Cycling fans - you don't want to go "cold turkey"
after three weeks of serious race immersion with the
Tour de France, and now you won't have too! Even as
the Tour de France is being inscribed in the history books the International
Tour de Toona will be taking flight! Follow all the action here Monday July 25th through Sunday August 1st! Tune in to the DailyPeloton for all the race action, rider diaries, photos, and fun! Toona Time is here!
The Tour de Toona has been a crown jewel on the American racing circuit for twenty years, and the 21st running of this classic should be the best ever. In addition this year the purses are higher than ever, as is attendance - with all the best teams in the mix.
The Pro men’s field is over 150 strong, and includes reigning US Pro champion Chris Wherry. Chris has had a great season thus far - in addition to winning US Pro he took the overall victory at Redlands. He will be riding with his Health Net teammates Doug Ollerenshaw (winner of the Sea Otter classic), Scott Moninger (winner of the Cascade Cycling Classic) and John Lieswyn (winner of the Nature Valley Grand Prix). John was also the 2004 overall Champion at Toona!
Interesting story about Lieswyn’s win at Nature Valley – he was involved in a nasty wreck on stage 3 which left him quite sore. Thinking he had pulled a groin muscle he continued to race, eventually winning the overall. He then went on to place 4th in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Beauce but the “pulled muscle” wasn’t improving so he finally went for an x-ray. He had been riding with a broken pelvis!
He was forced to take a couple weeks completely off the bike, then returned to training using a big, puffy tourist saddle for the first week. He’s returned to racing at BC Superweek, still in lingering pain but says that “I know I’m riding and racing too soon but I need to do this or I would have had to write off Altoona, and I’m not willing to do that.” A hard man, seasoned pro, and serious contender for repeat victory at Toona. John Lieswyn loves the race, saying “I think Altoona is even better than Redlands. Altoona has consistently better courses, much more European in scope.”
The HealthNet team is surely a force to reckon with but unlike that race across the pond, by no means have they sewn up this race before the opening gun. Colavita is bringing Juan Jose Haedo, Mark McCormack, Davide Frattini and Jonathon Page. Webcor has Charles Dionne, Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada has Ben Jacques-Mayne, and Jittery Joes has Tim Johnson. Competition will be fierce at this years Toona! See the complete startlist at the end of the article
In fact both Tour de Toona Champions from 2004 are returning to defend their titles this year. Lyne Bessette is apparently returning to ride with team Bianchi! The women’s competition will be even more intense than the mens, with all the top teams are coming out to play!
Webcor’s women Erinne Willock and Katie Curi will racing in support of Christine Thorburn, who is the top placed woman in the NRC rankings! Erinne Willock placed 3rd overall at Toona last year, and won the best young rider competition.
Quark is bringing their terrible twosome of Tina Pic, currently 3rd in the NRC rankings, and 5th placed Laura Van Gilder. At last years Toona, Tina took three stage victories and the Sprint competition! This season Laura Van Gilder has taken victories in the CSC Invitiational, Tour of Sommerville, and Bike Jam, and Tina won the Pan American road race Championship.
Colavita will be fielding the overall victor of Fitchburg Longsjo Sue Palmer-Komar, Dotsie Cowden and Megan Esmonde. Palmer-Komar placed on the podium at Toona last year, taking second overall. She will be looking to improve on that outcome this year!
Victory Brewing will have Lauren Franges and Gina Grain. Chrissie Ruiter (8th in the NRC) and Nicole Freedman will be leading Team Ford-Basis.
“The International Tour de Toona is the most progressive of all the races, treating women as equal to men athletically,” says Ford-Basis racer Nicole Freedman. “We wouldn’t miss it, if a race is going to treat women this well, we just have to support it.”
21st Annual Tour de Toona Schedule
Monday - July 25 6 PM 5.6 km / 3.5 mi
Time Trial - 1300 9th Avenue, Altoona
Tuesday - July 26 9 AM 117.3 km / 72.9 mi
Circuit Road Race - Zamias Building, Johnstown
Wednesday - July 27 1 PM 158.8 km / 98.7 mi
Point-to-Point Road Race - Johnstown to Altoona
Thursday - July 28 9 AM 96.6 km / 60.0 mi
Circuit Road Race - Downtown Hollidaysburg
Friday - July 29 8 AM 123.6 km / 76.8 mi
Circuit Road Race - Memorial Park, Martinsburg
Saturday - July 30 8 AM 149.5 km / 92.9 mi
Road Race - Jaffa Mosque, Broad Ave & 22nd Street, Altoona
Sunday - July 31 12:30 PM 48.3 km / 30 mi
Criterium - Downtown Altoona, 11th Ave & 14th Street
Total Mileage 703.1 km / 436.9 mi
The Tour de ‘Toona is the third race in the 2nd annual Women’s Prestige Cycling Series. The 2005 Women’s Prestige Cycling Series schedule includes the finest stage races in America: the PoolGel Redlands Bicycle Classic, the Nature Valley Grand Prix and the Tour de ‘Toona. The top ten teams after ‘Toona win a trip to Bermuda in September for the final race in the series - the CD&P Bermuda Grand Prix!
