UnitedHealthcare goes one-two in Basking Ridge

Robert Forster (UnitedHealthcare) took his first victory stateside at the National Racing Calendar (NRC) Base Camp International p/b Verison Wireless in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. The German fast-man won a bunch kick ahead of his teammate Hilton Clarke in second and Estonian veteran Jaan Kirsipuu (Champion System) in third.

"It was a great lead-out and we controlled the race for all the riders and my teammates did a great lead-out for, maybe, the last ten laps," said Forster who is gearing up for the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championships on Sunday. "It was a good sprint. I hope that I am in good form for the race in Philadelphia and all of our sprinters will be there."

Kirsipuu is a well known veteran sprinter who has raced for international teams as esteemed as Casino, Ag2R and Credit Agricole. He wore the yellow jersey at the Tour de France for six stages in 1999 after winning stage one. Along with several stage wins at the Grand Tour, he has also won stages of the Vuelta a Espana, Tour de Luxembourg, Tour Mediterranean, Tour de Pologne, Four days of Dunkerque and the Herald Sun Tour.

"Kirsipuu is a legend," Forster said. "He’s won several stages of the Tour. I know him and raced with him when I was young, he was also racing.

"He is a big bunch sprinter. I spoke with him today before the start of the race and I saw him earlier this year in Malaysia."

The Base Camp International p/b Verison Wireless offered valuable points toward the NRC along with 15,000USD. The Pro 1 men raced for a total of 64km on a highly technical, 1.7 km circuit that included eight corners and several chicanes and an uphill to the finish line. "The course was tricky and it was up and down and a lot of fighting in the corners, but it was OK," Forster said.

Several breakaways throughout the race were short-lived with the exception of a three-man move late in the race that included NRC winner Luis Amaran (Jamis-Sutter Home), James Williamson (Pure Black Racing) and Andre Diaz (Exergy). The trio held strong off the front of the field for the remaining nine laps, when Diaz made one last ditch effort to win the race and attacked his companions with two laps to go. UnitedHealthcare set up its lead-out train for sprinters Forster and Clarke during the closing laps and reeled in Amaran and Williamson along with Diaz on the last lap.

"We raced the whole race trying to get in a breakaway and several of our riders were in moves today," said Jamis-Sutter Home DS Sebastian Alexandre. "With ten laps to go, the three were off the front but UnitedHealthcare was controlling them and Luis sat on in the last coupe of laps. I knew that they wouldn’t let the breakaway get more the five to eight seconds gap. When I saw Luis jump and none of the UnitedHealthcare guys followed, I knew they didn’t want a breakaway and that they would ride tempo. This course is hard to ride behind. They were very strong and some other teams were behind them but nobody could do too much."

