Race winner Cameron Evans (Symmetrics) on the final podium (Image credit: Mitch Clinton)
By Kirsten Robbins in San Dimas, California
Rock Racing's Oscar Sevilla slipped from the top of the leader board on the final stage of the San Dimas stage race, losing the overall classification to Canadian champion Cameron Evans (Symmetrics) by just one second. Evans slipped off the front of the peloton in the criterium with eventual stage winner Luis Amaran (Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light) to gain a total time of thirty-eight seconds, enough to knock Sevilla down to second overall. Third place in the overall was taken over by Ben Day (Toyota-United) who captured the first time bonus sprint for ten seconds.
The winning breakaway riders played a tactical game on the final lap to decide the stage victory, but after the close sprint Amaran emerged as the winner of the stage while Evans claimed the overall race victory. Emile Abraham (Team Type 1) won the field sprint for third place.
"It's certainly a good feeling to have won San Dimas especially because Sevilla is obviously a great bike rider," said Evans, who acknowledged that this was his first career stage race win. "With half a lap to go I was thinking about the stage win and the overall. I didn't want to get my hopes up too much and I was a little bit stressed."
Evans admitted that his breakaway goals were centred around collecting time bonus sprints to move further ahead in GC, but he did not anticipate gaining so much time on the peloton, given that Rock Racing had controlled the previous day's race to protect Sevilla's lead.
"I was kind of going into today thinking that the best way to get time back was to go for some bonuses, which is why I started a break," said a delighted Evans. "Amaran ended up being very strong and we worked well together. With fifteen minutes to go, I knew we were going to stay away. Although I was thinking about the finish of the criterium, I was also thinking more about moving up on GC, but I didn't think about actually getting the overall win so it worked out alright."
Evans initiated an attack after the first time bonus won by Day, who subsequently moved into second place, just nine seconds behind Sevilla on the GC. Day noted that his intention was to win the second time bonus as well and gain the additional seconds needed to win the overall. However, Evans, Amaran and Chris Jones (Team Type 1) rolled up the road, taking the additional bonuses on route.
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