FIC Roller Goëlo Nature                                         23-05-2004

Wouter Hebbrecht (Rollerblade World) takes the victory!
  
     

Wouter Hebbrecht (Rollerblade World) captured the victory in the second stage of the French Inline Cup 2004 in Plouha (the 20th of May). He escaped in the fourth of the fifteen laps with six other skaters including his team mate Fabien Rabeau. The Belgium member of the Rollerblade team managed to conclude successfully the 46km race in an up hill sprint with Mikaël Lannezval (Hyper World) and Pascal Briand (SAAB Salomon World). Shane Dobbin (Rollerblade World), who was staying in the pack, took the first rank of its, ending at the eighth place.

The Roller Goëlo Nature was the second stage of the French Inline Cup Class 1 after Lille last week. Under sunny skies and on a circuit in the nature, near the sea, on the Northern coast of Brittany, about 120 Elite and National skaters took the start. The competition was fifteen laps (about 46km): last year, it ended in a massive sprint just as if it was a track race… But Wouter Hebbrecht made the sprint on lap before the end because the bell rang too early!

This time, the first attacks came from the Rollerblade France team in the third lap. After two shots, a solid group broke away. World class skaters such as Tristan Loy (VW Sport-XX), Mikaël Lannezval (Hyper World), Pascal Briand (SAAB Salomon World) or David Guibert (Doby), but also national SAAB Salomon team member Benjamin Douchin were in. Wouter Hebbrecht and Fabien Rabeau were representing the Rollerblade World team.

The pace did not react, because every major team has an athlete ahead. Expected Rollerblade France and that’s why Jérôme Estrada maintained a minimal cadence during three laps in order to maintain the flyers visible. Anyway, the leading group worked together, but Briand stayed in the last position. Fabien was running the escapee faster to protect Wouter and the gap approached the minute. At mid-race, Franck Cardin (SAAB Salomon World) and his team mates Thomas Boucher and Anderson Ariza decided to impulse a higher tempo on the pack, feeling their leader was not in a good mood. But it failed. Ariza even felt hard and we wish him all the best…

The seven skaters approached the last laps with a comfortable advance. Briand tried to move just before the bell, but was seriously watched. He once again accelerated 150 metres before the arrival, at the bottom of the last up hill, but he was quickly passed by Wouter: “I saw him accelerate and I unclenched my sprint there: Lannezval and Guibert were in my wheels and passed him too!” Fabien took the fifth rank.

The peloton arrived one minute later: once again, the teams of Rollerblade (World and France) managed to place their skaters in a good position for the sprint. Shane Dobbin passed the line for the eighth place, followed by Pierre Garand and Alexis Contin. Now the athletes will take a little rest to be ready for the next rendezvous, which is the World Inline Cup Top Class of Rennes sur Roulettes…
n's ranking:

1 – Wouter Hebbrecht, 46km in 1h09’27
2 – Mikaël Lannezval
3 – David Guibert
4 – Pascal Briand,
5 – Fabien Rabeau,
6 – Benjamin Douchin,
7 – Tristan Loy,
8 – Shane Dobbin,
9 – Pierre Garand,
10 – Alexis Contin.                                                                                                     Vincent Esnault