2007 Tour du Grand Montreal
June 4-7, 2007
Montreal, Canada
Race Report by Kirsten Robbins

The Colavita/Sutter Home Women’s Cycling Team presented by Cooking Light placed fourth overall in the team competition, ranked closely with the top UCI teams in the world who came to race the 2007 Tour du Grand Montreal. The team placed five riders in the top 30 while Alison Powers maintained her seventh place in the overall classification after the completion of the five-stage tour.
 
Stage One (June 4, 2007): Chateauguay hosted a 107-kilometer circuit race to kick off the Tour that took the women through eight laps of a technical circuit. Colavita/Sutter Home’s Stacy Spencer, Alex Wrubleski, Dotsie Bausch, Alison Powers, Iona Wynter-Parks kept their star sprinter Tina Pic in good position through the 27-corner circuit. The women averaged over 40KM/hour under wet conditions making for a dangerous finale. Tina placed sixth in the sprint.
 
Stage Two (June 5, 2007): Granby’s 104-kilometer circuit race finished in another bunch sprint under treacherous rain storms and cold temperatures. The Colavita/Sutter Home team fought the weather and the world-class field through the 11-lap circuit where Alex Wrubleski placed 17th in the field sprint. The team is ranked second in the overall team competition closely behind the German-based teams T-mobile and Equipe Nurnberger.
 
Stage Three (June 6, 2007): Lachine’s famous 3.5-kilometer time trial was the first of two stages. Colavita/Sutter Home proved their time trial prowess but this time without the aid of their aero Blue Competition Cycles T-14 time trial bikes after UCI officials granted the Tour a ruling against the use of time trial equipment due to logistical and safety issues. The team pushed the pedals on their extra-light Blue Competition Cycles RC-7 road bike and placed three riders in the top twenty. Dotsie Bausch placed second on the podium, between Judith Arndt (T-Mobile) and Trixi Worrack (Equipe Nurnberger). Alison Powers and Iona Wynter-Parks followed in ninth and 15th, respectively.  The Colavita/Sutter Home women maintained second place in the overall team competition.
 
Stage Four (June 6, 2007): Petite-Italie hosted their annual 50-kilometer criterium. The 50-lap event is considered one of the fastest criteriums in North America, with speeds averaging over 42KM/hour.  The field remained intact for another field sprint but was marred by a crash with three laps to go. With no remaining free laps available, the team fought their way back up to the front where Tina Pic placed tenth across the line.
 
Stage Five (June 7, 2007): Mont St Hilaire hosted a 115-kilometer stage that marked the final race of the Tour de Grand Montreal. The women competed on a five-lap circuit that contained the climb up the side of Mont St Hilaire. There was an expected field sprint where Alex Wrubleski placed 13th and Alison Powers 17th. The Colavita/Sutter Home Women’s Cycling Team presented by Cooking Light placed five riders in the top 30 to take fourth place in the overall team competition. In the final rankings, Alison Powers finished seventh, Alex Wrubleski 11th, Iona Wynter-Parks 20th, Tina Pic 24th, and Dotsie Bausch 28th.