Sutton, Quebec
Marianne Stover, Pauline Frascone and Brenda Bahnson grabbed their passports and headed north through Vermont over the Canadian border to participate in Coupes Des Ameriques masters stage race in Sutton Canada.
Stage 1 was a 19k, 1400 ft hill climb. With the first 10k rolling terrain, stover decided to jump and get things started. she soloed for about 8k before getting caught on the 2nd pitch of the climb. Bahnson and Frascone took over at that point with Bahnson locking in 4th in the 40+ field, and Frascone 3rd in the 30+ field.
Stage 2 - Individual time trial 6/30 this was a rolling 12.6k course with very little recovery. An 8:oo am start made for a tough beginning to the day, but that didn't stop Frascone from taking the GOLD in her age group which also allowed her to take over the YELLOW JERSEY. Bahnson finished a strong 7th and Stover 7th in her age group.
Stage 3 - Criterium 6/30 the criterium was a non-technical, but VERY windy and exposed course making it more difficult than originally thought to be. The finish line was situated after a short climb right out of two corners making the final sprint a little tricky. The race was hot from the gun with Stover making early attacks. An initial solo effort was followed by a 4 person break that stayed away for several laps. Frascone counter attacked and managed a lap on her own, but the field was hard to chase with the yellow jersey on her back. Bahnson moved to the front of the field on the final back stretch and had it strung out single file for half a lap discouraging the field from moving up the sides. She pulled off just in time for the 2nd to the last corner and Stover jumped with Frascone on her wheel. The two bolted in for the final sprint and snagged the GOLD and SILVER in that stage. Bahnson after a long, hard last lap effort still managed to come in 4th in her field.
Stage 4 - Road Race 7/1 The final stage was a 85k, hilly road race. There was no mercy on this course as it started with a very difficult 5 step climb. The field split after the first climb with Frascone in the front group protecting her yellow jersey, and Bahson and Stover in the 2nd group. Frascone managed to claw her way up the final climb with the leaders and find herself in a position to win the sprint, take another stage, and overall GC. Going through a sweeping descent Frascone fell victim to some inexperienced riders and was taken out in the final corner. Although she was fine, race officials and medics would not allow her to walk her bike across the line, and she was not given a same time finish as the leaders. Unfortunately she was unable to finish the race but gave a superb effort overall at Sutton and made the team proud. Bahnson and Stover were not far behind to come in 6th and 6th in their respective fields.
Final GC was Bahnson 6th and Stover 6th.