Zawacki pips Mullervy for Roswell victory

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With the temperatures finally cooling the men lined up for the Historic Roswell Criterium in Georgia. Most of last night's Athens Twilight racers drove to this quaint Atlanta suburb for the eleventh edition. The racers would race for 90 minutes.

Blasting down the two lane road Ben Zawacki won the sprint from his late race break away taking the victory over Kevin Mullervy (Team Exergy) and Bobby Lea (Pure Energy Cycling-ProAirHFA) trailing in several seconds later for third.

Much like last night's Athens Twilight, the Roswell Criterium was prime heavy with the bell being rung multiple times throughout the race.

The primes kept the riders surging off the front, but the long straightaway allowed the peloton to reach maximum velocity, keeping any serious moves in check.

That didn't stop the Exergy team from being active at the front, taking primes and chasing down breaks. Team Mountain Khakis, under the guidance of manger/rider Adam Myerson was also active keeping their riders near the front.

With 17 laps completed Jean Michel Lechance (Rosetti Development) and Pat Lemieux (Kenda/5 Hour Energy p/b Geargrinder) went up the road. The duos lead never stretched to an insurmountable gap, but it allowed them to cash in on several primes. After several laps of freedom they were brought back.

By the midway point the group was together but the constant high speed was shedding weaker riders. The main aggressors of the evening continued to be Kenda, Exergy and Team Mountain Khakis.

With 32 laps finished and a $200 prime on the line, a serious break finally solidified into something that might stick. Nine riders scratched out a 15 second lead. However, the lure of the cash ruined any chance of collaboration as no one was working together to stay away.

With seven laps to go Bobby Lea (Pure Energy-ProAirHFA), Kevin Mullervy (Team Exergy), and Ben Zawacki (Team Mountain Khakis) took off. Chasing hard at the front of the peloton was Kenda's John Murphy.

With two laps to go the prime bell was rung for a crowd prime of $810 and the trio had a gap of 15 seconds.

"A guy jumped while the race was still being timed (before going to lap cards), I covered it and he blew up immediately," explained Zawacki. "Bobby and the Exergy guy (Kevin Mullervy) looked at each other and we knew it was time to go."

With one lap remaining Lea surged forward to just nip his break away companions to take the huge cash prime, but the pack was right on their wheels.

"It looked like there was going to be a last ditch effort that could succeed so I jumped on everything that moved with 20 minutes to go," said Lea, "The last 15 minutes were a gut check."

Regarding the last prime of the day that Lea grabbed, he has no intention of sharing.

"There was never any word about splitting it so that's their loss I guess."

On the backside of the course Zawacki accelerated on the only incline of the course and that was enough to shake loose Lea.

Around the final corner it was Mullervy leading Zawacki, and the Team Mountain Khakis had a little extra in the final 200 meters giving his team back to back wins (Luke Keuogh won Athens Twilight).

For Zawacki this was not only a huge win for himself, but also the team.

"This is incredible and we're taking a big step with the team this year and hopefully for next next. SmartStop is our new sponsor and they're pushing us to be a bigger team so this is a perfect way to show it."

With team manger Adam Myerson suited up and racing with his riders the Team Mountain Khakis has had a great weekend.

"Look what's happened the last two days he's been here. I think it's all gelling together really well. Most of us were with the team last year, but it's coming together and we're hitting our stride."

John Murphy is the current USA CRITS overall leader with five races remaining in the series.

Van Gilder takes out women's event

The Roswell Criterium, held in historic Roswell, Georgia, was the next stop on the USA CRITS series. Under the hot midday sun the women were lined up for 60 minutes of racing on a five corner, one mile course.

Through the long final stretch to the finish Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom/ Rose Bandit) was the fastest to the line pushing past Erica Allar (RideClean) and Sarah Fader (Pepper Palace/Spin-Tech Training p/b ABRC).

Just like the previous night's race in downtown Athens, Georgia the constant primes kept the speed high and the peloton strung out.

Still in the early part of the race a small crash took the steam out of the peloton. Unfortunately one woman racer suffered a serious injury to her arm as it became tangled with the snow fencing that lined the course.

Debbie Milne (Absolute Racing/MSMOC), riding without teammates, took multiple primes but couldn't break away – content to take the cash. What's remarkable is that Milne, mother of three children as well as a graduate student, can train only an hour a day due to time restrictions.

"My coach has adjusted my training for an hour a day, but if I raced longer than that I'd see stars," said Milne. "My coach's plan was for me to practice my sprints, so my goal was to only do work when going for the primes."

At the midway prime Sarah Fader (Pepper Palace/Spin-Tech Training p/b ABRC) took the points that went toward the overall USA Crit series and that was enough to separate herself with four other racers. But by the time they completed another lap the group was once again all together.

With just five laps to go the clanging prime bell kept the racers on their toes. However the result of the primes was the contenders were firmly at the front of the pack. Mellow Mushroom's Laura Parsons was monitoring the front with her teammate Laura Van Gilder tucked in a few wheels behind.

On the penultimate lap a crowd prime of $350 brought out Kristen Lasasso (Mellow Mushroom) and Milne. But on the last lap Van Gilder muscled her way past last night's Athens winner Erica Allar.

"I did feel the pressure coming into this race," said Van Gilder referring to her second place in Athens. "I knew the team was working really hard and I've never won Athens, so I wanted to deliver."

"To win a race is never easy. There are so many riders coming up. I might be fast but I'm not getting any younger. I wanted to show that I can still win."

With her teammate up the road on the last lap, it took some pressure off Van Gilder.

"They were providing the carrot and once they were caught, Kristen (Lasasso) was still able to be at the front and drill it. I was in a good position and was able to do my own sprint."

With her win Van Gilder took the lead in the overall USA CRIT Series by one point. Five races remain in the series.

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