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BMC showed its strength by placing several riders in the top 20 (foto by Richard Sangalli)

Wyss and Bovay ride solid time trials; still in the hunt at Beauce

13. June 2009

Ville St-Georges

For the Friday morning stage at the Tour de Beauce, the riders faced a difficult 20 kilometer out-and-back time trial which was basically uphill for the first 10 kilometers and downhill the last. 

Gauging one's efforts on the uphill section in order to leave just enough energy to bomb down the descent can be much more complicated than expected.  The day's rain also made the course quite treacherous.  Kelly Benefit's Scott Zwizanski won the stage taking the overall lead.  Danilo Wyss clocked in the 12th best time while Steve Bovay came in seconds later for 15th place, keeping them both well within the fight for a top spot in the GC by week's end.

Riding all out  

"Considering Danilo is not a specialist, he really rode an excellent time trial," Director Mike Sayers reported.  "You have to give it your all on the way out and then still hammer it back so it's a very tough time trial." Wyss' effort holds him steady in 8th place going into a weekend of difficult racing.  "It's true that the time trial did not go all that badly for me," Wyss said.  "It was not an obvious course with a lot of undulation and it rained the whole time which made the roads pretty slick."  Teammate Steve Bovay also finished well for a non-specialist in 15th place.  "I rode my maximum in a discipline which is not my specialty," Bovay said.  "I can be fairly satisfied with my place."  Nevertheless, BMC has a bit of ground to make up if they want to regain the lead in the GC.  "The guys have their work cut out for them these next two days," Sayers said.  "The courses for Saturday and Sunday are really difficult, but they might not lend themselves to making up big time."

Looking for the spoils

"I have no doubt that Danilo can win a stage like the circuit around Quebec City on Saturday," Sayers said.  "He has great form at the moment and the race is a hard circuit with a really hard finish just suited to someone like him."    A stage designed more to wear the riders down than to blow the stage apart in one particular place, the Quebec City Circuit should tap into the strengths of not just Danilo, but the entire team.  "I hope to be going with the attacks in order to gain some places on the GC," Bovay said.  Wyss who lost his Points jersey to the stage winner today will also be thinking about how to regain his lead in that classification.  "Though taking the overall at this point will be complicated, I know that we are capable of getting at least one more stage win and taking back all the classification jerseys," Sayers said.  "As for the overall, we will just have to see how things unfold with Kelly Benefits in the lead and the two Columbian riders close behind."