Cyclingnews

June 11, Stage 3: Cannon Falls 96.6km

Colavita-Sutter Home land one-two punch; Allar wins crash-tastic third stage

By:

Kirsten Frattini

Published:

June 12, 2009, 20:21,

Updated:

June 15, 2009, 18:37

Zirbel, Armstrong keep lead, Webcor team loses out in crash

Photos

Colavita-Sutter Home's tough-to-beat sprint team is making bunch kicks look easy at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Long-time Argentinean friends, Sebastian Haedo lead the way for Alejandro Borrajo to take the stage three victory at the Cannon Falls road race and then helped himself to second place. Third placed John Murphy (OUCH-Maxxis) could not find the power necessary to come around the pair at the line.

"It was the plan for me to win today to get some time because the last stage is very hard and I can be good on that climb," Borrajo said. "I will keep going for the time bonuses. We are not the fastest team here. I think we are just better at finding each other and able to come together for the lead-out very well."

Colavita-Sutter Home's Latin lead-out steamed passed the OUCH-Maxxis train with one lap to go, rounding the final three-kilometre circuit with Borrajo on the back. Jelly Belly made its presence with sprinter Brad Huff in good position for the field sprint. Haedo made his move 400 metres out giving Borrajo the protection to save his speed for the last 200 metres to the finish.

"We wanted to take control on the circuits to make sure it came down to a bunch sprint," said Murphy. "I got a little bit jammed up in the back and lost Colavita's wheel. We wanted to win a stage today because we think the overall will really come down to Saturday in Mankato."

 

With no changes to the top three on general classification, Tom Zirbel (Bissell) leads the way by seven seconds ahead of Rory Sutherland (OUCH-Maxxis) and team-mate Peter Latham. However the plentiful time bonuses offered through out the six-stage race are allowing the sprinters to inch their way into overall contention a few seconds at a time.

"I think we are going to have to rely on Saturday's course to be the selective group," said Zirbel, referring to the grueling climb on the stage five finishing circuits in Mankato. "I'm not saying Borrajo or Haedo can't make it up that hill four times with us, but I think that it is in our favour to put efforts down on that hill.

"Rory strongly believes that he can out climb me, so I'm going to have to keep my focus on being reactive to him," he added. "We also have other options with in my team too. I just have to get though tomorrow. I rely on my team to be there for me and keep me out of trouble."

Tactics are played heavily between the top placed all-rounders and sprinters because time bonus sprints and climbs of attrition will play a key factor in determining the overall winner of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Tomorrow's stage four criterium offers a 15-second time bonus to the winner of the stage. Sprinters Murphy and his team-mate Karl Menzies along with Haedo and Borrajo are sitting inside the top just 16 to 28 seconds behind the race leader.

 

"I believe that I can win this race overall by Sunday, for sure," said Borrajo, a tall order to fill considering the final two stages host circuits with difficult climbs that are well suited to riders like Zirbel and Sutherland. "I also think that I can be there on the climbs in the last stages. We can win this stage race."

The Cannon Falls 96-kilometre road race took the peloton through the scenic Goodhue County over undulating terrain. The sun was out and the air was calm - in place of cross winds that normally play a factor tactical out come of the stage. The race culminated with an exciting four-lap finish held on the Cannon Falls circuits.

Early attacks split the field into several large groups but all came back together for the intermediate King of the Mountain sprints. Ken Hanson (Team Type 1) accumulated enough points in each hilltop sprint to take over the best climber's competition. Chad Gerlach (Amore & Vita) captured the event's most aggressive rider jersey for his nearly 40 kilometre breakaway. Multiple riders attempted to bridge the gap to Gerlach, causing his 50-second lead to diminish before the entrance back on to the circuits.

Thomas Soladay (Mountain Khakis) increased his lead in the event's best sprinter competition, winning the intermediate sprint for points located at the start of the five finishing circuits.

Allar wins crash filled road race

Value Act Capital guest rider Erica Allar brought her temporary team a stellar sprint victory at stage three of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Allar out-paced the defending stage champion Tina Pic (Colavita-Sutter Home) and rising-star Shelley Olds (Proman-Hit Squad) in the bunch kick to the line.

"I would have to say that this is my biggest win because a lot of the big sprinters are here," said Allar, who has been temporarily released from her BMW-Bianchi team to compete with Value Act Capital this week. "The girls were very supportive and even though we made a wrong turn coming back into town, they got me back in the race with no problems at all."

A crash eight kilometres to the finishing circuits resulted in severe changes to the overall classification. Defending Champion Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo Test Team) continues to lead by 12 seconds ahead of Alison Powers (Team Type 1). Shelley Olds moves into third place after the crash eliminated several top overall contenders from team Webcor-Builders.

"It was really unfortunate that the overall reshuffled in this way," said Armstrong. "It's really too bad about the girls who crashed. I don't think it's fair and the field should probably have collectively neutralised.

"I wasn't connected to the race radio so I didn't know too much about what had happened but normally with a crash like that there would be a representative from each team that would say, 'hey let's slow down'," added Armstrong.

Armstrong found her self in a difficult position for the majority of the race, after being forced to spend her energy on covering aggressive moves and reeling in early breakaways. She set a pace over the climb on the final five finishing circuits in Cannon Falls to keep the things safe and avoid time gaps. Despite crashing and making a wrong turn onto the circuits, Pic managed to rally her team-mates to the front for the final two laps in a bid for victory.

"Half the field that overshot that turn coming down to the circuits had to stop and turn around," Allar said. "I thought my race was over at that point but I was relentlessly trying to get back up to the main field. We had to chase and chase and chase.

"Luckily it was a long circuit with some fast turns that I excel at so I was able to find some recovery points," she added. "I had a little luck and support from my team and there you go, I got it."

Pile ups and wrong turns

Many teams were affected by the accident but Webcor-Builders took the brunt of the fall, which erased third placed and best young rider Alexis Rhodes, fourth placed Erinne Willock, eight placed Katheryn Mattis, Rebecca Much and Gina Grain. Team TIBCO riders caught up in the accident included Julie Beveridge, Ambar Rais and Meredith Miller.

"I've never seen a day like this or something like this happened to a team," said Webcor-Builder's directeur Laura Charmaeda. "They were all up front in good position and when the dominoes went down, they all ended up in it. It was a heap of green.

"I felt really bad for the team because they have worked so hard to be in the positions they were in and super psyched to go after the jerseys that they had," added Charmaeda. "To have that many go down is a very hard day. I don't think there was anything we could have done."

The remainder of the peloton continued on in pursuit of the finishing circuits. Both Pic and Allar were embodied in the group that missed the turn and found themselves chasing their way back up to the field with enough time to sprint.

"I don't know how I recovered from crashing, chasing, making wrong turn and chasing again," Pic said. "I was so far back and probably last place. Finally I caught up to my team who were so awesome in their lead-out. If I didn't have them today, I would have done absolutely nothing in the finish."

Tiffany Cromwell (Colavita-Sutter Home) picked up valuable Queen of the Mountain points that earned her the lead of the event's best climber competition while fellow Australian Kristy Broun (Riverstone CDA) continues to lead the event's best sprinter competition.

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