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They‘re the ones that chase down the sprinters who breakaway from the pack, or who hold back the pack when Armstrong makes a dash to the finish line. After all, while Lance Armstrong gets all the press for winning five consecutive Tour de France races, less attention is paid to his teamâ€" mates who got him there. sport out there. And while it sounds like a oxymoron, he just might have a point when he‘s talkâ€" ing about cycling road racâ€" Local riders bring back U.S. road race title for Team Ontario Matt Gusé and Dave Vukets helped power Team Ontario to a road race title in Vermont last week. Gusé, 18, and his Water By Bos VrBanac Chronicle Staff aterloo‘s Matt Gusé calls it the most individual team Vukets, 16, said the four Ontario riders had to go against teams of up to five riders who all had the same goal â€" to have one of their racers finish on the podium. The twosome, and two other riders representing Ontario, took on North America‘s best junior road racers at the event and won the overall title. They ailso won the individual sprint title and various other awards. And the key to it all was their assault on the hilly course and the teamwork they demonstrated. loo Flying Dogs riding mate Dave Vukets realized just how important the team concept is at the Green Mountain Stage Road Race near Warren, Vt. And any one of Gusé "I would mark all the early moves and get on the wheels of the people who are attacking and basically So when the pack would set a pace to threaten the front runner, they slowed it down. They then played possum with the pack, feigning that they would relinquish the front of the pack and drop back, while one of the other Ontario ridâ€" ers would just fill his place. But after one of the Ontario racers broke free front and had the early advantage after the sprint stage, the rest of the boys decided to pull together in his favour. Vukets or their two other teammates could have been the one to do it. SPORTS Continued on page 27 Do you know how long I‘ve been waiting to see a Canuck win our coveted Canadian Open professional golf crown? Even longer than And no, I wasn‘t writing sports when Pat Fletcher was the last Canadian to win what is now known as the Bell Canadian Open in 1954 in Vancouver. Back in those days I was a teenager more interested in playing the game than watching it on tinyâ€"sized, boosters of the Hogtown Don't whine to me about the plight of longâ€"sufferâ€" ing Toronto Maple Leaf hockey fans who haven‘t been able to celebrate a Stanley Cup championship since 1967. That feeling is already palpable in the dressing room, said Officer, who‘s asked some of his senior players like Jeremy Ostapuk, Chris Greer, Tim Hall and Richard Weiler about the "We‘re feeling confident that we can compete on any night with any team," said Dave Officer, the former head coach of the Elmira Sugar Kings who joined a revamped Waterloo proâ€" gram in May. "Right now that team/community conâ€" nection is already there, it already exists, and with (GM) Bob Playford really working hard to promote the Waterloo connections, it‘s been a lot of fun." Our golf saga continues Well the new head coach of the Siskins wants to make the big rink feel s!a]l again for visiting teams &hd fans. And the team is trying to do that by reconnecting to the community and restorâ€" ing the pride of playing for the homeâ€"town team. ome say something Swas lost when the Siskins moved from the cozy confines of the "Bubâ€" ble" to Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex in the 1990s, shifting from the small rink to the Olympicâ€" sized ice surface. HRONICLE | Officer lays down the law Bos VrBanac Chronicle Staff I wasn‘t even officially a sports writer â€" new guys in journalism were called "cub" reporters in the old days â€" fuzzyâ€"screened, black and white TV sets. The newâ€"found enthusiâ€" asm will get a test right with the defending Sutherland Cup champions, the Stratâ€" ford Cullitons, in town Sept. 14 for the Siskins‘ home opener at the Rec Complex. Billed as "Siskins Sunday" the game is free to the genâ€" eral public and will feature "They‘re thrilled to open the season and learn as much as they can," said Officer, who also provides some guidance off the ice as a guidance counsellor at Bluevale collegiate institute. difference. So far they say they‘re thrilled with the changes and the new energy in the building . BILL "SKIP" JOHNS Waterloo Siskins Jr‘B‘ Hockey Club www.vwwaterloo.com So, what‘s the purpose of this golf journey down memory lane? Isn‘t it obviâ€" ous after last weekend at the equally wonderful old Hamilton Golf and Country Club course, when the Canadian Open jinx for a However, by the tailend of the ‘50s and early ‘60s I would come to meet and interview such Canadian golfing greats as Al Balding and the late George Knudâ€" son, and my game of reoting for a Canuck to win an Open was on. when longâ€"ball hitting American George Bayer won the 1957 Open at Kitchenerâ€" Waterloo‘s wonderful Westâ€" mount golf course. "The home opener is against Stratford but the guys think it‘s a good thing because it gives us the opportunity to go up against the Sutherland Cup champiâ€" ons and see how we meaâ€" sure up," said Officer. "We‘re not predicting anything, but we‘re going to work as hard as we can and hopefully be entertaining for the Waterâ€" loo fans." Getting the community Continued on page 26 the unveiling of the Siskins‘ new logo, new sweater and new gameâ€"day approach which includes a new masâ€" cot. CLICK HERE Yolkswagen New & Certified Preâ€"owned Cars _ Volkswagen Waterioo Continued on page 29