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Granite City or Windy City?

The State Criterium Championship was the story on Sunday in St. Cloud but the wind was a close second.   The Granstay Criterium hosted the championship for the first time and racers descended on the Granite City to test their mettle against their fellow competitors and the conditions on the short, fast loop around St. Cloud Tech High School.

Blustery conditions sapped the energy from many and proved advantageous for some as breakaways were the prevailing move on the day. Scott Flanders of MBRC/Flanders, Colton Barrett of MNJRC, Jime Cullen of MBRC/Flanders and David Hackworthy of SPBRC/Grand Performance all joined decisive breakaways that stuck and rode on to victories in their races. In the 35+ Mens race Jim Cullen counter-attacked early and was joined by James Tainter of Silver Cycling.  The duo quickly built up a sizeable lead and while they were enduring the 20-25 mph winds with gusts up to 40 mph the field was reluctant to do the dirty work and reel them back. 

Their advantage secure, the twosome realized there was only one that could be the MN State Champ and the dealing was on.  While Cullen proved to be the real tempest to the hopes of others he was the sail on which Tainter could ride on and survive ahead of the other Minnesotans.  On the final lap Cullen pulled clear for the race win and Tainter gutted out a hard earned State Championship.

In the Women’s 1/2/3 race the Flanders powerhouse was in control of the action the entire race and used their team strength to wear down their competition.  The Flanders women swept the top four spots and Teresa Moriarty sprang from the pack to take her 5th State Crit Championship. In the Men’s 1/2 race, Doug Swanson and Jens Brabbit of Grandstay were joined by David Hackworthy in an early break attempt.  Fellow Granstay rider Andrew Minier bridged to the trio and the foursome was off like a gale.  The four riders powered away and soon lapped the field.  Soon after the foursome re-integrated with the field three riders, Brian Crosby of Speedfix and Ian Stanford and Dan Casper of Grandstay blasted from the field to decide 5th through 7th amongst themselves. As the laps ticked off the lead four were content to stay with the field until the final lap where Hackworthy launched his sprint before the technical final turn and pulled away from the others to take the race win.  Again though, the race winner was from out of state so the 1/2 crown went to race runner-up Swanson.In the Cat 3/4 race the action was fast and furious from the time the whistle blew.  The pressure was on early and stayed on much of the race.  The field desintegrated and the lead pack was down to 11 riders.  The group stayed together with a pack finish in the works for the final dash. 

Mario Hernandez of Speedfix launched an early last lap attack that was quickly countered by David Jones of Flat City Cycling and Don Schmeichel of Loon State Cyclists.  Jones and Schmeichel looked to be clear for a head to head battle entering the final turn but their plans were squashed by a trio of riders taking a hard inside line.  Brandon Krawcyk of Speedfix with William Mayavaski of SPBRC and Mariusz Czarnomski of the University of North Dakota dove in deep through the final turn and sidetracked their chances.  Krawcyk held on for the victory with Mayavaski coming in second and Czarnomski rounded out the podium.  In a twist of fate, Schmeichel who finished fourth was also crowned the State Champ as all three ahead of him were from out of state.  Upon hearing the news Schmeichel stated, “It kind of sucks but I’ll take it I guess.”

Full results can be found at the Edurance Promotions website - http://www.endurancepromotions.com/

Bikethrow.com congratulates all the 2009 State Criterium Champions.

Masters 50+     Scott Flanders - MBRC
Masters 60+    Robert Cattanach - SPBRC
Junior 15 - 18  Colton Barrett - MNJrC
Junior 14 and under  Nils Boberg - MNJrc
Women Cat 4  Heidi Dahlman - Gopher Wheelmen
Men Cat 5  Keir Stiegler - Unattached
Masters 35+    James Tainter - Silver Cycling
Men Cat 1 2  Doug Swanson - GrandStay Cycling
Women 1 2 3   Teresa Moriarty - MBRC
Men Cat 3     Don Schmeichel - LSC
Men Cat 4    Tyler Olson - Synergy

Posted 29 June 2009 † Andy Frye § Race Report § Bike Racing § Crit § Feature ‡ Comments (2)

Podcast #67 - These Guys Don’t Suck … Or Do They?

Pat and Adam 

Texas Roadhouse “team mates” Adam Bergman and Pat Lemieux.

Two thirds of the btdc crew sit down with the entire Texas Roadhouse Minnesota contingency. Pat Lemieux and Adam Bergman cozy up with Pete Hanna and Andy Frye at Grand Performance to recap the Nature Valley Grand Prix, Adam “the most aggressive rider for the Uptown Criterium Stage but wasn’t” Bergman talks about what went wrong at the St. Paul Crit, and the quartet touch upon the Timmergate controversy. A report on the wet and wild wrap-up to the Massacre on Machinery Hill, news about a venue change for the Dakota Tech race series, and much more that will bore you and make you scream for mercy. You’ll love every miserable second of it.

 
icon for podpress  Podcast #67 - These Guys Don't Suck ... Or Do They?: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Posted 17 June 2009 † Andy Frye § Race Report § State Fair Crit § Cycling § Feature § Podcast § NVGP ‡ Comments (10)

Sutherland repeats, Amore & Vita/Life Time Fitness shines in last stage of Nature Valley

Patty
The field charges through the corner on the first lapt of the Stillwater Criterium.  Photo by Frye

Story by James Lockwood
 
In cycling, sometimes it’s more about your opponent’s weaknesses than your own strengths that can win you the race.
 
