M O N T R E A L - Q U E B E C - C A N A D A

28.6.07

Le style européen


Toccata 2001
Premier modèle de route, haut de gamme, dessiné pour la marque



Staccato 2007
Dernier modèle de route, haut de gamme, dessiné pour la marque



On nous dit souvent que le style d'Opus a une saveur européenne (normal, je suis né en Suisse!). Mais il est clair que la volonté d'avoir un style solide et durable est un objectif pour l'équipe de développement Opus.
À l'instar des grandes marques européennes de voiture, comme Porsche, Audi, BWM, Opus veut donner l'image de fiabilité et du soucis de conception.

Ce que j'aime avant tout de la philosophie de ces marques de voitures est que, quelle que soit le modèle, on peut toujours reconnaître la marque, même sans écusson ou autre logos. On ne peut pas dire la même chose de bien d'autres marques de voitures ou de moto.
Cette identification visuelle est une preuve de force de concept.
La Porsche 911 a toujours maintenu ses lignes directrices, s'adaptant aux modes et aux époques, mais jamais en ne perdant son caractère premier.
La calandre d'une BWM, qu'elle soit de 1920 ou d'aujourd'hui est basée sur le même principe formel.

C'est pour cela que nous avons, depuis le début, opté pour une évolution graphique très progressive. De plus, dans le milieu du cyclisme, les modèles deviennent si vite obsolètes (ce qui, à mon sens, est très discutable. Un vélo neuf d'une année précédente, à moins d'un changement radical du groupo, fonctionne aussi bien que son successeur de l'année).
.

Photos de la coupe du monde de Mont Ste-Anne, Qc

Photos de l'équipe Opus à la coupe du monde du Mont Ste-Anne
photos : Carole Bellemare


Jonathan Boucher

Jonathan Boulanger

Caroline Villeneuve

Steve Caillé

Leni Trudel

Caroline Villeneuve


27.6.07

MTB World Cup XC #4

CDM, Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec, Canada
June 22-24, 2007 Race 2 - June 23
Elite Women Cross Country



Chaos as riders try to right themselves after crashing
Photo ©: Ralf Schuable / PhotoSport International


Kiara Bisaro crashed during the race.
Photo ©: Frank Bodenmuller / PhotoSport International www.mtbsector.com

Championnats Nationaux 2007



Composition de l’équipe du Québec de vélo de montagne

p
our les Championnats Nationaux 2007

Suite au processus de sélection de l’équipe du Québec de vélo de montagne, voici les athlètes qui ont été sélectionnés pour se rendre aux Championnats Canadiens. Ces Championnats auront lieu les 20 et 21 juillet prochains au Mont Washington, en Colombie-Britannique.

Senior Élite Masculin
Raphael Gagné Québec Rocky Mountain Haywood
Frederic Bussières Québec Xprezo/Solid Edge
Jonathan Boulanger Trois-Rivières Opus/OGC
Bruno Lafontaine Québec Specialized
Georges-Édouard Duquette Bromont Équipe Québec/Kona
Leni Gélinas Trudel Montauban Opus/OGC

Senior Élite Féminin
Caroline Villeneuve Québec Opus/OGC
Kathleen Villeneuve St-Adèle La Cordée Plein Air
Julie Sanders Québec Marin Bikes
Marie-Claude Surprenant Sutton Sportif Bromont

Junior Expert Homme
Francis Morin Valcourt Devinci
Jonathan Boucher Québec Opus/OGC Steve Caillé St-Bruno Opus/OGC

Junior Expert Femme
Andréanne Pichette Québec Opus/OGC
Stéphanie Lacoursière Alma Cyclone d’Alma
Sophie Harvey Québec Sports Alpins/TVA/MSA

26.6.07

World Cup MTB racing Mont-Ste-Anne


Kiara Bisaro - photo : Sylvain Badia

What a weekend! Mont Ste Anne was again host to the mountain biking World Cup this past weekend. Starting on Friday the provincial series was held where our provincial team participated and actually dominated in all the major categories.
Andréanne Pichette
, our Junior girl who is current Canada Cup leader, won again Friday morning. Her race was followed by the Junior men which had a large field and Jonathan Boucher had a outstanding race finishing second.
The main race of the provincial cup, Elite men had both of our guys fighting for position throughout the race. When all was said and done, our Opus boys Jonathan Boulanger and Leni Trudel came through with 2nd & 5th place, giving Opus 4 podiums to start the weekend.

