Team Type 1 goes one-two

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Ken Hanson and Alexey Schmidt made it a Team Type 1 one-two in the bunch kick that concluded today's Menomonie Road Race. Runner up in the overall classification Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis) placed third on the day and captured the valuable time bonuses needed to inch his way closer to the overall race lead.

"It is hard to beat coming first and second," said Hanson. "I was really hungry and confident that if it came down to a sprint I could do it. I was really lucky to have guys like Davide Frattini and Shawn Milne up there fighting for me and all the guys on the team. They made this win as easy as they could for me. They did everything right today and I appreciate it."

Scott Zwizanski (Kelly Benefit Strategies) held on to the overall race lead that he earned after winning the stage one time trial. Sutherland sits three seconds back in second place heading into the final stage. His teammate Zach Bell is in third.

Kelly Benefit Strategies set a strong pace at the front of the peloton to catch a lingering breakaway towards the start of the four finish circuits located in Menomonie. UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis took over on the circuits with a dominant lead-out train, normally set up for double stage winner Hilton Clarke, was instead towing Rory Sutherland in pursuit of the hefty time bonuses offered at the finish line.

Team Type 1 overthrew the UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis train as the field rounded the final lap in an effort to put its sprinter Ken Hanson in the best possible position to capture the stage win, a win he fell one place short of in the previous day's criterium.

"Shawn and Davide did a phenomenal job keeping me right behind UnitedHealthcare on the last few laps," continued Hanson. "A kilometre to go there was a downhill stretch and Shawn took over with Davide behind him, then me and last was Alexey Schmidt. We got in front of Unitedhealthcare and my guys kept the speed really high and controlled.

"On the second to last straightway Karl [Menzies] jumped really hard with Rory on his wheel and luckily I felt really good, had a lot of confidence and wasn't going to let my teammates down," he added. "I got on Rory's wheel coming out of the last corner and the rest of the course really suited me because it flattened out. I came around them and Alexey was able to come around too for second."

During the men's 152km stage, a seven rider breakaway rolled off the front of the peloton that included Bernie Sulzberger (Fly V Australia), Nick Frey (Jamis-Sutter Home p/b Colavita), Brad Huff (Jelly Belly p/b Kenda), Daniel Holt (Team Type 1), Soren Peterson (Hagens Berman), Travis Burandt (Hotel San Jose) and Phil Gaimon (Kenda p/b Geargrinder).

Huff accumulated enough points in the four King of the Mountains offered during the stage to move into the lead in the mountains classification. Hilton Clarke (UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis) maintained his lead in the sprint competition despite Holt and Frey's effort to collect sprint points throughout the breakaway.

Despite the break gaining a maximum advantage of of 2:30, the Kelly Benefit Strategies team initiated a controlled chase to reduce the gap before entering the finishing circuits. "Kelly Benefit Strategies did a lot of work today, all day, at the front," said Hanson. "They did a good job. The really did all the work until we got closer to the circuits and the sprinter teams started to take over. "

Willock works wonders in the break

Erinne Willock (Webcor-Builders) won a two-up breakaway sprint ahead of Linda Villumsen (HTC-Columbia) to capture the penultimate stage at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. The pair made it to the finish line 26 seconds ahead of the bunch sprint won by Brooke Miller (Tibco-To the Top) in third place.

"Linda took the yellow jersey and pretty much gave me the sprint, which was awesome," said Willock. "She took the yellow jersey today so for sure we were both gaining a lot. We were pretty down anyway in the GC so we are really happy with today."

Villumsen moved into the general classification lead ahead of previous leader Shelley Evans (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12) by virtue of gaining valuable time in a late-race breakaway that made it to the line ahead of the peloton. She also earned herself the event's best young rider lead. Ruth Corset (Tibco-To the Top) sits in third place.

Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12) is leading the mountains classification and Evans is the current points leader.

The fifth stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix has traditionally been held at the decisive Mankato Road Race. The event was replaced by the new Menomonie Road Race held over the border in Wisconsin. The new addition travelled over a predominantly rolling course and will finish with four flat circuits for a total of 124km.

"The course outside of the city was harder than Mankato," Willock said. "Mankato usually came into the city together and then the circuits were hard. This course was harder coming into the circuits. The road race was rolling the whole way. The circuits were five kilometres around with about eighteen corners and pretty flat. It was a really good course for a breakaway because it was in the trees and winding all the time."

A flurry of attacks were launched by one rider from strong teams Vera Bradley Foundation, Tibco-To the Top, Colavita-Baci, Webcor-Builders and HTC-Columbia. Although no riders got away at that time, the aggressive style of racing served to split apart the peloton into a smaller front group.

Willock made her move following the third and final QOM and was later joined by Villumsen. The pair worked well together to gain a maximum 45-second advantage as they entered the four final circuits. Peanut Butter &Co TWENTY12 took responsibility at the front of the field to reduce the gap in an effort to protect Evans' lead.

"It was a rolling course and a bit of wind," Willock said. "There were four QOMs and from the second to the third one it was pretty close in distance. The field was strung out in between and after the third QOM there were attacks over the top and mine was the one that went. Villumsen bridged up to me and we worked really well together and made it to the finish line."