Going into the last stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix, only seven seconds separated Bissell Pro Cycling’s Tom Zirbel from OUCH-Maxxis’ Rory Sutherland. But, in terms of racing tactics, that gap turned out to be greater.
 
Sutherland used his teammates to lead him out two laps to go at the bottom of the infamous Chilkoot Hill in the Stillwater Criterium to launch him ahead of Zirbel, who got caught out of position behind Sutherland’s teammates and had to dig deep to match Sutherland’s momentum.
 
The tactic was enough to propel Sutherland, the defending champion of the Nature Valley Grand Prix, 10 seconds ahead of Zirbel at the finish and win him the overall championship of the Nature Valley Grand Prix by three seconds.
 
“We had our plan this week, and we were always just one off,” Rory said. “Finally, we made our plan work.”
 
“Our tactic was to go as hard as we could the last three laps,” OUCH-Maxxis director Mike Tamayo said. “We knew what Zirbel’s weaknesses were. We wanted to make it really hard going up the hill and then set a blistering pace going downhill.

“We knew that going into that hill few people could stay with Rory. So, we set a lead out for Rory to go as hard as he could.”
 
Zirbel said he got caught in that lead out, having to check his breaks behind Sutherland’s teammates, and that little loss of momentum made the difference between first and second overall.
 
“It was a matter of exploiting my weakness,” said a visibly dejected Zirbel after the race. “They used their legs, and they used their tactics.
 
“Today, it wasn’t for a lack of legs that I lost. If I could have kept the momentum going up the hill, I could have stayed with Rory. They are smart racers.”
 
Zirbel’s teammate, Ben Jacques-Maynes, had other words to describe OUCH’s tactics. He accused OUCH-Maxxis of purposely checking their breaks coming out of the last corner going into the hill, forcing Zirbel to break while Sutherland accelerated.
 
“Winning with their legs wasn’t going to win it for them,” said Jacques-Maynes, who last year lost to the jersey to Sutherland in the second to last stage. “[Zirbel] should hold his head up high. He was awesome.”
 
On the day, Sutherland finished third and Zirbel fifth. Both came behind Phillip Mamos of Amore & Vita presented by Life Time Fitness-Velo Vie, who sprinted up the finishing climb to win by two seconds ahead of Anthony Colby of Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light and Sutherland. Zirbel finished in a group of three with Luis Romero Amaran and Tyler Wren, both teammates of Colby.

It was Colby’s attack with five laps to go near the top of the 6th Street climb – coming after Chilkoot Hill and a false flat – that put he and Mamos into a position to win.
 
“I wasn’t really sure if we would stay away, but I thought, ‘What’s it to [Bissell and OUCH] if I go,” said Colby, who entered the day 42 seconds down to Zirbel. “I tried to stay one step ahead.”
 
“The Colavita guy attacked, and I was on him,” Mamos, a German living in Italy, said. “Rory comes through, and it was perfect. I knew he was strong, and I thought, ‘Just stay on his wheel.’
 
“I waited as long as I could, and then I just attacked [Sutherland and Colby]. It was good to win.”
 
“The goal was to come here to win a stage. We’re very happy,” said Mamos’ teammate, Chad Gerlach, who finished second in the Mankato Road Race and earned the Jelly Belly Sports Beans King of the Hills Jersey.
 
All day, the riders from Colavita-Sutter Home and Amore & Vita/Life Time Fitness worked the break, but it was OUCH’s Tim Johnson and then Floyd Landis who lighted up the day. Johnson, who has been on four winning teams in the Nature Valley Grand Prix going back to the days of Saturn Cycling, started things from the gun in the second lap of the 20-lap race and then was replaced by Landis on lap four. Both men were within a minute of the lead going into the day.
 
With Landis ahead, Amore & Vita/Life Time Fitness sent Volodymyr Starchyk ahead with Colavita-Suttter Homes’ Kyle Walmsley and Jim Camut of Land Rover-Orbea benefitting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The four maintained a tenuous gap of 15 second through half the race until Colavita started sending more riders to up the road.

All the time, Bissell led the peloton, maintaining the gap.
 
“It’s tough to get a lot of time on that course,” Landis said of his chances to win. His efforts, though, working the break for 10 laps, earned him the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Jersey. “It was a good course for Rory, and a good course for the team.”
 
Sutherland said it was difficult through the whole stage, mostly because he had to be patient. As Amore & Vita/Life Time Fitness and Colavita-Sutter Home sent guys ahead and worked the break, Sutherland bid his time behind Bissell’s train.
 
“It’s different to have to wait and hedge your bets,” Sutherland said the OUCH’s plan. “The longer you wait, the more daunting it is.”
 
“My eyes were closed going through the last two corners, literally. The goal today was to win the race, not the stage,” he said.
 
Sutherland described the overall victory this year as more nerve-wracking than last.year, when he went into the Stillwater Criterium defending the leader’s jersey rather than chasing it.
 
“Seven seconds, it’s a pretty long time,” he said. “I’d rather come in sixth than come in second, no disrespect to Tom.”

All the time, Bissell led the peloton, maintaining the gap.
 
“It’s tough to get a lot of time on that course,” Landis said of his chances to win. His efforts, though, working the break for 10 laps, earned him the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Jersey. “It was a good course for Rory, and a good course for the team.”
 
Sutherland said it was difficult through the whole stage, mostly because he had to be patient. As Amore & Vita/Life Time Fitness and Colavita-Sutter Home sent guys ahead and worked the break, Sutherland bid his time behind Bissell’s train.
 