The WCPS Current Standings after are:
Overall
1 - Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) – 440
2 - Tina Pic (Quark Cycling) – 264
3 - Annette Beutler (Quark Cycling) – 264
4 - Kimberly Baldwin (T - Mobile) – 253
5 - Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders) – 187
Sprint
1 - Ina Teutenberg (T - Mobile) – 341
2 - Laura Gilder (Quark) – 330
3 - Tina Pic (Quark) – 257
4 - Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) – 165
5 - Lara Kroepsch (T - Mobile) – 165
6 - Annette Beutler (Quark) – 165
Best Young Rider
1 - Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders) – 440
2 - Audrey Lemieux (Quark) – 231
3 - Stefanie Graeter (Webcor Builders) – 231
4 - Alisha Lion (Ford - Basis) – 209
5 - Kathleen Billington (Diet Cheerwine) – 132
6 - Zoe Owers (Team Lipton) – 132
7 - Rebecca Larson (Colavita / Cooking Light) – 132
Team Standings
1 - Webcor Builders – 942
2 - Quark – 722
3 - T - Mobile – 574
4 - Ford - Basis – 218
5 - Colvita / Cooking Light – 148
The inaugural running of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series took place in 2004. The series was born at the Yoplait Women’s Cycling Summits as a means of improving racing for women. The reasons for the series were practical – only a few women’s teams have the budget to travel across the country to attend enough of the races in the National Racing Calendar to get a fair showing in the standings. It was thought that a series of the best races in the country, races where the women’s event was showcased instead of treated as an after-thought, would give the teams something to focus on. Concentrate their efforts on a select series of races instead of scattering their energy trying to gain NRC points.
A secondary motive was to showcase events that are committed to promoting women’s racing. In far too many events the women’s race takes place early in the morning, for a pitiful purse, while the men’s race (the “main event”) takes place hours later – sometimes even the juniors races separate the pro-women’s race from the pro-men’s. The problem with this is fairly obvious – only hard-core fans will show up at 7am to cheer the women and then stay through the intermediate race events until noon when the men take to the road. If we are to develop fans for women’s racing, the audience will have to actually see them racing. Therefore it is imperative that events run the pro-races back to back if not simultaneously.
If the pro-women’s race occurs simultaneously with the men’s event (as in ‘Toona) the audience is in a win-win situation with the race action flying past them twice as frequently! While they may initially come to see the men, the audience will get caught up in the spectacle and sport of the women’s race hence helping to develop fans of women’s racing.
The 2004 Women’s Prestige Cycling Series Podiums:
Overall Champion – Lyne Bessette, 2nd Katrina Grove, 3rd Susan Palmer-Komar
Sprint Champion– Gina Grain, 2nd Laura Van Gilder, 3rd Andrea Hannos
Best Young Racer (U26) – Katherine Sherwin, 2nd Lauren Franges, 3rd Erinne Willock
21st Tour de Toona Provisional Start Lists:
Pro Women
LYNE BESSETTE - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
BECKY BROEDER - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