Full Results

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#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Robert Forster (UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team)1:29:22
2Hilton Clarke (UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team)Row 1 - Cell 2
3Jaan Kirsipuu (Team Champion System)Row 2 - Cell 2
4Anibal Borrajo (Jamis Sutter Home p/b Colavita)Row 3 - Cell 2
5Jonathan Cantwell (V Australia Pro Cycling Team)Row 4 - Cell 2
6Matthias Friedemann (Team Champion System)Row 5 - Cell 2
7Karl Menzies (UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team)Row 6 - Cell 2
8Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis Sutter Home p/b Colavita)Row 7 - Cell 2
9Aaron KEMPS (V Australia Pro Cycling Team)Row 8 - Cell 2
10Luke Keough (Team Mountain Khakis presented by SmartStop)Row 9 - Cell 2
11Bernard Sulzberger (V Australia Pro Cycling Team)Row 10 - Cell 2
12Tim Gudsell (Pure Black Racing)Row 11 - Cell 2
13Shem Rodger (Pure Black Racing)Row 12 - Cell 2
14Michael Larsen (SoCalCycling.com)Row 13 - Cell 2
15Bobby Lea (Pure Energy Cycling/ProAirHFA)Row 14 - Cell 2
16Adam Myerson (Team Mountain Khakis presented by SmartStop)Row 15 - Cell 2
17Benjamin Chaddock (team exergy)Row 16 - Cell 2
18Michael Northey (Pure Black Racing)Row 17 - Cell 2
19Daniel Barry (Pure Black Racing)Row 18 - Cell 2
20Isaac Howe (Kenda/5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling p/b Geargrinder)Row 19 - Cell 2
21Hayden Brooks (V Australia Pro Cycling Team)Row 20 - Cell 2
22Robert Sweeting (Kenda/5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling p/b Geargrinder)Row 21 - Cell 2
23Jay Thomson (BISSELL Pro Cycling)Row 22 - Cell 2
24Unknown RiderRow 23 - Cell 2
25Edwin Bull (Van Dessel Factory Team)Row 24 - Cell 2
26Timothy Brown (XO COMMUNICATIONS / BATTLEY HARLEY-DAVIDSON)Row 25 - Cell 2
27Gavriel Epstein (Chipotle Development Team)Row 26 - Cell 2
28Alexander Bremer (CRCA/Foundation)Row 27 - Cell 2
29Charles Hutcheson (XO COMMUNICATIONS / BATTLEY HARLEY-DAVIDSON)Row 28 - Cell 2
30Adam Carr (TwinSix)Row 29 - Cell 2
31Neil Bezdek (Team Mountain Khakis presented by SmartStop)Row 30 - Cell 2
32Scott Lyttle (Pure Black Racing)Row 31 - Cell 2
33Andrew Dahlheim (BISSELL Pro Cycling)Row 32 - Cell 2
34John (Jackie) Simes (Jamis Sutter Home p/b Colavita)Row 33 - Cell 2
35Ryan DeWald (XO COMMUNICATIONS / BATTLEY HARLEY-DAVIDSON)Row 34 - Cell 2
36Barry Miller (Glacial Energy / Pista Elite)Row 35 - Cell 2
37Gregory Olsen (CRCA/Jonathan Adler Racing)Row 36 - Cell 2
38Keck Baker (XO COMMUNICATIONS / BATTLEY HARLEY-DAVIDSON)Row 37 - Cell 2
39Remi McManus (team exergy)Row 38 - Cell 2
40Chris Williams (Team Champion System)Row 39 - Cell 2
41Georg Tazreiter (Team Champion System)Row 40 - Cell 2
42Kin San Wu (Team Champion System)Row 41 - Cell 2
43Andrew Pinfold (UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team)Row 42 - Cell 2
44Jacob Keough (UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team)Row 43 - Cell 2
45Colin JaskiewiczRow 44 - Cell 2
46Glen Chadwick (Pure Black Racing)Row 45 - Cell 2
47Zoltan Tisza (Champion System Racing)Row 46 - Cell 2
48Igor Volshteyn (CRCA/Jonathan Adler Racing)Row 47 - Cell 2
49Luis Alberto Romero Amaran (Jamis Sutter Home p/b Colavita)Row 48 - Cell 2
50Benjamin Zawacki (Team Mountain Khakis presented by SmartStop)Row 49 - Cell 2
51Sean Sullivan (V Australia Pro Cycling Team)Row 50 - Cell 2
52Fernando Antogna (Jamis Sutter Home p/b Colavita)Row 51 - Cell 2
53Taylor Shelden (V Australia Pro Cycling Team)Row 52 - Cell 2
54Shane Kline (BISSELL Pro Cycling)Row 53 - Cell 2
55Nicholas Bennette (MetLife Cycling Team)Row 54 - Cell 2
56Eric Schildge (Jamis Suttet Home p/b Colavita)Row 55 - Cell 2
57Guido Palma (Jamis Sutter Home p/b Colavita)Row 56 - Cell 2
58Boy Von Poppel (UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team)Row 57 - Cell 2
59Roman Kilun (Kenda/5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling p/b Geargrinder)Row 58 - Cell 2
60Matt Cooke (Team Exergy)Row 59 - Cell 2
61Jared Nieters (XO COMMUNICATIONS / BATTLEY HARLEY-DAVIDSON)Row 60 - Cell 2
62Ryan Shebelsky (Team Alliance Environmental)Row 61 - Cell 2
63J Gabriel Lloyd (MetLife Cycling Team)Row 62 - Cell 2
64Thomas Brown (Team Mountain Khakis presented by SmartStop)Row 63 - Cell 2
65Travis Livermon (Team Mountain Khakis presented by SmartStop)Row 64 - Cell 2
66Rodney Santiago (Champion System Racing)Row 65 - Cell 2
67Davide Frattini (UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team)Row 66 - Cell 2
68Demis Aleman (Jamis Sutter Home p/b Colavita)Row 67 - Cell 2
69Chad Hartley (Kenda/5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling p/b Geargrinder)Row 68 - Cell 2
70Alejandro Guzman (CRCA/Foundation)Row 69 - Cell 2

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Kirsten Frattini
Deputy Editor

Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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