“It’s different to have to wait and hedge your bets,” Sutherland said the OUCH’s plan. “The longer you wait, the more daunting it is.”
 
“My eyes were closed going through the last two corners, literally. The goal today was to win the race, not the stage,” he said.
 
Sutherland described the overall victory this year as more nerve-wracking than last.year, when he went into the Stillwater Criterium defending the leader’s jersey rather than chasing it.
 
“Seven seconds, it’s a pretty long time,” he said. “I’d rather come in sixth than come in second, no disrespect to Tom.”

In fact, there was nothing but accolades for the way Bissell defended the jersey from the start of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.
 
“Bissell did an awesome job,” Sutherland said.
 
“They did a great job defending,” said his teammate, Johnson.
 
Other jersey winners on the day included Land Rover-Orbea’s Bob Sweeting, who won the APC Best Young Rider Jersey; Tom Soladay of Team Mountain Khakis presented by EP-No who won the Wheaties Sprinters Jersey; and Matthew Busche of IS Corp Cycling team who won the Nature Valley Best Amateur Jersey.
 

Posted 14 June 2009 † Andy Frye § Crit § Race Report § Feature § News § NVGP § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (4)

NVGP Stage 5 - Mankato - An Amateur Win And Webcor Revenge

From NVGP Wire Service-

Amateurs Make Mankato Their Day in Nature Valley Grand Prix, Almost Upsetting Leaders

By James Lockwood

OUCH-Maxxis knew the fourth stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix well, having won the course the previous two years in its former incarnation as Health Net.

Bissell Pro Cyling knew this course well, too, having lost the leader’s jersey last year on the course’s mile-long climb during the four laps of the finishing circuit.

So, each knew what to expect from the 92-mile Mankato Road Race. But what transpired surprised most people, turning the showdown between powerhouse North American teams into the amateur hour – or 3 hours and 30 minutes, as the case may be.

Winning one of the biggest races of his career was Wheel & Sprocket’s Andrew Crater, who, at 31, continues to race on an amateur team despite having a professional background. He, along with Chad Gerlach of Amore & Vita presented by Life Time Fitness-Velo Vie and Mike Nothey of Land Rover-Orbea benefitting the Lance Armstrong Foundation outlasted a breakaway of 14 riders to take the top three places in the stage.

It was a move that was initiated 14 miles into the race, and few thought it would go to the end.

“I didn’t know [if we could last],” Nothey said. “I thought we would get caught in the finishing circuit.”

Instead of being caught, the trio finished 17 seconds ahead of a charging pack that included all of the overall contenders, including the current leader, Bissell Pro Cycling’s Tom Zirbel, and his teammate Peter Latham; OUCH-Maxxis’ Rory Sutherland; Sebastian Haedo of Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light; and a host of other riders from Jelly Belly Pro Cycling and Team Type 1.

Zirbel said losing only 17 seconds was good.

“We lucked out,” Zirbel said. “I didn’t think [the break] was going to come back.”

The break that everyone ended up talking about included – at its peak – 14 riders who had built a gap of eight minutes nearly halfway through the race. Zirbell said there seemed little motivation for anyone to initiate a chase, with all five major teams represented, including Jelly Belly’s Jeremy Powers, OUCH-Maxxis’ Tim Johnson, Bissell’s Cody O’Reilly and Kirk O’Bee, Colavita-Sutter Home’s Davide Frattini, and Team Type 1’s Aldo Ino Ilesic.

Not until Fort Collins, Colo., amateur team Ciclismo Racing decided they needed to take charge about 40-miles from the finishing circuit did the gap start to fall. Zirbel tipped his hat to Ciclismo’s work as well as CRCA/Empire Cycling Team presented by Northwave.

“It could have been so much worse,” the Bissell rider said. “The amateur teams went to the front and really brought that break back. We would not have had a chance to catch the break if they hadn’t worked.”

“Today, we really showed we could go up there and tide up front,” said Ciclismo’s Nick Frey, who entered the day leading the points for both the APC Best Young Rider Jersey and the Nature Valley Best Amateur Rider Jersey but lost both on the climb in Mankato.

“We were going really slow about mile 25,” he said. “We assessed who was in the break, and every major team was represented. I thought Colavita might move up for Haedo, but they weren’t willing to sit on the front.

“So, we decided to put two to three guys up front. Then we said, ‘Let’s everyone go to the front.’ We sat up there for 45 miles.”

The assumption was that the guys in the break would not have the energy to finish strong on the two-mile circuit.

“We knew the break was going to be fried going into the finishing circuit,” he said.

As it turned out, they weren’t fried enough.

It wasn’t the group of 14 who were in the break that entered the circuit, though. Instead, it was a more selective group of eight, and of them, it was only O’Bee and Ilesic who remained of the big teams. The group also included Nicholas Clayfield of HagensBermanCycling, Ben Raby of TradeWind Energy/The Trek Stores, and Ty Stanfield of Kenda Pro Cycling presented by Spinergy.

It was Stanfield’s move at the fourh sprint line at mile 64 that created the split and drew out Gerlach, then O’Reilly, Nothey and Crater.

“I was just trying to get something going,” Kenda’s Stanfield said. “The break was going slow. I was hoping to get a little help, and Chad bridged up. Chad was like, ‘Attack the group. Attack the group.’”

