Events | Past Events

St-Laurent steals show at Cox Charities Cycling Classic, 2002 - Ziewacz settles for second after powering winning break.
By Peter Pezzelli

(KINGSTON) The small print on the race flyer for the inaugural Cox Charities Cycling Classic on Saturday, September 7 contained a caveat about the threat of severe weather.

Late summer race. Height of the hurricane season. Race venue three miles as the crow flies from Rhode Island’s southern shores. The possibility of a storm blowing in off the Atlantic to ruin the charity event put on by Pave` Productions was something to consider.

Come race day, however, no tropical storms loomed on the horizon. Instead, despite hot and breezy conditions, a surprising cold front in the form of amateur Martin St-Laurent (Quebec Cycling Team/Trek/Volkswagen) blew in from Canada to put the chill on a solid pro field that included the likes of Marty Nothstein , Frank and Mark McCormack, and 2002 US Pro Crit Champion Kevin Monahan..

Riding shotgun on breakaway companion Doug Ziewacz’s (7-UP/NutriFig)wheel for the better part of 25 laps, St-Laurent sprinted away in the finishing straight to take the surprising win.

“I attacked and he (Ziewacz) followed,” said St-Laurent of the early, but decisive move that led to the victory.

With three former Olympians, a Russian national champion, and the reigning U.S. Pro Crit champion on the starting line, no one expected the race to play out this way.

The action started immediately with a flurry of ferocious attacks on the opening laps that splintered the peloton. A select group of riders quickly established itself with a solid gap on the rest of the field. Among the lead group were Nothstein and Navigators teammates Tom Leaper and Ciarian Power, the McCormack brothers, a renascent Amos Brumble, Joseph Papp, Kevin Monahan, Ziewacz, and St-Laurent.

When St-Laurent and Ziewacz went clear six laps into the race, Nothstein and the Navigators reacted immediately. They surged to the front, looking to organize a posse. They found few takers however to help with the cause. The surprisingly technical 1.4 mile course through the University of Rhode Island campus featured a quad-stinging climb that had already dampened any enthusiasm for a concerted effort. With no one willing to take command, the chasers settled back, content it seemed to watch and wait for the steam to run out of the break.

It didn’t happen.

St-Laurent could well take credit for initiating the winning move, but it was clearly Ziewacz who powered the long break. As the pair emerged onto the finishing straight of each successive lap, it was inevitably with the 7-UP/NutraFig rider leading the way. While the chase group rode tempo, Dougie Z put the hammer down and the gap steadily widened. Ziewacz kept things at full throttle until the breakaway pair managed to overtake the main field with eight laps to go.

By then the dispirited chase group had already given up the ghost and it was clear to all that they were now racing for third place. Meantime race announcers Richard Fries and Dick Ring were scratching their heads as they tried to sort out for the spectators who was where on the course.

Reintegrated into the protection of the pack, Ziewacz and St-Laurent could ease up to take a breather. A tactical game of cat and mouse ensued as the two leaders marked one another during the race’s final laps.

But the long effort to stay away in the break had taken its toll on Ziewacz. When the bell rang for the final lap, he had little left in the tank for the sprint. With two teammates in the lapped pack to lead him out, St-Laurent cruised across the finish line five seconds ahead of Ziewacz. A minute and fifteen seconds later, Saturn’s Mark McCormack came across to take third.

St-Laurent was rightfully exultant with the victory. It followed on the heels of a strong performance at the Green Mountain Stage Race. The twenty-two year old has a bright future ahead of him.

For Ziewacz, the second place prize was a bittersweet reward for the day’s arduous efforts.

“I should have saved some matches for the end,” he sighed after the finale. “But hey, that’s racing.”

In the day’s earlier races: Jorge Bolero of Kingston, RI won the Category 5 race. Alan Antonelli of Cranston took the Category 4 race. Phillipe Lepeurien of Aramon, NY sprinted to victory in the Category 3 race. Randy Rusk of Exeter, RI rode a solo break to take the Masters 35+ race. Mark Luzio of Brooklyn, CT captured first places in the Masters 45+.

Proceeds from the race will benefit Cox Charities. Cox Charities is a charitable giving initiative created by Cox Communications in conjunction with the United Way to support local children’s causes.

Race Results (PDF)