MEGAN ELLIOT - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
MEGAN MONROE - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
MERRILL COLLINS - COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT
DOTSIE COWDEN - COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT
MEGAN ESMONDE - COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT
REBECCA LARSON - COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT
SUE PALMER-KOMAR - COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT
CHRISTINA PEICK - COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT
CATHERINE POWERS - COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT
KATHARINE CARROLL - FORD-BASIS
KRISTIN DANIELSON - FORD-BASIS
NICOLE FREEDMAN - FORD-BASIS
KELE HULSER - FORD-BASIS
ALISHA LION - FORD-BASIS
CHRISSY RUITER - FORD-BASIS
ANNETTE BEUTLER - QUARK CYCLING TEAM
CANDICE BLICKEM - QUARK CYCLING TEAM
GRACE FLEURY - QUARK CYCLING TEAM
HELEN KELLY - QUARK CYCLING TEAM
AUDREY LEMIEUX - QUARK CYCLING TEAM
TINA PIC - QUARK CYCLING TEAM
LAURA VANGILDER - QUARK CYCLING TEAM
ERIN ALDERS - SQUADRA COPPI
CARLA FIGUEROA - SQUADRA COPPI
TERESA HOLMGREN - SQUADRA COPPI
ERIN MIRABELLA - SQUADRA COPPI
AIMEE VASSE - SQUADRA COPPI
CRYSTAL HOWARD (FORMERLY YAP) - SUBWAY
MELISSA SANBORN - SUBWAY
SIMA TRAPP - SUBWAY
NICKY WANGSGARD - SUBWAY
SUZ WELDON - SUBWAY
STEPHANIE BOURBEAU - TEAM BIOVAIL
LYNN GAGGIOLI - TEAM BIOVAIL
JENNIFER MAGUR - TEAM BIOVAIL
PAOLA MANDRINAN - TEAM BIOVAIL
AMANDA SHAW - TEAM BIOVAIL
JEN STEPHENSON - TEAM BIOVAIL
MACKENZIE DICKEY - TEAM LIPTON
ELISA GAGNON - TEAM LIPTON
KATHERINE LAMBDEN - TEAM LIPTON
KRISTEN LASASSO - TEAM LIPTON
ANNA MILKOWSKI - TEAM LIPTON
MEREDITH MILLER - TEAM LIPTON
LIZA RACHETTO - TEAM LIPTON
KELLY BENJAMIN - THE BICYCLE STORE
GENEVIEVE JEANSON - THE BICYCLE STORE
MAGEN LONG - THE BICYCLE STORE
SHERRI STEDJE - THE BICYCLE STORE
SHARON ALLPRESS - VELO GIRLS PRO CYCLING TEAM
ALLISON BEALL - VELO GIRLS PRO CYCLING TEAM
PAM HINTON - VELO GIRLS PRO CYCLING TEAM
MORIAH MACGREGOR - VELO GIRLS PRO CYCLING TEAM
CHAMBLEE MOREADITH - VELO GIRLS PRO CYCLING TEAM
SHEILA OREM - VELO GIRLS PRO CYCLING TEAM
KERRY TRAYNOR - VELO GIRLS PRO CYCLING TEAM
LISA VETTERLEIN - VELO GIRLS PRO CYCLING TEAM
CATHERINE WALBERG - VELO GIRLS PRO CYCLING TEAM
JULIA FARRELL - VERDUCCI RACING/BREAKAWAY BIKES
PAULINE FRASCONE - VERDUCCI RACING/BREAKAWAY BIKES
CHRISSY SARACENI - VERDUCCI/BREAKAWAY RACING
REBECCA WELLONS - VERDUCCI-BREAKAWAY RACING
LAUREN FRANGES - VICTORY CYCLING
GINA GRAIN - VICTORY CYCLING
RACHEL HEAL - VICTORY CYCLING
BRENDA LYONS - VICTORY CYCLING
AMY MOORE - VICTORY CYCLING
KIRSTEN ROBBINS - VICTORY CYCLING
KATE SHERWIN - VICTORY CYCLING
CAT MALONE - WEBCOR BUILDERS
KATHERYN CURI - WEBCOR BUILDERS WOMEN
STEFANIE GRAETER - WEBCOR BUILDERS WOMEN
FELCICA GREER - WEBCOR BUILDERS WOMEN
BETINA HOLD - WEBCOR BUILDERS WOMEN
CHRISTINE THORBURN - WEBCOR BUILDERS WOMEN
ERINNE WILLOCK - WEBCOR BUILDERS WOMEN
JULIA FARELL -
Pro Men
RADISA CUBRIC - AEROSPACE ENGINEERING-VMG
ERIC MURPHY - AEROSPACE ENGINEERING-VMG
MICHAEL SCHERER - AEROSPACE ENGINEERING-VMG
IVAN STEVIC - AEROSPACE ENGINEERING-VMG
RYAN TREBON - AEROSPACE ENGINEERING-VMG
HUGH MORAN - AEROSPACE ENGINNEERING GROUP - VMG
ANDREW DAANE - AG EDWARDS
JOHN GREEN - AG EDWARDS