It had not been the first move Stanfield had initiated. He and Clayfield had originally missed the move that formed the winning break. Together with local amateur Chris Doig of Flanders/Minnesota Bicycle Racing Club, the three worked over 12 miles to catch the leading 11.

While he ended up being caught by the chase in the finishing circuits, he finished 17 and earned the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Jersey, a target of the team’s coming into the stage.

That jersey could have easily gone to Gerlach. While working with Stanfield to push the pace after the sprint line, Gerlach attacked again at the 78-mile mark with Team Type 1’s Ilesic as they moved for the King of the Hill points. By mile 80 – 2.5 miles from the circuit – Gerlach had dropped Ilesic and moved 30 seconds ahead of the field.

“Today, I felt really good,” he said explaining his solo move. “Those guys just all started to look really slow when it got hilly. Once we were coming into town, it was really cool.”

However, he had never seen the hill in the circuit.

“The hill just hurt,” he said. “I really lost it the third time up the climb.”

It was the second time up that the chasing seven – with Gerlach just up the road – started to split. Nothey made his move, riding away from his fading breakway companions, and Crater dug deep to stay on his wheel.

“I couldn’t attack,” Crater said. “That guy was just going. It was all I could do to stay with him.”

“We were going really slow, or at least I thought,” Nothey said, explaining his move.

Nothey said he thought Gerlach had gone out too early – 10 miles from the finish – to be able to stay away. That spurred him on to catch the Amore & Vite/Life Time Fitness rider.

Once the three hooked up, Crater said it took both patience and pain to win the race.

“I knew I could beat [Nothey] in the sprint if I could stay with him,” Crater said.

“I didn’t want to slow way down and they have to jump,” Gerlach said of his tactics in the final lap. “I know that means I gave a lead-out to Crater.”

“I figured if I could jump in the second to the last turn, I could beat them,” the Wheel & Sprocket rider said.

Even then, the win almost slipped away from him, literally. Coming out of the last corner onto the finishing straight, Crater’s back wheel skipped out from underneath him, giving the rider a momentary scare.

“I figure, you are either going to crash, or you are going to win,” he said. “Today, I won.”

And, for another day, Bissell’s Zirbel took home the leader’s jersey.

“We decided to take a risk and say, ‘We believe in Kirk,’” he said. “All I had to do was follow Rory.

“It worked out in our favor. I didn’t have to work all day until the finishing circuit.”

“It was the plan that we didn’t want to ride tempo,” Bissell road director Eric Wohlberg said. “We wanted to just be in a position where we didn’t have to ride.”

While the team didn’t, Cody and Kirk did, and Wolhberg said that made the difference for the team.

“Cody and Kirk did a fantastic job today. They saved the day for us.”

Going into the final, sixth stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix – the Stillwater Criterium featuring the infamous 18-percent-grade Chillkoot Hill – Zirbel maintains his seven-second lead over Sutherland and a 10-second lead over Haedo, while a scrum of 22 riders representing eight teams all are within a minute of the lead.

…

Alexis Rhodes Takes The Stage Win At Mankato, Blasting Into Second Overall Just Twelve Seconds Behind Leader Armstrong

 

By Cynthia Lou

Redemption was sweet for Webcor Builders today. After the unfortunate series of crashes that took them off the podium and out of their competition jerseys at Thursday’s Cannon Falls Road Race, Alexis Rhodes road away from Dotsie Bausch (Jazz Apples) and Brooke Miller (TIBCO) to take the stage win, the Queen of the Mountains Jersey, and the Best Young Rider Jersey. Teammate Kathryn Curi Mattis took the day’s Freewheel Most Aggressive Rider’s Jersey.

“How tough are they to be able to keep fighting and never give up,” beamed Webcor Builder’s director Laura Charmaeda. “Not only did they not give up, but they came out here to stomp the race again. That’s just plain tough.”

Shelley Olds (Proman Hit Squad) extended her lead in the Wheaties Sprint Competition by winning the first two sprints. Sprint competitions three and four were absorbed by the breakaway groups.

While all early attacks were brought back, with TIBCO, Webcor Builders, and Colavita staying active near the front, the attacks picked up approximately 28 miles into the race, after the second Sprint Competition. Webcor Builder’s Kathryn Curi Mattis escaped on a solo breakaway, later joined by Team Type 1’s Veronica Leal, Tibco’s Julie Beveridge, and Lip Smacker’s Jessica Phillips. The break grew to over 2’ 15“, putting Leal in the virtual yellow jersey, before Armstrong fought to bring it back with the help of Colavita.

This was a blessing for Webcor, who took advantage of the opportunity to rest while the break was being reeled back.

“The group of four were caught just as we were turning left into some crosswinds,” explained Charmaeda. That’s when I said, ‘Girls, make it hurt now,’ because that’s when you can effectively launch an attack. That’s when Alexis got away.”

Dotsie Bausch, Assistant Director and in-race mentor of the professional development squad Jazz Apple Women’s Cycling Team saw the break forming and knew she had to take action. “Marina [Duvnajk] was awesome, she was off the front all day going for break after break, and Steph was back getting bottles. I saw two major teams go, then the third, and I knew we had to get somebody on this so I went for it. I just gritted it out because I wanted to get a podium for the girls.”

The four-woman break of Rhodes, Bausch, Brooke Miller (Tibco), and Kelly Benjamin (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) quickly grew to two minutes before the field reacted. Olivia Dillon (Nature Valley Cycling Team) and Nicole Evans (ValueAct Capital) chased for approximately 20 miles until they caught the lead group. Together, the group of six grew their lead to nearly four minutes, with little response from the peloton.

