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Andrew L’Esperance lands podium finish at Salamina Epic stage race

Four Canadians put down strong results at early-season mountain series in Greece

Andrew L'Esperance
February 20, 2020
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Andrew L’Esperance is off to a smoking fast start to his early-season racing. The Canadian finished third overall in the Salamina Epic #3 on Thursday in Greece.

L’Esperance is in Greece with Norco Factory Team riders Quinton Disera and the team’s new recruits Jenn Jackson and Carter Woods. Racing started last week with the first two rounds of the Salamina Epic Cup series, a single day C1 event and the first four-day stage race. After two days rest, the team was back at it for a second four-day stage race.

RELATED: Norco Factory Team adds young Canadian talent

It’s not the first year Andrew L’Esperance has raced that Salamina Epic series. He joined teammates Haley Smith and Peter Disera in Greece last year. L’Espy used that experience to improve his results steadily over the seven days of racing in Salamina this year.

On the final day of racing, L’Esperance was third in the XC Pursuit race. Combined with his result in the XCM the day prior, it put the Canadian third overall.

Jenn Jackson raced consistently through all three Salamina Epic races. After finishing eighth and seventh at the first two rounds, the Ontario-based racer was again seventh in Epic #3. Along the way, Jackson notched a third place on the opening day’s XCC and a fourth on the final day of racing.

Salamina Epic #3 was won by Caroline Bohé, the rising star of Danish cross country. The U.S.’s Erin Huck was on the podium in third. Huck was joined by fellow American, and former Olympian Lea Davison, who finished sixth, one spot ahead of Jackson.

RELATED: New Norco Factory Team riders debut at Salamina Epic Cup

19-year-old Carter Woods led the Canadian men early on in Salamina Epic #3. Woods was fifth in the opening stage, a seaside XCC. L’Esperance finished sixth behind him, with Quinton Disera eighth.

Quinton Disera would end up riding consistently for a 10th place. It’s a strong start to the season for the Canadian under-23 XCO national champion.

Carter Woods finished the Salamina Epic #3 in 17th place, the same position he finished #2 in. With the Greek series being the young riders first elite races, and first-ever mountain-bike stage race appearances, it is a strong debut with Norco Factory Team for the Vancouver Island rider.

Video from Wednesday’s Stage 3 XCM

2020 Salamina Epic #3: Women’s GC Results

1 BOHÉ Caroline
DEN
 06:27:13
2 MEDVEDEVA Vera
RUS
 06:28:54
3 HUCK Erin
USA
 06:30:34
4 ILINA Kristina
RUS
 06:35:16
5 GORYCKA Paula
POL
 06:37:10
6 DAVISON Lea
USA
 06:37:42
7 JACKSON Jennifer
CAN
 06:39:36
8 OSL Elisabeth
AUT
 06:51:07
9 PEDERSEN Sofie Heby
DEN
 06:52:55
10 KOVALCHUK Ekaterina
RUS
 07:00:18
11 GUSTAFZZON Linn
SWE
 07:03:52
12 KIRSANOVA Viktoria
RUS
 07:08:09
13 MIROLYUBOVA Anna
RUS
 07:14:06
14 MATSUMOTO Rina
JPN
 07:16:23
15 MONTEIRO Joana
POR
 07:23:00

2020 Salamina Epic #3: Men’s GC Results

1 IVANOV Timofei
RUS
 05:29:25
2 WAWAK Bartlomiej
POL
 05:32:35
3 L’ESPERANCE Andrew
CAN
 05:33:12
4 PETTINA’ Nicholas
ITA
 05:33:33
5 TOCCOLI Zaccaria
ITA
 05:37:05
6 HEUER Markus Kaad
DEN
 05:37:22
7 SPESCHA Ursin
SUI
 05:37:22
8 SONNTAG Benjamin
GER
 05:38:06
9 YAMAMOTO Kohei
JPN
 05:38:28
10 DISERA Quinton
CAN
 05:41:28
11 ANDERSEN Alexander Young
DEN
 05:42:43
12 COSTA Mário
POR
 05:43:23
13 MILLENNIUM Ian
DEN
 05:45:13
14 TITARENKO Dmytro
UKR
 05:45:28
15 PHILIPSEN Victor
DEN
 05:46:31
16 SCHÄTTI Luca
SUI
 05:49:55
17 WOODS, Carter
CAN
 05:54:43
18 SOMMER Jan
SUI
 05:58:35
19 ERIKSSON André
SWE
 06:00:05
20 OMARSSON Ingvar
ISL
 06:01:08