Echelon Project's 2007 AdventureTour Cycliste International de Martinique

All Done but for the tears

2007-07-16T11:09:00.000-04:00

"If it wasn;t for bad luck he,d have no luck at all"
Hard luck again for Steve in the finale.
The last stage was really tough;
The Danes told us it would be cool for the first 40km
Ha!!
2 of the 5 in the break were danish and it went in the first 5km
The last stage featured the steepest hill yet
Steve made it over in the yellow jersey group and was in contention for a top 10 finish until he crashed with 5 km to go!!
We cried as we pushed him back in the race and he soloed in to finish.
A finishing circuit of 19 km with a huge climb and a bigger crowd ended it all.
We dropped all of our Canada flags the first time up the hill to have the boys met by flag waving fans . Geoff finished in the 3rd group and Joel finished strong and with a big smile.

3 of 4 finished and we hopefully made a good impression

Wheelers can all be proud of the effort put out in this mountainous race.

final results and post will follow soon

thousands packed a soccer stadium for the prize presentation and young canadian riders were spotted jumping off the peer into the ocean in a late night celebration with some locals

rumour has it they make strong rum on this island
i will look into it!!

day 7

2007-07-13T16:26:00.000-04:00

Another incredible day in paradise
106km of tiny curved roads and elite climbs
geoff and steve road in total control today in the groupetto to finish
geoff is having issues with his knee but the swiss masseuse and the race doctor have us sorted out with anti inflammatories, ice and encouragement
there are no easy days here
joel found himself with a group of 4 and finished not too far off and well within his limits
he is determined and motovated to finish and had the radio seek him out for an interview
HUGE crowds at the finish
CANADA is heard on the climbs and teams are asking me about getting the boys to ride here in martinique for the winter season
it really cooled off today, from yesterdays 33c it dropped to 32C and is expected to go way down to 28 tonight
we raced through the banana plantations again today
the roads are lttered with mangos as we would have acorns or crab apples
the danes are pushing the columbians hard and that drives the pace

stopped to help a swiss rider who broke his shoe plate, taped his foot to the pedal with hockey tape, funny how none of the other teams had any!

2 days t go and we will for sure have 3 finishers
no stopping the boys now
will they want to come back? i hope so.

philippe has his good spirit back but of course wishes he was still in there;
fantastic 4
he is doing tv work
steve,s crash from yesterday made the tv coverage and was played bak over and over
local celebs

double stage tomorrow
breakfast at 5.30 as the bus leaves at 6.30
incredible traffic here
lots of video and pictures to follow when we get back

down to the crunch
-jl

stage 6 Another tough day

2007-07-12T17:06:00.000-04:00

more than survived day 6
incredible hills again
geoff and steve stayed with the yellow jersey team until the last climb into the jungle
amazing both should be top 30 today
geoff finished a few minutes ahead of steve today as steve nursed in a wobbly front wheel after a crash midway.

joel road another 101km solo off the back but finished
we hope the time cut is not enforced
he attacked at 2 km, was caught at 5km and dropped at 6km
"Race tactics" is the lesson book for tonight!!

all is well and 3 days to go
steve and geoff are earning fans in the danish and dutch teams

Joel has shown huge courage in not quitting yesterday and again today
others caved but joel road on. I think he has dicovered he really wants to do this stuff and now knows how difficult it is
amazing kids

steve crashed but got back on the group in no time
a real fighter
makes me proud to see our team colours with the yellow jersey columbian in these high mountains

3 days to go but they can now sense this can be done
this is a very tough tough race with huge vocal crowds on the climbs as good as à la tour de france

stay tuned

Back online and still in the game

2007-07-11T16:37:00.000-04:00

Unfuk"çàingBelievqable
What a race, what a team.
1/2 way through and we have had it all.
Broken derailleur hanger, repaired on the roadside;
Broken carbon seat stay...repaired with superglue,hockey tape,zip ties and some luck - just before the start; Hills, heat and some new friends.

Stage 5 today featured more vertical feet of climing per kilometer than any tour de france stage.
Rain forests and a 12km climb from the start.
http://www.cyclismemartinique.com/index_photos.html

Philippe suffered 2 crashes on the downhills yesterday in stage 4 and abandoned. Very unfortunate as he has been climbing very well. He has been a celebrity as a francophone rider and has been on tv every night. He will now work as a translator for the tv with the foriegn riders from Holland and Denmark.
Steve and Geoff have been doing very well. Steve has had the bad mechanical troubles but has been in the yellow jersey groups 2days. We are working with the swiss, danes and dutch to help each other as our riders are all spread across the peleton.
Joel is the little engine that could. As a first year rider he is in over his head but has never let that stop him; HE HAD A EPIC DAY TODAY. 120km on his own on the toughest day yet. He is determined to finish and will; others abandoned but Joel chugged along and finished. He is learning fast that he really wants to be a bike rider.
Geoff and Steve are right in the game and have the repect of their older and more experienced competitors.
All in all this has so far been amazing and will surely continue.
I am so impressed by the Wheeler spirit these boys have. 19 & 21 year olds versus Columbian climbers and continental euro pros. we fit right in.
the boys are tired but in great spirits.
Adrian has proved his worth in hard work, up beat outlook and great support. Its early mornings and late nights for the support team;
1/2 way to a great party.
More to come.

