This year I intend to work hard. I have ambitious goals: it is not a question of merely finishing, but rather of staying with the main group (peloton) and, if possible, I will try to win a medal.
On March 15, my bike is ready, and I take my first training ride of the season. It was a long winter and it feels great to get rolling. What is more, there is a new event added to each event of the Espoir Cup - the Skills Competition.
First race: Granby Time Trial (CLM). I am familiar with the course as I raced there last year. I am nervous, but in good form. Result: first place 45 seconds ahead of the second place finisher.
Brossard: critérium. Excited by my result of the previous day, I am even more nervous! Some girls from Laval are here and I know they are well prepared, but I still manage to finish in first place! In the final sprint, I am able to pass Stéphanie Desrochers, my friend from Laval Laprairie, and win by a few centimeters.
Stage 1: Vicky breaks a pedal but still finishes the race in 4th place! I now know that she will be a formidable competitor! I finished in 3rd place.
Stage 2: Time Trial : I finish in 2nd place, and I make the acquaintance of Pascale, a real time trial pro.
Stage 3: Criterium. The girls from Beauport worked together as a team so well that I was unable to get to the front but in the final all out sprint, I was able to finish in 2nd place. My Laval friends were always close by and Stéphanie Desrochers, although she is always a competitor, nevertheless she also encourages me! Next were the well-renowned Skills Games. I had never heard of them before this and this was the first time that I did the skills tests. Thank you to the girls of Laval for your precious advice!
My overall position: 2nd place.
I reacquainted myself with my cousin Julie from New Brunswick! She was here with her brother Mathieu, who is her trainer, a great cyclist, and who is also studying kinesiology in Moncton. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Julie was also a medalist in Laprairie, finishing in 2nd place overall in her division.
Julie was also a medalist for Laprairie, finishing in 2nd place overall in her division.
Hull 2nd event of the 1999 Espoir Cup
Hull (2nd event of the 1999 Espoir Cup). The heat is intense. The first
stage is a road race held in the city and the course is a bit difficult.
I finish in 2nd place in the final sprint against Florence Théberge of
Beauport. The 2nd day is difficult: first there is a time trial (starting
at 11:30 am), with a criterium to follow at 1:00 pm. The Skills Competiton
then follows at 1:30 pm. What is more, I am unable to eat. . .
In spite of everything, I finish in 2nd place in the time trial and 3rd in the criterium. I give it everything I have in the final sprint against Stéphanie of Laval, but I am coming down with tonsilitis. I do the Skills Competition so as not to lose my ranking for the weekend, but I feel horrible.
I finish in 2nd place overall. Florence Théberge and I are the only two second year pee-wee category riders.
Beauport: third event of the 1999 Espoir Cup.
With each race, I learn
to handle the stress better. In spite of my good results so far this
year, nothing is guaranteed but all my hopes remain.
Stage 1. Road Race. I finish in 3rd place at the end of a very long and difficult climb towards the finish.
Stage 2. Time Trial (CLM). This is a very difficult stage for me and I do not have my cyclometer! I finish in 4th place. Congratulation to Pascale Lépine who finished 34d. He deserves it well!
3rd stage. Criterium. Determined to hold onto my GC standing for the Cup, I win the final sprint against Florence Théberge of the Beauport Club in front of her home town fans. The Skills Competition is a bit easier. Mr. Bernard Vives encourages us a lot and under the attentive direction of Mr. Louis Barbeau, everything comes off very well. I finish in 2nd place overall in this race, and am now in 3rd place overall in the season standings for the Espoirs Cup.
Stage 1. Road race through the streets of Val d'Or. Vicky went off the front, as usual, but I am not far behind and the main peloton is even further back. I finish in 2nd place and am very happy.
Stage 2. Time Trial (CLM). Oh, horrors! There is a descent with a dangerous curve at the bottom. I go very fast, but I wilt under the pressure! What is more, my small size is not to my advantage in a descent! Sixth place is the best I can manage, but the first 7 places are separated by only a few hundredths of a second! This time, the Skills Competition holds no terrors for me, as I have been practicing a lot. As a result, I have almost no faults, but my time is a bit slow.
Stage 3. Criterium. I am in great form and I understand the importance of this race. I must keep my 3rd place season standing in the Espoir Cup or, better yet, improve to 2nd place. I finish the race in 2nd place and win the Silver Medal behind the overall race leader. For the season, I finish in 3rd place overall in the Espoir Cup! At Val d'Or, I had a chance to practice the team time trial with Philippe and Guillaume. We will do this event at the Quebec Games. Wow! We work well together and win the Bronze Medal.
Stage 1: road race. I finish in 3rd place on a very flat course.
Stage 2: Time Trial. I finish in 4th place.
Stage 3: critérium. Stage 3: critérium. The Skills Competition is optional here, but I am taking part in them anyway. This is wonderful as I find them easy now! Thank you Mr. Vives for your presence and all your advice! Thanks to you, I now adore the Skills Games! I am exhausted; the season was long, the training rigorous, and now I have come to realize that it is time to rest! Overall for the Quebec Championships, I finished in 3rd place and I got to meet a very great cyclist - Lyne Bessette (see photo)