DAVID GUTTENPLAN - AG EDWARDS
JED SCHNEIDER - AG EDWARDS
HAYDEN BROOKS - AG EDWARDS/NALLEY LEXUS ELITE CYCLING TEAM
DUANE DICKEY - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
BRANDON GAVIC - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
BRIAN JENSEN - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
BEN RABY - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
BILL STOLTE - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
STEVE TILFORD - BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
GUSTAVO ARTACHO - COLAVITA - SUTTER HOME
DAVIDE FRATTINI - COLAVITA - SUTTER HOME
JUAN JOSE HAEDO - COLAVITA - SUTTER HOME
TODD HERRIOTT - COLAVITA - SUTTER HOME
MARK MCCORMACK - COLAVITA - SUTTER HOME
AARON OLSON - COLAVITA - SUTTER HOME
JONATHAN PAGE - COLAVITA - SUTTER HOME
TYLER WREN - COLAVITA - SUTTER HOME
ALEXANDRE CLOUTIER - EQUIPE VOLKSWAGEN TREK
MARTIN GILBERT - EQUIPE VOLKSWAGEN TREK
KEVIN LACOMBE - EQUIPE VOLKSWAGEN TREK
ALEXANDRE LAVALLÉE - EQUIPE VOLKSWAGEN TREK
JEAN SEBASTIEN MAHEU - EQUIPE VOLKSWAGEN TREK
MARTIN ST-LAURENT - EQUIPE VOLKSWAGEN TREK
RAPHAEL TREMBLAY - EQUIPE VOLKSWAGEN TREK
MICHAEL CODY - FIORDIFRUTTA
MIKE DIETRICH - FIORDIFRUTTA
JOSH GEWIRTZ - FIORDIFRUTTA
JON HAMBLEN - FIORDIFRUTTA
DAN TIMMERMAN - FIORDIFRUTTA
MATTHEW WHITE - FIORDIFRUTTA
PHILIP WONG - FIORDIFRUTTA
CHRIS ROZDILSKY - FIORDIFRUTTA ELITE CYCLING TEAM
JUSTIN ENGLAND - HEALTH NET PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
GREG HENDERSON - HEALTH NET PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
MIKE JONES - HEALTH NET PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
JOHN LIESWYN - HEALTH NET PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
SCOTT MONINGER - HEALTH NET PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
DOUG OLLERENSHAW - HEALTH NET PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
MIKE SAYERS - HEALTH NET PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
CHRIS WHERRY - HEALTH NET PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
ZACH BELL - JET FUEL COFFEE-SYMPATICO/MSN.CA
JOE GIULIANO - JET FUEL COFFEE-SYMPATICO/MSN.CA
KEVIN BUCK MILLER - JET FUEL COFFEE-SYMPATICO/MSN.CA
MARK POZNIAK - JET FUEL COFFEE-SYMPATICO/MSN.CA
ANDREW RANDELL - JET FUEL COFFEE-SYMPATICO/MSN.CA
THAD DULIN - JITTERY JOE'S-KALAHARI
EVAN ELKEN - JITTERY JOE'S-KALAHARI
JEFF HOPKINS - JITTERY JOE'S-KALAHARI
TIM JOHNSON - JITTERY JOE'S-KALAHARI
BRUNO LANGLOIS - JITTERY JOE'S-KALAHARI
JESSE LAWLER - JITTERY JOE'S-KALAHARI
JONNY SUNDT - JITTERY JOE'S-KALAHARI
BEN JACQUES-MAYNES - KODAK GALLERY/SIERRA NAVADA
TIM LARKIN - KODAK GALLERY/SIERRA NEVADA
PETE LOPINTO - KODAK GALLERY/SIERRA NEVADA
GLEN MITCHELL - KODAK GALLERY/SIERRA NEVADA
DOMINIQUE PERRAS - KODAK GALLERY/SIERRA NEVADA
DAN SCHMATZ - KODAK GALLERY/SIERRA NEVADA
JACKSON STEWART - KODAK GALLERY/SIERRA NEVADA
SCOTT ZWIZANSKI - KODAK GALLERY/SIERRA NEVADA
JASON HARPP - LOUIS GARNEAU
JASON BAER - LOUIS GARNEAU RACING
DAN CASSIDY - LOUIS GARNEAU RACING
JOSH DILLON - LOUIS GARNEAU RACING
JAMEY DRISCOLL - LOUIS GARNEAU RACING
DANIEL GREENFIELD - LOUIS GARNEAU RACING
ROBBIE KING - LOUIS GARNEAU RACING
ANDREW WULFKUHLE - LSV/ KELLY COMP.
MATTEW COOKE - LSV/KELLY COMP.
DARKO FICKO - LSV/KELLY COMP.
FRANCOIS SZTUKE - LSV/KELLY COMP.