Stage 1 and all is well

2007-07-07T17:10:00.000-04:00

We made it to Matinique and what a beautiful hot place.
Really hot in fact. Not great internet connection and a euro keyboard at that;
96 riders took the start and we survived.*
High heat and a completely new style of racing had the boys in the hot seat.
123km and their first time racing in the mountains.
Steve had a tough day with mechanical troubles that required installing a new derailleur hanger at the road side. Geoff finished the best in 62nd follwed closely by Philippe 65th , Joel and Steve finished in the same group - everyone within the time limit.
Fantastic organization, experienced teams, and lots to learn. Adrian and I had a full day of water water water and crazed caravan driving; photos when we can.
Moral is good but everyone is tired and ready for a good sleep and then a double stage tomorrow.
More to come. Amazing roads and huge support from the country.
What a start.
.

Set to go

2007-07-05T01:14:00.000-04:00

The bags are packed and we are set to go.
We are underway.
First thanks goes to the 4 riders, Stephen Keeping, Joel Sidhu, Philippe Boisvert and Geoff O'Toole, for having the balls to skip nationals and try their luck at sea! History for the club is being written.

Second, I have to thank Canadian cycling legend, Eon D'Ornellas. Eon's generousity and passionate support of the project provided the jumpstart we needed to get to launch this journey. Eon came up to join in on Gord Fraser's retirement Biker Banquet and helped celebrate the end of one era and help us fire up the next.

Thanks too goes out to both the Wheelers and all who stand behind and beside and of course the alumni of the Ottawa cycling community who have chipped in and made this adventure possible. The hockey boys, the Cousineau's, Vince and the Cyclery and of course my family.

Ready , Set, Go.....

-jl

2007-07-04T13:39:00.000-04:00

Advice from the boys for the boys.
Craig Burge has 10 rules for the guys in no particular order:
1. Have Fun
2. Don't Quit
3. Eat & Drink
4. Corner Inside
5. Be Prepared
6. Stay Together / Communicate
7. Spin
8. Stay at the Front
9. Bridge with Authority
10. Sprint Past the Line

Peter Metuzals says,
1. "Some people want it to happen, some people wish it to happen, other people make it happen."

2. Some succeed because they are destined to, some succeed because they are determined to.

Race Schedule

2007-07-02T21:49:00.000-04:00

Stage 5 is the crunch day to the big mountains.

STAGE	DAY	DATE	DISTANCE
1	Saturday	07/07/2007	123.8 km
2A	Sunday	07/08/2007	92.5 km
2B	Sunday	07/08/2007	7.5 km
3	Monday	07/09/2007	105.8 km
4	Tuesday	07/10/2007	104 km
5	Wednesday	07/11/2007	122 km
6	Thursday	07/12/2007	110.5 km
7	Friday	07/13/2007	106 km
8A	Saturday	07/14/2007	99.3 km
8B	Saturday	07/14/2007	15.5 km
9	Sunday	07/15/2007	116.5 km

Being cool - if we can.

2007-07-02T17:42:00.000-04:00

Chris Dodson, long time cycling afficienado and all round good guy, has stepped up and provided the Echelon Project's Espoir Team with Brynje meshed under shirts. Chris is the distributor for this line and came forward with his support before we had to even ask. thanks Chris.

Cyclists put their money where their hearts are.

2007-07-02T17:23:00.000-04:00

Peter Metuzals, president of the West Quebec Wheelers, proves that the area cyclists want in on the action and will lay out the money to prove it.
Members of the WQW and the infamous all-cyclist Friday morning hockey gang rallied to Peter's call for support.

A cheques for 1850$ was handed off to John to help with the trip. The sign of support is fantastic and the money will add greatly.

"Right away this helps us stay at the airport hotel during our travel to and from the race rather than taxiing out to an affordable spot. This alone will make a direct impact on the stress of the travel."

Support from the community

2007-07-02T17:15:00.000-04:00

Vince Caceres, of The Cyclery has come forward with his support of the project. Vince is providing spare parts and equipment the team may need over the period of a 9-day stage race. This help is much appreciated and right in character for Vince and the Cyclery.

Advice from the master

2007-07-02T17:01:00.000-04:00

The team was treated to a few hours with professional team mechanic, Geoff Brown. Geoff is currently back in Canada with the Symetrics Pro Team after having spent the last 14 Canada Days preparing for the Tour de France.

Geoff has joined the Echelon Project as a special advisor and shared his fortune of stage race experience with the team .

Geoff's first race as a team mechanic was with the Canadian National Team at this very Tour of Martinique. So he knows first hand the great event they are heading for. He had lots of advice and encouragement for the riders and support staff. We are another step ahead.

All set to go

2007-06-23T19:35:00.000-04:00

Today I recieved an email confirming that all systems are go and someone will be at the airport to meet us.
We are set to fly from Ottawa - Chicago - overnighting in San Juan Puerto Rico before leaving for Fort de France, Martinique.

We leave the 5th, arrive the 6th and the race kicks of with stage 1 on the afternoon of the 7th.

From then on our Amazing Race continues a full 8 days finishing on the 15th.
Mountains, heat, and the challenge of crossing the finish line finish each day.

Huge steps forward in the cycling careers of all involved in the team this year.

The project is underway.

Echelon Project's Martinique 2007 blog

2007-06-22T12:59:00.000-04:00

The journey starts with some good planning and preparation.