A C1 race held in difficult sailing conditions, as high water levels meant a fast flow down the river and a strong current up the river.
A few people capsized on the course that started from the Parc de la Rivière-Bécancour, according to what can be read on the event page. However, the 40 athletes completed the race, while the last ones arrived in a time of just over two hours and 22 minutes.
The race, which counted for the general classification of the C1 provincial circuit of the Association des coureurs en canot du Québec (ACCQ), was able to benefit from a major partnership with the Aluminerie de Bécancour (ABI) to award a total of $2,380 in prizes.
The top 12 positions were able to win prizes, as were the top three positions among women and those aged 50 and over, in addition to first place among rookies.
Ryan Stepka of Cantley won the race with a time of 1h32:25. Guillaume Blais and Christian Charette, both of Saint-Boniface, completed the podium with times of 1h35:55 and 1h36:38.
In the senior category, Mario Blackburn of Sorel-Tracy finished in a sprint in 7th position in the general classification, with a time of 1h38:19, ahead of Guy Rousseau of Trois-Rivières and Carlos Martinez of Montreal.
On the women’s side, Michelle Laprade of Cantley took the honours with a time of 1h41:45, which places her in 11th place overall. The fight was fierce for 2nd place in this category, as Sarah Lessard of Les Cèdres finished just ahead of Eve Chamberland of Shawinigan.
We should also highlight the performance of Louis Lefebvre, from Shawinigan, a senior aged 50 and over who was the first “recruit” [première participation à la course C1 de Bécancour] to have completed the course taking 13th place in the competition.