“When the break got up to three minutes forty [seconds], I couldn’t believe that every team out there was happy with this break,“ said Armstrong, explaining that she kept expecting other teams to come forth to help.

Rhodes started the day 2’ 07″ behind race leader Kristin Armstrong (Cervélo Test Team), secured a 15 second time bonus for her stage victory. When Rhodes and her lead group of six entered the finishing circuits, they were 3’ 10” ahead of the peloton. The lead was whittled down over the course of the four nail-biting two-mile circuits around Mankato that included a one-mile long Queen of the Mountains climb with an average grade of 14%.

“I knew I was climbing really well, and I thought if I could drop Brooke on the last lap that would be good,” said a very calm Rhodes. “But I dropped her on the first lap so I guess, even better. I’m climbing really well at the moment, so I guess the [four laps of the tough QOM] climb were really a blessing in disguise.” 

As Rhodes took off, it was a battle between Bausch and Miller for second.

“I knew that I had to conserve on the downhill,” said Bausch, drawing on her years of experience as a climber. “I just focused on catching Brooke the fourth lap. I knew that if I could just make it to the fourth lap relaxed and with full oxygen I could give it my all up that last climb and all the way down the backside.”

Though there was a lot of excitement around whether or not Armstrong lost the yellow jersey today, the general consensus of the field is that Armstrong will take home her fourth Nature Valley Grand Prix overall win tomorrow evening.

“Kristin is without question the best climber,” said Miller. “One of the things she has in her favor is that tomorrow’s race is everyone for herself. It’s difficult for any kind of team dynamic to play out.”

When asked about challenging Armstrong for the yellow jersey tomorrow, Rhodes replied with a laugh, ”I felt pretty awesome today, but Kristin’s just a class above the rest of us. I’ll try my best to hold her wheel, and we’ll see how it goes.“

Catch the final stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix at the Stillwater Criterium in historic downtown Stillwater, Minn. The festival starts at 10:30 a.m. CDT, with the women’s race beginning at Noon.

Posted 13 June 2009 † Tim Hayes § National § Bike Racing § Cycling § Results § USCF § Feature § Road § Pro Cycling § NVGP § News § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (0)

NVGP Stage 4 - Uptown Minneapolis - Textbook Victories For Colavita and Tibco

Haedo
With arms raised, Sebastian Haedo (Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light) celebrates his victory in Stage 4 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Visit www.minnbikefestival.com/teams for full results. Photo: Matt Moses Images

From NVGP Wire-

Nature Valley Grand Prix Turns into Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home Show with Third Win

By James Lockwood

Sebastian Haedo stood before a monstrous crowd after the fourth stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix waiting for his team director to translate the questions coming from the race announcer.

The Argentinean who rides for Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light speaks no English. But, nothing was lost in translation with his performance Friday evening in the Uptown Minneapolis Criterium. His team lines up, he sprints, he wins.

Haedo took his second win of the six-stage race, and along with the second place he earned leading out his teammate Alejandro Borrajo in the team’s victory in the Cannon Falls Road Race, he now sits third overall with the bonus seconds that came with his placings.

“This victory is awesome,” he said. “It was a good day for me and it was a good day for Colavita. We all did our work today, and we were able to put together an important win for me.”

The third team victory for Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home put the team in good position going into the 95-mile queen stage Saturday, the Mankato (Minn.) Road Race. It was something other teams were noting.

“On paper, we didn’t want Borrajo to get any time,” said OUCH-Maxxis’s Andrew Pinfold, who finished third on the stage. “Not that Haedo is not good, but Barrajo is a little better climber.”

“I think we are getting the old Borrajo back,” said Team Mountain Khakis’ Tom Soladay, who used a Bissell-controlled peloton to protect his sprinter’s jersey for the second day. “When he is on form, he is dangerous.”

For Friday, though, it was Haedo getting the accolades for his second win. The victory was not certain, however, as the team could not get its sprint train lined up until one-and-a-half laps to go in the 40-lap race.

“It was a brothel out there,” said Jelly Belly Cycling Team’s Brad Huff, who finished second. “Every team wanted to be at the front, and not everyone should have been at the front.”

“From lap 15 to lap three [to go], it was just mayhem,” Pinfold said.

Much of the race was uneventful. From the start, few riders were able to break away, and Bissell Pro Cycling marshaled the front with its whole team, setting a steady but comfortable tempo to keep breaks in check and its overall leader, Tom Zirbel, safe.

“I had an armchair ride the first 30 laps,” Zirbel said.

“It was all about protecting Tom tonight,” said Bissell road director Eric Wohlberg. “In a crit, being on the front is the best place to be.”

Soladay said that worked out to his advantage trying to protect the Wheaties Sprinter’s Jersey, a goal of his for the grand prix.

“I knew that Bissell didn’t want any of the sprint points. That was great for me. When I went up, I had eight guys between me and the rest of the field who might challenge for the points,” he said. “With Bissell up front and the tight corners, you really had to light a match to get away.”

Until the last 10 laps, Soladay and Bissell served as the show.

Then Jelly Belly moved forward with its train, and the jockeying began.

“It was a little too early with the sprints out of the corners, but it worked out for me. It allowed me to rest in the train,” Huff said.

“It worked out for Brad,” Pinfold said. “He didn’t have to fight through the laps. He stayed fresh, and it showed at the end.”

