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Metlushenko scores win as Colex leads Beauce
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Bernardo Colex (Tecos-Trek UAG) continues to hold the yellow leader's jersey at the Tour de Beauce after Wednesday’s second hilly 166-kilometer stage. Colex’s team did masterful job of controlling the field, with the stage coming down to a bunch sprint won by Yuri Metlushenko (Amore E Vita) ahead of Ciaran Power (Pezula) and Ramos Kleber (Garneau-Crocs). Charles Dionne (Equipe Quebec) was the top North American on the stage, finishing fourth, with Christian Meier (Symmetrics) the top in the overall standings in ninth place, 26 seconds down on Colex.
After a night of thunderstorms, and of steady drizzle in the hours before the stage start, riders were relieved to see the rain stop shortly before the race began. The day’s route consisted of a large counterclockwise loop, with the start and finish in the small town of Vallée-Jonction. There were three KoMs in the first 95 kilometers of the stage, but they were by no means the only climbs.
Strong gusting winds discouraged breakaway attempts in the opening 20 kilometers, but by kilometer 23 a lone rider, Sebastian Fournet-Fayard (A-Style Stomn), had decided to take his chances. Fournet-Fayard quickly gained 30 seconds on the Tecos-controlled peloton and by the 50 kilometer mark had gained more than two minutes.
The gap caused considerable concern in the peloton, and Amore E Vita went to the front to assist Tecos in their chasing efforts. Fournet-Fayard was beginning to fade in the wind as well, and was reabsorbed by kilometer 63.
The catch calmed things down for a few kilometers, but then a more serious group of six riders broke away: Matt Wilson (Team Type 1), Carlos Oyarzun Guinez (Tecos Trek UAG), Sebastian Frey (Team Sparkasse), Dominique Perras (EVA Devinci), Jairo Perez Suarez (Colombian National Team) and the still game Sebastien Fournet-Fayard.
Wilson flatted almost immediately and dropped back, but the other five were working well together. However this group was reeled in on the slopes of the second KoM before they got much more than a minute up the road by the vigilant Tecos squad.
At this point the peloton seemed to settle down and were content to let the Mexican squad do the driving. However, not all were in favor giving up, with Team Type 1 trying a number of times to put Colex and his team under pressure by team time trialing at the front.
"The team tried a few times," explained Glen Chadwick "but no one would help; no one was interested, so we backed off."
Tacos team member Carlos Oyaizu commented "Everyone was attacking us, trying to tire us, but we stayed organized and on top of it. Even though it took a lot of energy, we are very happy with the way it went."
With 30 kilometers remaining, the attacks finally started; with a pair of riders finally break clear in the last 20 kilometers - Martin Irvine (Paula) and the remarkable Fournet-Fayard. This pair went to 47 seconds by the final ten kilometers, and looked to be in good position.
However, Amore E Vita and the other squads weren't going to let another stage slip by without giving their sprinters a chance to do their stuff, so the gap slowly began to fall, with the pair caught inside the final 800 meters.
This gave Amore E Vita a chance to set up a short train for Metlushenko and he did not disappoint, coming to the front with 300 meters to go and gaining nearly three bike lengths on the rest of the field.
The winner of last week’s Lehigh Valley Classic was full of confidence heading into the sprint.
"With my team around me, I didn't doubt that it would come back." said Metlushenko.
Colex has the same confidence in his team. "Without them, there is no way that I would still be the leader. But I wasn't worried, because I knew that the team wouldn't let me down."
The team faces a big challenge in Thursday’s monster Mont Megantic stage, finishing with the climb that has more than once changed the overall standings. The final five kilometers climbs 500 meters, for an average of 10 percent. However, Coplex says he and the Tecos boys are ready.
"My team is a climbing team, and if we can avoid any breaks going earlier then I will be ready to climb. I believe in myself," he said.
Race Notes
● The Beauce roads are having their usual impact on the riders and teams, with an almost constant stream of flats. "Other than the roads, everything is really great here," commented Metlushenko.
● Symmetrics had a hard day, with Meier, Randell and Tuft flatting. However, the worst thing that happened was a potentially horrific crash involving Meier and national champion Cam Evans. After one rider hit the mirror of a car parked too close to the edge of the road, Meier slammed into the side of it, with Evans hitting him.
"Everyone was riding close to the gutter, and then swerved out at the last moment. I had nowhere to go, and then Cam crashed into me."
Both riders were on the ground for a few moments and required wheel changes. Evans got back up to the peloton fairly quickly, but Meier was moving much more slowly, and had obviously gone down hard. While he did make it back, and finished with the bunch, blood was leaking through his torn shorts from his left thigh, and after the race he was sent to the hospital to check out a gash on his leg. According to manager Kevin Field, he will likely need some stitches, but should be fine to start on Thursday.
● Stage 1 GC results were revised this morning, after the officials realized that the timing system was giving individual times to each rider in the main bunch, rather than one time for the entire group. This has shifted the standings around a bit, with Meier moving up to ninth as a result.
