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Jeanson, McCormack score hat tricks at Green Mountain

By VeloNews Interactive
Published: Aug. 31, 2003

Although Mark McCormack (Saturn) really had to really work for it, he and Geneviève Jeanson (Rona-Esker) made it three wins in three days during stage 2 of the Mad River Valley Green Mountain Stage Race, the Sugarbush Chamber Mad River Road Race.

The men saw lots of breakaway attempts, but none succeeded as the GC leaders kept everything tight in the pack. As the riders approached the first of the two final climbs up to Appalachian Gap, Tim Johnson (Saturn) started to drive the field and formed two break groups in hopes of stretching out the field for McCormack.

But when the field caught the second break in the beginning of the final climb, it was anybody's game to win. McCormack placed himself well in front, but Mark Walters (Navigators) put him in some serious difficulty as the 18 percent climb up the final kilometer began.

Finding himself gapped, McCormack put in a remarkable effort, charging back up the hill and nipping Walters at the line in one of the closest finishes in the history of the race.

Johnson was rewarded for his efforts by taking the final podium spot over Ciaran Power (Navigators) and Michael Dietrich (Fiordifrutta-Wheelworks).

McCormack remains atop the GC with a 26-point lead over Johnson. It will be a dogfight tomorrow for the last podium spot on GC, as 2 points separate Cameron Hughes (LeMond Fitness-Captain Cra-Z Soap) and Walters.

In the women's race, Rona-Esker completely dictated the race from start to finish. Shortly after leaving the neutral zone, Shani Block (Rona-Esker) went off the front, and was joined a bit later by Jeanson and Amy Moore (Team Ontario). Jeanson didn't stay around long, though –she dropped the other break riders shortly after winning the points sprint in Granville. With Jeanson long gone, Block too went clear of Moore, to be joined later by teammate Johanna Buick, who bridged up from the group

Jeanson won by more than five minutes with Block and Buick finishing second and third. Rona made it a clean sweep of the top four spots when Katheryn Curi led the peloton up the Appalachian Gap.

Jeanson has a seemingly comfortable 64-point lead over Block, with Buick and Curi tied for third going into Monday's final stage, the Voler Burlington Criterium, a 1km, six- corner loop through the streets of downtown Burlington, Vermont. If the GC places hold after tomorrow, it will be the second consecutive year in a row that Rona has swept the first four GC spots at the Green Mountain Stage Race.