For Pinfold, his teammate John Murphy, and Colavita, it was not so easy. As Jelly Belly came to the front, Bissell as a team went back, OUCH attempted to form its train for Murphy, and individual riders from various teams tried to get onto the right wheels hoping for the victory.

“Tim Johnson was just sheparding myself and Murphy through,” Pinfold said. “Everyone was fighting for wheels. I think everyone just wanted to get the win on this stage.”

As the laps counted down, Jelly Belly started to fade, and it opened the door for Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home and Haedo.

“What we came here for we got,” said Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home’s director Sebastian Alexandre. “The team did a very good job.”

Despite the convincing victories in the past three stages, Alexandre remained coy about the team’s chances to make it four in a row in the Mankato Road Race, featuring a circuit finish that includes a mile-long climb averaging 14 percent.

“Tomorrow is going to be a different stage,” he said.

Bissell’s Wohlberg concurred. Despite Haedo’s move up the general classification, OUCH’s defending champion Rory Sutherland – winner of last year’s stage in Mankato – still sits seven seconds back of Zirbel, and OUCH, Bissell, and Jelly Belly all have riders within a minute of the lead.

“Colavita is closing the gap to us,” he said. “The next two days will be a little more suited for our guys. We’re going to see who can get up that hill and see what happens. We’re going to try to turn the tables.”

The results for local racers were not available prior to this posting.

Race Notes:

Amore & Vita presented by Lifetime Fitness - Velo Vie was sporting some limited edition white kits highlighting their Minneapolis based sponsor Lifetime Fitness on Friday night. The team was constantly trying to impress the Lifetime brass as they attempted to set up a break. Rumors have it that Lifetime Fitness may be moving into the role given up by McDonald’s for the team that was originally dubbed, Amore & Vita - McDonald’s.

Local hero Pat Lemiuex had a tiny scare as his Texas Roadhouse jersey was absent of numbers prior to the start. A frazzled Patty Cakes was seen looking anxiously for keys to a locked car where his jersey remained. In the end Pat was able to get his problem solved and started from the back of the pack, but easily moved up in the pack for a quality finish.

Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) fell victim of the ruthless tempo set by Bissell and the leadout of Colavita as he tried on a few occassions to get off the front during the race to no avail.

…

Brooke Miller Wins Uptown Criterium; Armstrong Still In Yellow

by Cynthia Lou

No trip to the Nature Valley Grand Prix would be complete for Brooke Miller (Tibco) without a victory, with Miller celebrating a criterium victory two years in a row. Today’s aggressive race to the end saw Shelley Olds (Proman Hit Squad) taking both second place on the podium and the Wheaties Sprint Jersey, while veteran sprinter Laura Van Gilder (Altarum Women’s Cycling) rounded out the podium with a third place finish.

“It was a very aggressive race. I had to throw a lot of elbows and do a lot of aggressive moving, but that’s what you do when your team is putting themselves on the line for you – you make sure you deliver,” said Miller, who had her first big NRC victory at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in 2006 and continues to win stages every year.

Though there was speculation that the beginning of the race might be a repeat of Wednesday’s St. Paul Downtown Criterium, with race leader Kristin Armstrong (Cervélo Test Team) taking control of the front, it soon became clear that the teams were not going to just sit back, actively seeking to shake up the general classification and tempt Armstrong to work.

Riders from Tibco, Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light, Webcor, and ValueAct Capital sent riders up the road with attack after attack, nothing gaining more than 10 seconds before being caught.

The 25-lap race had three sprint competitions, plus an additional prime competition to keep the race active.

The Sprint Competition alternated between Kirsty Broun (Riverstone CDA) and Shelley Olds, with Olds taking the first sprint and Broun taking the second. It was Olds’ victory at the third sprint competition that finally won her the Sprint jersey.

“I’m just happy to be in the jersey for the day,” said Olds. “It’s not necessarily my priority. I’m just doing the best I can in all of the competitions. A stage win would be really nice, so, tomorrow’s a new goal.”

Tomorrow’s Mankato Road Race will indeed be another opportunity to mix up the general classification. Armstrong has traditionally ridden away from the field on this race, so the teams will be sure to keep close watch over her.

The Freewheel Most Aggressive Rider’s Jersey went to Tibco’s Katharine Carroll. Shelley Olds captured the Wheaties Sprint Jersey.  All other jersey results remained the same.

The results for local racers were not available prior to this posting.

…

Resident Bikethrow.com photographer Andy “Safest Wheel In The Group” Frye should return to duty on Sunday for the Stillwater Criterium. As it turns out we all have real jobs and this little hobby takes a lot of time, but we will continue to strive to get you the information and photographs of the local racers as much as we can.

Posted 12 June 2009 † Tim Hayes § Crit § Bike Racing § Cycling § USCF § Feature § Pro Cycling § NVGP § News § Road ‡ Comments (0)

NVGP Stage 3 - Cannon Falls - Colavita Doubles Up and Value Act Capital Takes Sprint

From Nature Valley Gran Prix-

Colavita Olive Oil Makes it Two in a Row As Leaders Maintain Positions  in Stage 3 of Nature Valley Gran Prix

by James Lockwood

One good turn deserves another.

So it was for Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light, who used its two star sprinters to perfection to take its second win in a row in Stage Three of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. After leading out his teammate, Sebastian Haedo, for the win in Wednesday’s Downtown St. Paul Criterium, it was Alejandro Borrajo’s turn to take home the spoils Thursday in the 64-mile Cannon Falls Road Race.

