Update on Canadians From Paris-Nice

Paris-Nice ended on Sunday with Alberto Contador of Astana winning this stage race for the second consecutive time. Three Canadians started this race on March 7 – Svein Tuft and Christian Meier both racing for Garmin-Transitions and Dominique Rollin racing for Cervelo Test Team.

Unfortunately, for Meier, who was involved in a high-speed crash on the second-last stage on Saturday March 13, he wasn’t able to finish the stage race. About this, he wrote on his web site Biking Bros, “For me the race was progressing nicely and my form was getting better as the race was moving forward until it all came crashing to a halt, literally, on stage 6 when I went down hard. I remember a row of metal poles on the right with the pack riding closely, then for some reason or another some riders from Francaise Des Jeux decided to stop in the little space available between the pack and poles. Rolling at 60kph I had two options, metal poles or other riders and I tried to avoid both and ended up hitting the FDJ guy’s bike. I went one way my bike another. Looks like my bike chose the metal pole direction, and I just laid for awhile as my head rung a bit. First thing is always the mental checklist, “does anything hurt really bad right now?”. Slowly moving all limbs without much pain was a real sense relief, and they got me up and and got Tom P’s spare bike set up for me as my spare bike was on the first team car. From there I got rolling again as car two shot ahead to get my own spare bike and I waited for the last groupetto and rode it in. When I arrived at the hotel I had some huge swelling on my lower right back and on my left leg, some whiplash (helmet was smashed, so wear your helmet kids), and luckily only a few minor road rashes.”

Even with this, Meier was able to start the final stage on Sunday, but as he told us, “The last stage went as good as I could have expected after my crash the day before, but you always hope to get through. Unfortunately the last stage around Nice is not one you can just get through, with a tight battle for the overall general classification and a short, hard stage, it was on from the gun. I raced the first 45 kilometers before our director suggested I turn around and ride back to the start/finish.”

On the final day, Rollin finished in 90th position and in 91st in the final general classification. Tuft did not finish the final stage on Sunday.

About the stage race in general, Meier, says “The race overall was great, looking back I enjoyed the race and hope to race it again in the future. Physically they say it is the hardest race on the calendar, with average power outputs in road stages that I have only ever seen in hard criteriums. Next I am looking to recover from the race and crash this week before racing the Volta a Catalunya next week.”