On the way to taking the top four spots in the final general
classification, Canadian riders were also winners in each of the four
individual stages. Perhaps it was about time. Over the years, Canadians
have been extremely well represented among the elite men's riders,
constituting roughly a quarter of the field. But while Quebecer
Genevieve Jeanson was a dominant force among the women in the first
three years of the race, no Canadian man had finished atop the
standings until this year.
This year's podium-topping Canadian turned out to be Trevor Connor, a
34-year-old veteran from Victoria, British Columbia, who won Saturday's
72-mile Bridges Resort Moretown Circuit Race and the 103-mile Mad River
Road Race on Sunday to secure enough points for the overall victory.
Just behind in the final standings were Mathieu Toulouse of Montreal,
winner of Friday's Egan's Big World Hill Climb, and Dominique Perras,
the climbing whiz from St. Lambert, Quebec.
TAKE SOLACE
American cycling enthusiasts can at least take solace in the Canadian
logjam from the fact that Connor rides for an American team, a small
outfit out of western New York sponsored by Chris Cookies and Swan
Cycles. Call him Canadian with an asterisk.
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While Kristen Lasasso, the winner of the
elite women's race, was not Canadian, it is perhaps the result of some
coincidental irony that she hails from a town called La Canada in
California. By winning a few precious bonus points in the Burlington
Criterium on Monday, Lasasso came from behind to edge out Amy
Dombrowski of Jericho, Vermont, for the win.
Dombrowski, who floats as easily uphill as a hawk rising on a thermal
draft, had won the two mountainous stages, the opening hill climb and
the Mad River Road Race. But while Lasasso was never a stage winner,
she stayed close throughout, and in a race scored on points rather than
time, it is consistency that really pays off. Her winning margin of two
points over Dombrowski made it the closest race in GMSR history.
WEATHER WAS IDEAL
"It was a very successful weekend with a great turnout," said race
director Gary Kessler after the race was over. "The weather was ideal,
and what's really important to a race promoter, it was a relatively
safe race. A lot of that is due to the good weather and the great job
of road-surface improvements by the Agency of Transportation. One
important measure of this year's success was that we had fewer serious
injuries than ever."
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Unfortunately, a rider who sustained one of those rare, serious
injuries was Granville rider Malcolm Appleton, the elder statesman of
the local riding community. In a freak accident, Appleton crashed just
a few yards after the start at Mt. Ellen of the Mad River Road Race,
while competing in the citizens' field. He sustained a broken hip and
was transported to Central Vermont Hospital in Berlin, where he was
mended and will begin a recuperation process that could take several
months.
Several other local riders managed to have a bit better luck than
Appleton. Top among them was Charles McCarthy, competing in the elite
men's race. McCarthy relied heavily on his exemplary climbing skills to
finish a highly respectable 20th overall in the 130-man field. It was
his third year competing in the elite field, and the result was by far
his best. He also enjoyed the crowds that came out in support of the
riders.
LARGE CROWDS
"The perfect conditions attracted large crowds for the finishing 500
meters up App Gap on Sunday," McCarthy said. "They were easily the
biggest crowds I've ever experienced in the road race. The Valley
seemed to be swelling with people this weekend, and I'm very pleased
that so many made the trek to the top of the gap to cheer on racers. I
certainly appreciated it."
Other local riders competing included Jim Komarmi, who finished 31st in
the Category 3 field; Larry O'Toole, who finished 51st on the Masters
40-and-over field; and Matt O'Brien, who ended up 42nd in the men's
Category 4 field. Bob Dillon, competing in the Masters 50-and-over
field, was satisfied with his performance through three stages but
chose to skip the final stage, the criterium in Burlington, to visit
the injured Appleton in the hospital.
Caitlin Curran, competing in her first major bike race, was also going
well but was disqualified in a rules technicality after the third
stage. Junior riders -- those under 18 -- are required to use special
gearing on their bikes, a requirement that the neophyte Curran was
unaware of. Still, her 11th-place finish in Saturday's circuit race
suggests that she has a promising future ahead of her.
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13TH CANADIAN PROVINCE
If local riders fared well over the weekend, the local community fared
even better. With visiting riders bringing along family, friends,
coaches and others, the race attracts approximately 1,500 people into
The Valley for the weekend and, in some cases, several days longer.
When riders return post-race questionnaires, they often cite the chance
to spend a fall weekend or longer vacation in Vermont in addition to
the challenge of competing as a major appeal of the race. As one
Canadian coach said, after appreciating all that The Valley had to
offer: "We ought to annex Vermont as the 13th Canadian province."
The bottom line: The race brings between $500,000 and $1 million to the
local economy through lodging, food, gas and other expenditures.
"The GMSR once again proved to be tremendously challenging and hugely
rewarding," said McCarthy. Not to mention safe, Appleton's injury
notwithstanding. And economically productive. It doesn't get much
better than that. Especially if you happen to be Canadian.
Local cyclist and author Peter Oliver lives in Warren.