Saturday was world cup race day for the worlds best cross country racers and our Opus athlete Kiara Bisaro was sitting high up in the rankings,
ranked tenth in the world before the start of this weekends race. Ten does not seem to be her lucky number. Ten seconds into her race someone in front of her crashed taking her down as the remaining 70 racers tried to sprint by and even over her. As the 70 best riders in the world charged off and the dust settled, our Kiara was still on the ground and just starting to pick up the pieces.
Regardless of the pain she was in, she was able to get her bike working and took off in chase of the pack which by now were a couple minutes up the road. Kiara not only completed her race with a bike that would not change gears properly due the crash but she caught and was able to pass almost half of the racers before the end.
After the race we took inventory of her crash and her helmet was broken in 3 places, stitches were needed for her knee & elbow and she has tire and chainring marks on her back! Quite the trooper to tackle a 2 hour races with all of this.

Beside who will find a picture of her relaxing in our official Opus lawn chair. BTW several hundred children and parents alike stopped at the Opus booth to have their picture taken in our chair.

25.6.07

Racing, Trash Talking & Bonding All Go Hand in Hand



Racing, Trash Talking & Bonding All Go Hand in Hand

original post from Kryptonite's blog

We have a lot of great distributors worldwide, but none longer than Outdoor Gear Canada. They are our 'neighbors to the north' and just true friends and partners. When we started the Unbreakable Bonds series, it was only natural that we ask them to participate. Rob White jumped at the opportunity, but he wanted to wait a few weeks until one special event that bonds him to cycling each summer. His story, in his own words is below....

My name is Rob White,
I am the VP of Sales for
Outdoor Gear Canada (OGC) and Opus. We have been distributing Kryptonite products in Canada for the past 30 years. Although I have many unbreakable bonds with cycling the one that stands out for me is the unbreakable bond I have with the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice. First off, I do not consider myself a bike racer, but I have been in my share of races over the last 3 decades. Most of my riding is done solo. Usually first thing in the morning on the quiet country roads that surround my home. During the summer months there are dozens of worthy races to take part in, but far and away my favorite is the 24 hours of Summer Solstice in Albion Hills (one hour north of Toronto). This is the largest 24 Hour Race in North America with more than 2000 racers participating. Since the inception of this race OGC has been a keen sponsor as well as competing as a corporate team. Although we are always looking for a top 10 finish, the real race is between the members of our own team. Who will be hot, who will be not and who will go home with bragging rights for the next 12 months? This past weekend (June 23 & 24) marked the 10th anniversary of this legendary race. Not only have we competed in this race for the past 10 years but our team has more or less stayed the same. The team members are a mix of OGC sales reps, family members and friends. Although we are very supportive of each other's efforts there is always a fair amount of trash talking that goes on prior to the race (I must admit to being a bit of a ring leader in this department).

Although I like to compete with everyone on our team there is always a couple of team members who I like to focus my attention on. This usually begins in the fall with me serving them notice on my plans to destroy them at next years event. This sort of trash talk never goes unanswered and it isn't long before the game of cat and mouse begins.

There are several different approaches to this game. Some like to keep their cards close to their chests and simply let their riding do the talking. Others prefer to try to psyche out there competition, this includes commentary on training tactics, talking up big rides, weight loss and anything else you can think of that might get under your victim's skin (the psyche out is one of my specialties).


The side effect of all of this posturing is the simple fact that if you are going to "talk the talk" you are going to have to "walk the walk". This means logging lots of miles and doing everything you can to stay in shape. I find this very motivating and try to use it to my advantage.


When the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice finally arrives the trash talking stops and it is time to show the team what you've got. The 24 hour race is a relay race, so everyone has to wait their turn. If you happen to be the 7th or 8th rider you have to wait most of the day before your turn comes up. For me this is the most difficult part of the race. As the hours go by the lap times start to come in and you begin to see what you are up against. Before long my turn comes up and I am off to the transition zone to wait for our next team mate to come in from their lap. Then I hear our team number and then my name and I know it is now my turn to take the baton.


