mount Royal road race and moved up to 3rd on the UCI rankings (third best rider in the world!) This was a fantastic way to celebrate the team's debut on the north american and internationl cycling scene.

Diana Bladon finished the World Cup in 61st place - officially making the time cut! There were over 33 non-finishers and 11 riders "delayed".

"Delayed" riders are riders who get lapped by the leaders of the race. Unfortunately, Sarah Stewart from Opus was "delayed" and had to leave the course only one lap short of the full race distance (100 km).

Amy Woodward, a young rider from the Olympic Oval Program in Calgary, completed our World Cup entry. Amy was not expected to finish this race as it is the toughest World Cup on the planet. Amy lated far longer than expected - lasting 5 out of 12 laps against the world's best riders. A lap takes approx. 14 minutes and Amy was able to hold her own for nearly 1.25 hours. A great performance for a first year rider.

After the World Cup, we were joined by several Opus riders from the eatern division of our team. Magalie Boulay, Geneviève LeBlanc and Julia Bradley joined Sarah and Diana for the Tour of Montreal. Priska and Amy moved to the Argonne 18 squad which allowed Canadian's Erin Carter and Nicole Demars to race in the event. Both teams were managed by myself - definately a challenge in an important race like this (Commonwealth Selections).

In the time trial, Julia, Diana and Sarah finished in the Top 48 in the field of 103 riders. They were also in the 15 Canadians who raced in the event. Gen, Mag and Amy all did fairly strong races over the 3.5 km course. The event was won by Geneviève Jeanson who defeated Lyne Bessette and Clara Hughes.

The evening criterium was a mixed result for team Opus. In the 50km event, Magalie Boulay was our most aggressive rider - staying in the top 10 for most of the race. Sarah Stewart and Diana Bladon were also agressive and kept pace with the main bunch (averaging 42.5km/hr for 50km). Sadly, Julia Bradley and Geneviève LeBlanc were dropped from the main pack and forced to try and keep pace on their own or in small chase groups. Bradley and LeBlanc were eliminated from the race and the Tour. For Bradley it was a blessing as she rests up for Commonwealth Track Trials this weekend. LeBlanc was disappointed but more determined than ever to get back the form she demonstrated as a National Championship and Canada Games medalist last year.

The road race on Tuesday was the best that Canada has seen for some time. There were thousands of spectators along the 113.5 km course through Terrebonne (north of Montreal).

Diana Bladon suffered a crash in the 5 lap city circuit that began the event. Her road rash did not prevent her from chasing through the caravan to regain the main peleton of 100 riders. After lasting more than 65km in the pack - Diana's injuries became worse and she lost constact with the main field. This was a very dangerous situation as she was left in the caravan of cars following the race. Drafting and chasing in the middle of the cars was very scary and difficult. The commisaires called a "birage" forcing Diana to eventually chase without the car's assistance. Diana ended up being lost in one of the crowds on the course - missing an important turn that was hidden by the crowd. She got a ride back at the end with the police escort for the race.

Teams like Rona, Saturn, Great Britain, Talgo, Spain and many other international teams dominated the race. Sarah and Magalie both had strong races - avoiding some crashes in the closing kilometers and several attacks that pushed the peleton's pace up to 62km/hour. The average speed for the entire race was close to 50km/hr.

The Opus riders demonstrated that they are legitimate trade team contenders on the North American and International scene. The week's races gave them the experience and confidence to take on all challenges in North American women's racing. With a year of racing at this level they will be ready to contend for the podium.

The strongest team in the race was RONA of Quebec with Geneviève Jeanson. There team was in a similar position to Opus a year ago. With the addition of "heavy hitters" for the 2003 season, Opus will surely be a force to be reckoned with.

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