“He came through for me,” Borrajo said of Haedo, his friend of more than 10 years. “With 40 meters to go, Sebastian led out, and it was perfect for me.”

“Ale has been riding good,” said Colavita’s director Sebastian Alexandre. “He has been leading out Sebastian for many races, and today, I told him it was his turn. With the hill at the end, it was a course that was good for him.”

“They are a classy outfit,” said Bissell Pro Cycling’s Peter Latham, who overcame a crash nearly halfway through the race to help his teammate, Tom Zirbel, keep his leader’s jersey.

OUCH-Maxxis’ John Murphy, who finished third on the stage, said Colavita is taking full advantage of the fact that OUCH and Bissell are currently sitting atop the standings while it sits in the wings.

“They’ve got a little more room to win the sprints, and they are doing a good job of it,” Murphy said.

Still, OUCH did not give the win to Colavita. After spending 54 miles in the east central Minnesota farmland staying out of trouble and monitoring attacks, the team entered the two-mile finishing circuit intending to set up Murphy for the win. With three laps to go in the five-lap finish, OUCH went to the front of the peloton to push the pace.

OUCH director Mike Tamayo said it was probably a little too early to go to the front.

Murphy said he got jammed up in the sprint coming off of his teammates’ wheels, but he wasn’t totally disappointed with the finish. His third place came with a six-second time bonus, erasing the six seconds he lost in the second stage crit and moving him into the top five in the overall classification.

“It was good to get a little time back,” he said. “We wanted to try to put a little pressure on Bissell, but it didn’t work out.”

Zirbel kept the leaders’ jersey, maintaining his seven-second lead over OUCH-Maxxis’ Rory Sutherland, but he said the race was not easy for the team. In addition to having Latham hit the deck, Frank Pipp also was involved in the crash. With no breaks allowed to get away, it kept the team on edge the whole race.

“People wanted to get in a break the whole day,” he said. “That just made it hard.”

The most successful break of the day was made by Chad Gerlach, riding for Amore e Vita presented by Life Time Fitness-Velo Vie. After trying twice in the first half of the race, Gerlach finally made a break look promising 31 miles into the race. Soloing for 10 miles, he built a lead of 50 seconds, but with 15 miles to go, it all came back together.

“I just wanted to make the ride harder,” said Gerlach of his non-stop attacks. His effort earned him the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey. “I had really good legs.”

Alexandre said he was not surprised that no breaks got away. With a rolling course with no real hills, perfect weather conditions, and top teams with an eye for the overall win, he said this is a race of strategy, not necessarily of tradition.

“Today, everyone wanted to sprint. Everybody wanted the stage,” he said. “With three stages coming up, as soon as a team does something wrong, it’s over for them.”

Borrajo said, though, it won’t be over for Colavita.

“We plan to win again,” he said. “It’s important. If we win one more stage, we are maybe on the podium.”

…

The results for local racers were:

  • 41st Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) Same Time
  • 71st Michael Woell (Flanders) S/T
  • 74th Ian Stanford (Grandstay) S/T
  • 76th Pat Lemeuix (Texas Roadhouse) S/T
  • 85th Adam Froeming (Flanders) S/T
  • 98th Micah Moran (Grandstay)@ 42seconds
  • 111th Andrew “Mean Dawg” Minier (Grandstay) @ 1min 14seconds
  • 114th Brian Koeneman (Wheel and Sprocket) @ 1min 59seconds
  • 115th Chris Doig (Flanders) @ 1min 59seconds
  • 116th Greg Brandt (Bianchi/GP) @ 2min 03seconds
  • 119th Jens Brabbit (Grandstay) @ 2min 57seconds
  • 120th Jake Boyce (Bianchi/GP) @ 2min 57seconds
  • 122nd David Zimmerman (Flanders) @ 2min 57seconds
  • 124th Anthony Olson (Bianchi/GP) @ 2min 57seconds
  • 143rd David Hackworthy (Bianchi/GP) @ 8min 07seconds

…

Value Act Capital’s Erica Allar Sprints To Victory

The women contested the same course as the men today and from the start the pace was hot as Webcor Builders, Tibco and Colavita-Sutter Home continued to attack race leader Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo Test Team) with relentless attacks. Armstrong had to pick her battles and on several occassions reeled in small groups with little help from others, and at other times utilizing the strength of larger teams.

Despite several crashes in the countryside the field was mostly together onto the infamous gravel road that leads the racers back into the finishing circuits in Cannon Falls. As some riders overshot the turn the group quickly whittled down to approximately 50racers and the continued to pick up through the techinical chicanes of the finishing circuits. It was here that Allar capitalized on her past success on this stage (2nd place in 2007 for Ryan Collegiate All-Stars) and positioned herself for the sprint.

The Colavita squad went to the front to begin a lead-out for Tina Pic on lap 3.  After completing 4 of the 5 circuits, the Value Act Capital women made sure that both Allar and Rebecca Larson were in good position.  With 200 meters to go, TIBCO’s Brooke Miller began a lead-out for Jo Kiesanowski, but Allar and Larson were right on them. Erica charged up the right side to take the win.  ”After taking 2nd in this race, I knew what I needed to do to win,” said Allar.  ”The team did a great job of covering things early in the race so that I was fresh for the sprint.  This is a great win for the team!”  Allar also won the Most Aggressive Rider jersey.