Forget about taking it easy on the corse, it's time to drop the hammer and give it everything you've got. It's time to check into the house of pain. As the minutes tick by your legs and your lungs burn like never before, but there is no time to ease up on the pedals. Instead you have to put your head down and push on. By the time you hit the 5 KM to go mark you are almost delirious but there is no time to slow down, instead you have to reach deep down inside and give it everything you've got. Towards the end of the lap your legs are screaming and you feel like you are about to blow, but you have to keep pushing until the end. Finally the finish line is in sight and you know the madness is about to end. As you cross the line your next team mate takes the baton and heads off on another lap.


Although you can barely stay on your feet, there is still no time to rest. You have to boogie over to the timing tent to check your time. That is when the truth is told, How have you done compared to your other team mates as well as your own past efforts? Then it's back to the camp site to share your lap time with the group and to start preparing for your next lap.
In the end you would think that the most important part of all of this is who had the fast lap times and who did not, but that is not the case. The best part of this race is simply getting together with good friend for a fun filled weekend of riding. The "unofficial inter-team competition has had one great side effect. We are all in better shape today than we were 10 years ago when this race started!

Thanks Kryptonite for letting me share my unbreakable bond story, but I better get off my key board and head out for a ride, next years 24 Hours of Summer Solstice is only 361 days away.


Cheers,

Rob White

23.6.07

Dé́fi Gaston Langlois, Ste-Marthe

Maître B - CLM individuel de 40km

1. 893 PROVOST Eric Opus/OGC 55:40.88 ***1 (4)
2. 802 ADAMS Sylvan Calyon/Martin Swiss 55:56.43 +15.552 (7)
3. 801 LE BEAU Stéphane Opus/OGC 57:18.71 +1:37.833 (11)
4. 886 PELLETIER Richard Opus/OGC 57:23.83 +1:42.954 (12)

22.6.07

Pourquoi un pédalier « compact » ?



Rouler « Compact »


Avant l'apparition du pédalier compact, l'ajout d'un plus gros pignon sur la roue arrière assurait le maintien d'une bonne fréquence de pédalage dans les côtes.
Le plus gros pignon sur la roue libre augmentait l'écart entre les vitesses et limitait le choix des braquets.

Le nouveau pédalier compact est assemblé avec un gros et un petit plateau de 50-34 dents comparativement aux 53-39 dents des vélos de route conventionnels et 54-42 dents pour les vélos de contre-la-montre.

Ce type de pédalier offre plusieurs avantages comparativement au modèle classique :

  • Une fréquence de pédalage plus élevée peut être maintenue dans les ascensions difficiles, grâce aux plus petits braquets.
  • Les braquets plus serrés entre chaque changement de vitesse assurent une bonne fréquence de pédalage provoqué par des variations du vent ou des faux-plats.
  • La combinaison du pédalier compact et des pignons appropriés diminue le poids de rotation.
  • Un vélo muni d'un pédalier compact 50-34 et des pignons 11-23 dents aura l'avantage d'une étendue de braquets légèrement supérieure à un vélo muni d'un pédalier standard de 53-39 dents et des pignons 12-25 dents en plus d'une répartition plus serrée des braquets entre les changements de vitesses. (Tableau)
  • Nous croyons que le pédalier compact offre des avantages indéniables pour les cyclistes de tous âges et catégories, amateurs autant que professionnels.
  • Le système compact peut remplacer facilement le pédalier triple plateaux au profit de la légèreté et d'une meilleure répartition des braquets entre les changements de vitesse.
Accessoires Ora
www.oradesign.ca
__________________

The Compact Advantage

Until the advent of compact cranksets, the best way to maintain optimal cadence on a climb was to use a larger cog on the rear wheel. To do so, more space had to be left between the gears which made changing gears more challenging.

The advent of the compact crankset has changed things. Compact cranks typically have 50-34 teeth on the outer and inner rings compared to 53-39 teeth on road bikes and 54-42 or bigger on time-trial bikes.

