Place 11 - Guillaume Boivin

Guillaume Boivin

Canada

25.09.1989

 

Specialty: Sprinter

Major Success: Canadian Elite Champion 2009

Team: SpiderTech presented by Planet Energy

Stagiaire: -

Team 2011: still open

Best Mock List ranking: new

 

Canada is a growing cycling power. Meier was tenth in the Giro del Veneto and seventh at the Tour of Britain. Rollin brought in a fifth place in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and was second at the Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne. Tuft was second in the Tour of Denmark, fifth at the ENECO Tour and is one of the top ten candidates at the Worlds time trial. But the biggest is Ryder Hesjedal. He rode a great Tour, finishing seventh, and was also sixth in San Sebastian and third and fourth at the ProTour races in Canada, which were run this year for the first time.

 

Guillaume Boivin would like to join this list. The Canadian, born on September 25, 1989, currently rides for the Canadian Continental Team SpiderTech. Like every good Canadian, Guillaume has an ice hockey background. He played the national sport until the age of 16, when he changed to cycling, where the adrenalin level is higher. He rode for the Predictor-Lotto junior team for three years and for the U23 team of VC Ardenne. Among other races, he rode the Paris-Roubaix for juniors and gathered important experience in Europe, as he says himself.

 

2009 was his first U23 year. His first race was the Vuelta Independencia Nacional (2.2) in the Domenican Republic, where he rode for a Quebec team and brought in fourth, eighth and tenth place stage finishes. In March he came back again to Europe. He took part in several Belgian races with the VC Ardennes, and with a certain amount of success. At the GP Wilfried Peeters (NP) he was second, his best result in Europe to date. He returned to Canada the middle of May and started racing for the Equipe Volkswagen Specalized. He had his first seaon victory in his second race for the team, at the GP de Charlevoix (NE) winning the sprint of the second stage. In June he made his debut for the national team, finishing fifth in the first stage of the Coupe des Nations Ville Saguenay (2.NC). He finished in the same place in the 4b stage, winning the sprint of the peloton 28 seconds behind the winner. The end of June saw the Canadian championships. Who won after 180 kilometers and a long escape? Right. Youngster Guillaume Boivin beat the whole national elite and became Canadian champion.

 

Pride in wearing the national jersey made everything easier. On August 11 he won the Mardis de Lachine (NE) race in Canada, and two days later he celebrated victory in the GP Beveraly (NE) in the US. In the land of unlimited possibilities, the Tour of Missouri took place. For the first time he could measure himself again some of the biggest sprinters, as, among others, Cavendish, Hushovd and JJ Haedo were at the start. He rode as a stagiaire for Team Planet Energy, the forerunner of his current team. He finished ninth in the sprint of the second stage. The last stage was won by his teammate Gilbert, while Boivin was 15th. His last, and longest, race of the season was in Mexico. At the Vuelta a Chihuahua (2.1), he sprinted to a fourth place in the fourth stage, ahead of van Stayen.

 

The team changed its name in 2010, to SpiderTech presented by Planet Energy. Not much changed for Boivin. He continued to sprint, but now he was captain. And he was pretty successful. The first race was a criterium in Los Angeles. First race, first win. In February, the Vuelta a Cuba (2.2) was on his program. The race was very successful for the team, with SpiderTech taking five stage wins. Our Canadian won the 11th stage, outsprinting his teammate Gilbert. He finished up with stage finishes two, four and five. At the Vuelta al Uruguay (2.2) he had a fourth and a third place, and a fourth place also in the opening stage of the Tour of Mexico (2.2). The top European pros came to the USA to ride the Tour of California (2.HC), and he brought in a seventh and a tenth place. The Europeans came back in June for the International Championship (1.HC) in Philadelphia, where he finished sixth after 250 km.

 

The national championship didn't repeat itself and he was unable to defend his title. AT the Tour of Quebec he came back, though. After finishing fourth on the second stage, with teammats Langlois and David Boily taking the first two spots, he won the third stage. In August he traveled with the team to Europe. He took the ninth place in the second stage of Paris-Correze (2.1) in the sprint.

 

The following weekend was the Sparkassen Giro (1.1) in Bochum. A large group, including Andre Greipel, Niki Terpstra and Guillaume Boivin got away early. The Dutch champion was the cleverest, getting away at the end and winning by ten seconds. There were still seven riders in the group, including Boivin, but without Reschke. An illustrious group of Greipel, Caethoven, Baumann, Hacecky, Hesselbarth and Boivin sprinted for second place, and Boivin was able to sensationally outsprint the others. Second place for him and ahead of Andre Greipel, something which not many riders have achieved this season.

 

With this return of self-confidence he went back to France. At the Mi-Aout Bretonne (2.2) race, he had two stage wins plus one day in the leader's jersey. The race ended with a seventh place for him. The GP des Marbriers (2.1) was won by his teammate Lacombe, with Boivin eleventh. On August 25 there was a reunion with companions from his time in Belgium. At the Druivenkoers in Overijse (1.1) he finished 17th, and was 19th four days later at the Schaals Sels in Merksem (1.1), where he rode for his teammate Lacombe.

 

Boivin is a pure sprinter. Explosive and with the right sense, as he impressively demonstrated in Bochum. He showed at the GP Quebec and the GP de Montreal (both ProTour) that he is unable to come over climbx. He started both races in the jersey of the national team. In Quebec he was 69th and in Montreal he abandoned after only a few laps. The same thing could happen to him in Melbourne at the Worlds. But if it should come to a sprint in the U23 race, then he could most likely be a factor. He is certainly expected to play a major role in the sprints next season. He is another big talent from Canada who can surely follow in the footsteps of Meier, Rollin, Tuft and Hesjedal.

 

nominated by Offi, virtualprofit, wagenge, ocana & ogkempf, written by Offi, translated by tick