Naud wins final stage of Mardis cyclistes de Lachine

August 24th, 2012

Pierrick Naud (Ekoi.Com-Gaspesien) won the tenth and final stage of the senior men’s Mardis Lachine presented by Jean Coutu road bicycle races. Naud stopped the clock at 1:00:53 in the 50km race around LaSalle Park in Lachine for an average speed of 49.2 kmh. And thus ended the 35th season of what has become a legendary race series.
For Naud, it was his second consecutive stage victory and he also picked up the Lachine Cup for this win. At press time there was some confusion as to who finished second with Maxime Vives (Garneau-Quebecor) standing on the podium for the awards ceremony but official results gave it to William Goodfellow (Mc Gill Cycling). Erik Lyman (Prud'Homme - IGA Ste Martine) came in third.
But the overall winner of the 10-stage 2012 season was Jean Francois Laroche (Fantino Mondello-Cycle Régis) who captured the Mardis Cyclistes Jean Coutu Senior Men’s Cup, his fifth season title.
“This is a great evening for us. I want to thank my teammates who have been focused all season on winning this championship. We are the only team here to have such great synergy,” declared Laroche, a 32-year-old lawyer who delights in beating pro cyclists.
The second place Specialized red jersey for the 2012 season went to Jean-Samuel Deshaies (Ekoi-Gaspesien) while the third place green Desjardins jersey went to Dominic Chalifoux (Trek Bontrager). Chalifoux barely squeezed Stephen Keeping (Steven’s Racing p/b The Cyclery) out of third spot by only four points in the GC.
Hugues Lapointe picked up the black jersey for being the most competitive cyclist, Erik Lyman was recognized for being the best master’s cyclist while Hendrik Pineda picked up the jersey for being the best junior rider. But because Pineda is presently racing in Belgium, his father accepted the jersey.
But the biggest applause of the evening was reserved for Pierre Olivier Boily who retired last evening from semi-pro cycling after 12 years on Laroche’s team. Boily also rides for the Canadian para-cycling team, acting as a (seeing) tandem pilot for blind cyclists. At the Mardis, Boily has been Fantino’s secret weapon, superbly drafting for Laroche up to the final sprint. As the ceremony winded down, Boily invited everybody over to the Fantino tent where he promised celebrations would continue with music and dancing.
“Now I will have a little more time to make beer,” explained Boily, 30, who is the owner of the micro-brewery, Siboire. “I will also be able to spend more time with my girlfriend. Maybe I will still compete in a few races, but not with a team.”
Some 84 cyclists crowded the start line at the senior men’s race where the start gun was fired by actress and animator Chantal Lacroix. Weather conditions were muggy, but the pavement stayed dry.
Among the women, Elisabeth Albert (Rocky Mountain Forget Aubin) won a phenomenal sixth stage victory in the ten-stage series. This is very impressive because Albert had no team members to support her all season. “Apart from the Mardis, I enjoyed the Gatineau races this year. I wanted to also race in the U.S.A. at the Liberty Classic, but this conflicted with my exam schedule,” explained the 20-year-old medical school student. Albert has also gained national prominence in speed skating, but is unsure which sport she will continue with if her studies force her to drop one. 
In last evening’s stage race, Veronique Drapeau-Zgoralski (Specialized-Mazda-SGC) finished second while Rosalie Cardin-Houde (IAMGOLD) finished third. There were 36 women in last evening’s race.
Albert was also the clear winner in taking the women’s Jean Coutu Cup season title. But it was a tight race for the second place red Specialized Cup jersey where Ruth Mclean (Powerwatts- FITTIME) edged Catherine Couture (independent) by a mere seven points for the Specialized red jersey. This meant Couture ended up with the third place Desjardins green jersey as a consolation prize. Couture regretted taking the last corner on the outside and having to dodge spectators crowding onto the race course, something that cost her precious fractions of a second.
The awards ceremony saw water fights with champagne against a backdrop of fireworks. Event organizer, Joseph ‘Tino’ Rossi gave an animated performance even after being doused with buckets of ice water. Lachine borough mayor Claude Dauphin congratulated Rossi, now 73, on his fine work and joked that Rossi promised to be there for another 35 years.

Senior men’s race (brief results Aug. 14 stage)
1. Pierrick Naud (Ekoi.Com-Gaspesien)
2. William Goodfellow (Mc Gill Cycling)?
3. Erik Lyman (Prud'Homme - IGA Ste Martine)

Jean Coutu men’s Cup season title
1. Jean Francois Laroche (Fantino Mondello-Cycle Régis)
2. Jean-Samuel Deshaies (Ekoi-Gaspesien)
3. Dominic Chalifoux (Trek Bontrager)

Women’s race (brief results Aug. 14 stage)
1. Elisabeth Albert (Rocky Mountain Forget Aubin)
2. Veronique Drapeau-Zgoralski (Specialized-Mazda-SGC)
3. Rosalie Cardin-Houde (IAMGOLD)

Jean Coutu women’s Cup season title
1. Elisabeth Albert (Rocky Mountain Forget Aubin)
2. Ruth Mclean (Powerwatts- FITTIME)
3. Catherine Couture (independent)