The case for compact cranksets rests on three distinct advantage:
  • Higher RPM's can be maintained on steep climbs because of a lower low gear.
  • Closer spacing of the gears makes it easer to maintain optimal cadence in the face of wind gusts or changes in elevation.
  • The combination of compact cranks and the right cassettes reduces the rotating mass.
  • A bicycle with "compact" 50-34 rings and an 11-23 cassette will have a slightly wider gear ratio than a bike with 53-39 rings and a 12-25 cassette, plus the advantage of tighter spacing between gear changes. (Chart)
  • We believe the compact crank offers significant advantages to cyclists of all types, amateur and professional.
  • The compact system can easily replace a triple crank to the profit of a lighter bicycle and tighter gear changes.
Ora accessories
www.oradesign.ca

21.6.07

Opus' Mitchell Bailey at the CC


photo : Eric O'Brien, OGC

Good day for Mitchell at the Canada Cup at Hardwood….
3rd place after a flat fix….
Was running 1st after 2.5 laps! Looking good on the Fhast!

19.6.07

Hardwood Hills Canada Cup

June 17/07 9:30pm EDT -
Oro Ontario
Elite Women's Full Results
Trek Store Canada Cup XC #4


1. Wang Jingjing (Chn) Chinese Nat. Team 1:46:39.5
2. Ying Liu (Chn) Chinese Nat. Team at 1:58.9
3. Ren Chengyuan (Chn) Chinese Nat. Team 2:53.2
4. Kiara Bisaro (Can) Opus Bikes 6:02.5
5. Emily Batty (Can) Team Race 7:15.6
6. Mical Dyck (Can) Trek/Terrascape 7:37.8
7. Amanda Sin (Can) 3 Rox Racing 11:14.2
8. Catherine Vipond (Can) Team Trek Store 15:46.6
9. Jaqueline Mourao (Bra) Scott/RedBull/Exceed 16:34.9
10. Julie Sanders (Can) Marin Bikes 18:09.2
11. Sue Trimble-Haviland (Can) 20:01.7
12. Karine Travaillaud (Can) CVM Val-David 21:07.7
13. Lesley Tucker (Can) Velocity Bike 22:55.0
14. Heather Gray (Can) Coach Chris.ca / Ted V 23:48.8
15. Marie-C Surprenant (Can) Equipe du Quebec 24:01.4
16. Susan Stephens (Can) Caboto Velo 25:46.2
17. Kathleen Villeneuve (Can) Equipe du Quebec 28:09.4
18. Tricia K Spooner (Can) The Cyclery 28:38.1
19. Joele Guynup (Usa) IRC/Roxy Construction 29:57.1
20. Kaitlin Michener (Can) Arrow Racing 30:48.3
21. Celine Foreht (Can) 32:19.9
22. Terri Gregotski (Can) Fly Gurlz 32:26.0
23. Mandy Krolouski (Can) 32:34.2
24. Elsie Torresan (Can) Specialized 33:33.3
25. Marie Allaire (Can) Xprezo 33:53.0
26. Mathilde H-Debeurme (Can) Marin Bikes/PI 35:24.7
27. Christy Love (Can) Scott Bikes/Ambleside 36:25.9
28. Tabitha Ferguson (Can) 38:02.0
29. Kylie Case (Can) Team Manitoba 38:22.8
30. Kristen Lake (Can) Sweet Pete's 45:27.8
31. Julie Melanson (Can) 49:12.4
DNS Eva Grabinski (Can) True North Cycles
DNF Maryann Huckvale

18.6.07

Grand Prix Parisville


photo : Antoine Bécotte

Sous la pluie, après une échappée de 40 km à 5 coureurs, Stéphane Le Beau et Éric Provost prennent le 1er et le 2e rang du G.P. de Parisville le 17 juin, 2007 sur leur Opus Staccato 07.

9.6.07

GP Espoirs Laval

(Maitre A-B-4 tours-74km)

1 875 Scott Mc Farlane Calyon/Martin Swiss 1:54:23
2 886 Richard Pelletier Opus/OGC 4
3 920 Gordon Stovel indépendant RP 6
4 893 Eric Provost Opus/OGC 48
5 801 Stéphane Le Beau Opus/OGC Même temps

3.6.07

GP Charlevoix

Maître B - Cumulatif 3 étapes

1 893 Eric Provost Opus/OGC 4:49:05
2 929 Sylvain Thibeault Acidose Lactique 4:49:50 0:00:45
3 902 Claude Samson Ste-Foy-Qc Métro 4:49:53 0:00:48
4 142 Jon Gee T1 Cycle Racing 4:51:53 0:02:48
5 886 Richard Pelletier Opus/OGC 4:54:19 0:05:14
...
13 801 Stéphane Le Beau Opus/OGC 4:59:50 0:10:45