The results for local racers were:

  • 20th Melissa Dahlman (Flanders) Same Time
  • 65th Karla Kinglsey (Flanders) 1min 41seconds
  • 70th Shana Sturla (Flanders) 1min 41seconds
  • 77th Linda Sone (Minneapolis Fire Department) 3min 30seconds
  • 78th Cam Schmitz (Flanders) 3min 30seconds

There were quite a few crashes on the course today and almost every team was affected by them. Perhaps none more than Webcor builders which had only 1 rider come through unscathed despite being the biggest agitators during the race. In addition, a horrible crash a mere 5 miles before the finishing circuits made for some hair raising excitement as racers tried in vain to get back to the field only to get stalled behind racers that had overshot the sharp turn onto the gravel road.

Posted 11 June 2009 † Tim Hayes § Bike Racing § Cycling § Race Report § Results § USCF § Feature § Pro Cycling § NVGP § News § Road ‡ Comments (1)

NVGP Stage 2 - Heartbreak for Bergman

Bergman 2
Adam Bergman of Texas Roadhouse laments about what could have been.  photo by Andy Frye

Former Grand Performance rider Adam Bergman now racing for Texas Roadhouse was on the precipice of what might have been the biggest win of career when it all came crashing down. Bergman joined an early three man break comprised of Will Routley of Jelly Belly, Tyler Wren of Colavita/Sutter Home, and Tom Soloday of Team Mountain Khakis with over 20 laps to go in the St. Paul Criterium. The foursome stayed clear of the field building a sizeable gap. As the laps ticked down Team Bissel and OUCH/Maxxis lifted the pace and strung out the field.

The group containing Bergman appeared to have made the move in the race and with a 12 second gap with two to go the win looked to come from break. To the dismay of the local crowd, Bergman was missing from the break which now appeared in disarray. Bergman clipped a pedal in one of the turns and his hopes and dreams were dashed.

The field caught the break in the final turns and it was Sebastian Haedo of Colavita/Sutter Home taking the victory over Soloday with Alejandro Borrajo also of Colavita/Sutter Home rounding out the podium. 

Check out the video of the final lap here.

Posted 10 June 2009 † Andy Frye § Crit § Race Report § Photos § Feature § NVGP § News § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (12)

NVGP Stage 1 Photos - Zirbel and Armstrong Take the Opening TT

Tom Zirbel of Team Bissel won the opening Nature Valley Grand Prix TT in St. Paul. Zirbel ripped through the 6 mile course that finished on the famed Ohio and Cherokee streets in a time of 12:36. Olympic Champion and defending NVGP champ Kristin Armstrong of the Cervelo Test Team won the women’s race in a time of 13:48.


photos by Frye

Posted 10 June 2009 † Andy Frye § Photos § News § NVGP ‡ Comments (1)

Mulrooney Denied Bid to Ride with Texas Roadhouse

Tim Mulrooney of Team Synergy was extended an 11th hour invitation to complete the Texas Roadhouse roster for the Nature Valley Grand Prix but officials denied his entry into the event.  Mulrooney was contacted late yesterday to participate as a member of Texas Roadhouse when one of their riders scheduled to compete could not attend.   Mulrooney was set to join fellow local racers Adam Bergman and Pat Lemieux on the Roadhouse squad after getting a club release from Synergy. 

Mulrooney was in the process of completing his registration at the NVGP hotel when he was summoned from the line by the NVGP Director Dave LaPorte.  LaPorte informed Mulrooney that he couldn’t enter the race.  BTDC contacted LaPorte for comment and LaPorte stated that Mulrooney was denied entry into the race because he was “a member of an MCF club and his entry would invalidate the selection series.”  The selection series is the NVGP Qualification Race Series (QRS) that served to qualify two local four person teams, Grandstay and Flanders, as well as a four person composite team. 

LaPorte added that because he became aware of Mulrooney’s interest at such a late hour (5 minutes before the managers meeting), he was unable to discuss the issue with the QRS organizer Jim Cullen.  LaPorte stated, “If we had known about this two weeks ago we could have talked with Jim (Cullen) and had him talk with the other clubs that participated in the series we might have been able to work something out.”

LaPorte said that the twelve slots for MCF riders were set aside to allow local amateurs to compete despite not being members of teams that were ranked in the NRC standings.  If Mulrooney or another rider who had not been a member of an MCF club was asked to participate by a team granted entry they would have been allowed to fill the vacant roster spot and compete.  LaPorte added, “If local MCF teams had accumulated enough NRC points to gain entry into the race then they would not have to qualify through the QRS.”

When asked about the matter Mulrooney expressed frustration and dissapointment but that the ruling by LaPorte was not unexpected.  

Posted 10 June 2009 † Andy Frye § Feature § News § NVGP § Pro Cycling § MCF ‡ Comments (41)

Podcast #66 - Massacre Clean-Up, Trackie Report, East Union

Hanna, Hayes, and Frye break down the blood and gore from the Massacre on Machinery Hill, they slice up the week that was, and fire up the chainsaw to discuss the NVGP QRS and the upcoming NVGP. 

Frye pokes Hanna with a sharp stick about East Union happenings but can’t draw blood and the track is where the cool kids slay it and trust us, it’s safe - if you can avoid to amputated body parts lying around (mostly in turns 3 and 4).

Official Massacre Results

NVGP QRS Final Results

Massacre photos by Frye

More photos can be found here

 
icon for podpress  Podcast #66 [37:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Posted 03 June 2009 † Staff § Photos § Crit § Bike Racing § Feature § Podcast § Road § NVGP § Track ‡ Comments (11)