Small wins Chrono de Gatineau

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Carmen Small (Twenty16 p/b Sho-Air) has a perfect record at the Chrono Gatineau UCI time trial - two visits and two wins, with her victory on Saturday at the 2015 edition. Karol-Ann Canuel (Velocio SRAM) took second, just ahead of her team mate Tayler Wiles.

The 11.5 kilometre circuit is full of twists and turns, short climabs and descents, making it diffcult to establish any sort of rhythm.

Brianna Walle (Optum) set the first fast time, at 16 minutes flat, but that was immediately eclipsed by Ukrainian national team rider Ganna Solovei at 15:48, which would be good enough for fourth after the last of 60 starters completed the course.

Former world champion Amber Neben (Visit Dallas Cycling) finished five seconds back of Solovei, so it was clear that the course did not necessarily favour time trial specialists. In fact, it wasn't until 15 riders after Solovei that she was finally bumped out of the lead by Canuel, at 15:44.

Tara Whitten (Opus-The Cyclery), in the midst of her comeback, could only manage 15:59, good enough for eighth, but Small, the Pan American champion and former Gatineau winner at her only other previous participation in 2013, came flying across the line shortly afterwards, a full eight seconds faster than Canuel.

Wiles came in a bare 19-hundredths of a second behind team mate Canuel, but that was as close as anyone would get, with Lauren Stephens (TIBCO-SVB) slotting in at fifth and the final starter, Canadian champion Leah Kirchmann (Optum), a distant 13th.

"I didn't come last year, but I was happy to come back this year and get another win," said Small. "I had a good Nationals a couple of weeks ago, so I know my form is coming up and getting better."

"I wasn't really surprised to do so well, because I know I can time trial, but we raced really hard yesterday, so I'm pleased to do so well," said Canuel. "It was a pretty short time trial, and I'm usually better when it's longer."

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