Roy and Jones take overall titles at Tucson

Injured Jeanson does not start final stage

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By VeloNews Interactive

Roy and the Rona team kept the overall in the family

Photo: Jason Elhardt-copyright Jason Elhardt, 2004

Rona’s Emilie Roy and Michael Jones (Health Net/Maxxis) took the overall titles as the 19th Annual Tucson Bicycle Classic wrapped up with a tough circuit race on Sunday

The women’s race didn’t have a surprise finish as much as it did a surprise start – or rather lack of start — on Sunday morning. Team Rona sensation Geneviève Jeanson had already won the opening two stages of the race, had more than a ten-minute lead on G.C. and was poised to win her third successive Tucson Classic when an awkward dismount from her pedal inflamed a knee injury and the young Canadian was unable to start on Sunday.

“No one is more disappointed than I am,” she said in the team car as the women’s peloton rolled off the start.

The phenom’ from Montreal has dominated the Classic twice in the past and looked poised once again to shatter the field with a 10:07 lead over teammate Roy, 11:17 over third place Gabriela Gonzales-Ferrat (Velo Bella) and 15:19 lead over fifth place Jeanie Longo, training for her sixth Olympic bid. A hat-trick, third Classic title seemed inevitable until an awkward dismount from her pedal caused a knee injury and she was a DNS for the final Artisan Prosthetics Circuit Race.

Remarkably, the women’s peloton seemed unaware of her no-show at the start, with many assuming she was already off the front somewhere. Becky Broeder of WellsFargo/Ragatz attacked on the first lap of the circuit and built a lead ythat peaked at over two minutes at one point. The peloton eventually gave chase and Broeder seemed about to be caught as the race rushed to the finish, but the WellsFargo/Ragatz rider fended off the last-minute challenge and held on for the win, just ahead of a charging peloton.

After several breaks proved unsuccessful, the field regrouped for a mass sprint where Rebecca Broeder (Well’s Fargo/Ragatz) edged out a surging Longo, followed by Maatje Benassi (Excel Sports).

The overall win went to Roy, 1:10 ahead of Gonzales-Ferrat, who said she was “not aware of Genevieve’s DNS until the last lap.” Heather Woodhouse (Team Kenda Tire) took third at 3:52, followed by Longo at 5:02.

Sayers and Jones made sure that this break would stick

Photo: Jason Elhardt-copyright Jason Elhardt, 2004

In the men’s Pro/1 field, Jones benefited from a strong time trial performance on Friday and aggressive racing on Saturday to keep him in the hunt for the overall title all weekend/

During Saturday’ 84-mile stage 2 Gates Pass road race, Jones joined then race leader Ryan Blickem (Aida’s Bail Bonds) and Michael Sayers (Health Net/ Maxxis) in 65-mile break that lasted until 12 miles from the finish.

Not one to be denied, Jones joined Eduardo Vicencio (Aida’s Bail Bonds) and Nathan Mitchell (TIAA-CREF/5280) in another break during the Artisans Prosthetics circuit race. Remarkably, a complacent pack with the race leader allowed the three-man break to build a nearly two-minute gap over the peloton.

The inevitable chase came a little late and the break managed to stay clear by 0:27 over a hard-charging pack as Vicencio took the win followed by Mitchell and Jones. Mitchell also took a hot sprint 0:10 bonus, which would help vault him over race-leader Blickem into second overall.

Jones took his first Classic GC title, followed by Mitchell (at 0:12) and Blickem (at 0:19).

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