Geneviève Jeanson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Geneviève Jeanson

Jeanson at the 2002 Women's Challenge
Personal information
Born	(1981-08-29) August 29, 1981 (age 43) Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider

Geneviève Jeanson (born August 29, 1981) is a former professional bicycle racer from Quebec, Canada. She was a very talented cyclist who won many races. In 1999, she won the world junior championships for both road racing and time trials. The next year, she won the Tour de Snowy and the La Flèche Wallonne World Cup race. She also joined the Canadian Olympic team that year. Later in her career, she faced challenges related to rules about what athletes can use to improve their performance.

After her cycling career, Geneviève lived in Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California. She studied sociology and psychology. In 2012, she moved back to Lachine, Quebec to live with her parents and finish her college studies. In 2014, she attended Concordia University in Montreal, where she studied neuroscience. Today, Geneviève lives with her partner and works in the fitness industry.

Olympic Selection in 2000

Geneviève's career often involved discussions and disagreements. Before the Olympics in 2000, some people said she wanted special treatment. This was because she asked for an exception to the Olympic selection rules set by the Canadian Cycling Association. She explained that the rules looked at results from both 1999 and 2000. However, she had raced as a junior in 1999, which made it hard for her to get the results needed for selection.

Geneviève and the Canadian Cycling Federation agreed on a plan. She would qualify for the Olympic selection race if she finished in the top eight in two out of five special races. She achieved this by winning the Tour de Snowy and La Flèche Wallonne Féminine. Then, in July 2000, she officially qualified by finishing ahead of other cyclists in the Canadian Road Cycling Championship.

At the 2000 Olympics

More discussions followed Geneviève to the Olympics. During the road race, her teammate Lyne Bessette was ahead of the main group. Some people believed that Geneviève, following instructions from her coach, André Aubut, helped chase down her teammate. They thought this stopped Lyne from winning a medal.

However, Geneviève's supporters said she rode near the front, which is what a teammate trying to help break up a chase would do. They explained that she only moved forward to close a small gap when the leading group was almost caught.

Amazing Wins in 2001

In 2001, Geneviève had an incredibly successful year. She won four out of five stages at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. She won the overall race by almost 10 minutes, which was a huge lead.

Then, at the Tour of the Gila in early May, she won four out of five stages again. This time, she won the overall race by an amazing 15 minutes. In some parts of these races, she rode away from the other cyclists early and stayed alone until the end. In early June, she won the Montreal World Cup. She was so far ahead that she lapped most of the other riders, winning by more than seven minutes.

Challenges and Rules in Her Career

In late 2003, while training with the national team, Geneviève had a test that showed her blood had too many red cells. This meant she could not race for two weeks and missed the world championships. Geneviève said this was because she used a special altitude tent for training. Later tests showed no issues.

On July 25, 2005, Geneviève had another test. Months later, she said the test showed she had used a substance that was not allowed in sports. She denied taking anything forbidden. However, in January 2006, she announced she was stopping her cycling career. On November 28, 2006, the United States Anti-Doping Agency said she had agreed to not compete for two years, starting from the day her sample was taken.

In an interview in December 2006, Geneviève said she would "won't race ever again," even though she could have returned to racing in mid-2007. She said she had "changed so much this past year that I have a hard time imagining who I was before." She later admitted to a journalist that she had used forbidden substances. Her coach, André Aubut, and doctor, Maurice Duquette, were also prevented from working in sports for life in 2009 by the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport.

Movie Inspired by Her Life

A movie called The Little Queen (La Petite reine) was released in 2014. This film was inspired by Geneviève's life story. In the movie, Geneviève's character is named Julie Arseneau and is played by Laurence Leboeuf.

Major Results

Images for kids

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  Geneviève Jeanson with her coach André Aubut

See also

• List of doping cases in cycling
• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences