McCabe wins Sunny King Criterium

Holowesko-Citadel’s Travis McCabe delivered the first win for his new team Saturday night at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama, the first race of USA Cycling’s newly configured Pro Road Tour.

UnitedHealthcare, Holowesko-Citadel and Astellas duelled throughout the race, riding aggressively to make sure they had at least one rider in all of the dangerous moves.

US Elite criterum champion Daniel Holloway (Giant) tried to jump away in several moves, but the pack, usually driven by one of the larger teams, pulled the breakaways back in due time.

An opportunistic group of three riders escaped late in the race, however, with Andzs Flaksis (Holowsko-Citadel), Ryan Knapp (First Interstate) and Brendan McCormack (CCB) building a gap of 35 seconds with 20 laps to go.

Having missed out on the move, UnitedHealthcare assumed control of the field and lined things up for a final game of beat the clock with the trio off the front.

With six laps to go, and just four of UnitedHealthcare’s riders left pulling on the front of the chase, the breakaway had an 18-second gap.

Flaksis put in a dig going through the line with five to go, and it was enough to shake his companions. The 25-year-old Latvian looked strong with three laps to go, but as the field swept up his former breakmates, UnitedHealthcare seemed to pick up even more speed at the head of the field as Holowesko lined up behind them.

Flaksis was well in sight of the field on the finishing straightaway as he took the bell for the final lap. When the bunch reshuffled in the final circuit, UnitedHealthcare and Astellas battled for control while Holowesko surged out of the final turn and delivered McCabe for the win.

The USA Cycling Pro Road Tour continues Sunday with the Fort McClellan Road Race, also in Anniston. Cyclingnews will carry the race live stream beginning at 10 a.m. CDT.

Sunday's McClellan Road Race consists of multiple loops up and over a 35.5km circuit with three substantial climbs. The peloton will battle over Bains Gap, with an average gradient of 10 percent along more than a kilometre of climbing that includes pitches up to

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