COLIN BARRY - MANULIFE FINANCIAL / JACK KANE BICYCLES
JAKE BRIMLOW - MANULIFE FINANCIAL / JACK KANE BICYCLES
CHARLES PENDRY - MANULIFE FINANCIAL / JACK KANE BICYCLES
GEOFFERY ROSEBROCK - MANULIFE FINANCIAL / JACK KANE BICYCLES
JAMES BADIA - MANULIFE FINANCIAL/ JACK KANE BICYCLES
BOYD JOHNSON - MANULIFE FINANCIAL/JACK KANE BICYCLES
OWEN NIELSON - MANULIFE FINANCIAL/JACK KANE BICYCLES
STEVE CATE - MERCY CYCLING TEAM
DOUG GREEK - MERCY CYCLING TEAM
BRAD HUFF - MERCY CYCLING TEAM
MATT ANKNEY - MERCY CYCLING TEAM
CHAD CAGLE - MERCY CYCLING TEAM
BRIAN DZIEWA - MERCY CYCLING TEAM
MAT STEPHENS - MERCY CYCLING TEAM
JASON DONALD - RMCEF
JONATHAN GARCIA - RMCEF
RYAN HAMITY - RMCEF
JONATHAN MASSIE - RMCEF
SCOTT NYDAM - RMCEF
JOHN SEEHAFER - RMCEF
PETER BAKER - SNOW VALLEY PRESENTED BY SEAL-ON
RYAN DEWALD - SNOW VALLEY PRESENTED BY SEAL-ON
CHRISTOPH HERBY - SNOW VALLEY PRESENTED BY SEAL-ON
RUSS LANGLEY - SNOW VALLEY PRESENTED BY SEAL-ON
JOSHUA TAYLOR - SNOW VALLEY PRESENTED BY SEAL-ON
KYLE WAMSLEY - SNOW VALLEY PRESENTED BY SEAL-ON
JON WIRSING - SNOW VALLEY PRESENTED BY SEAL-ON
MATTHEW CRANE - SNOW VALLEY PRO CYCLING PRESENTED BY SEAL-ON
TODD CORNELIUS - SUBWAY
CAMERON HUGHES - SUBWAY
OMAR KEM - SUBWAY
RYAN MCKENZIE - SUBWAY
REMI MCMANUS - SUBWAY
DAVID RICHTER - SUBWAY
KEVIN VANES - SUBWAY PRO CYCLING TEAM
ROBBIE YOST - SUBWAY PRO CYCLING TEAM
ALEJANDRO ACTON - TARGETRAINING
MARC ANDERSON - TARGETRAINING
RYAN BLICKEM - TARGETRAINING
ANTHONY COLBY - TARGETRAINING
BILL ELLISTON - TARGETRAINING
ENEAS FREYRE - TARGETRAINING
CHANN MCRAE - TARGETRAINING
JUSTIN SPINELLI - TARGETRAINING
ARI DE WILDE - TEAM NERAC.COM PRESENTED BY TD BANKNORTH
JOHN HANSON - TEAM NERAC.COM PRESENTED BY TD BANKNORTH
ADAM HODGES MYERSON - TEAM NERAC.COM PRESENTED BY TD BANKNORTH
MICHAEL NORTON - TEAM NERAC.COM PRESENTED BY TD BANKNORTH
CODY POWELL - TEAM NERAC.COM PRESENTED BY TD BANKNORTH
DAVID WERLING - TEAM NERAC.COM PRESENTED BY TD BANKNORTH
ANDY BAJADALI - TEAMRMCEF
CHARLES COYLE - TEAMRMCEF
MARTIN ADAMCZYK - TRI - STATE VELO
WHITEY DEBROUX - TRI STATE VELO
CHRIS WILSON - TRI STATE VELO
GREG COGGIN - TRI-STATE VELO
AARON POOL - TRI-STATE VELO
BART TORRE - TRI-STATE VELO
MARC COLLARD - WEBCOR BUILDERS MEN
CHARLES DIONNE - WEBCOR BUILDERS MEN
DARIO FALQUIER - WEBCOR BUILDERS MEN
MARC HAGENLOCHER - WEBCOR BUILDERS MEN
BENJAMIN HALDEMAN - WEBCOR BUILDERS MEN
TED HUANG - WEBCOR BUILDERS MEN
OWEN LAINE - WEBCOR BUILDERS MEN
ROGER LEE - WEBCOR BUILDERS MEN
JAMES MATTIS - WEBCOR BUILDERS MEN
JACOB ROSENBARGER -
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