Schmitt snares UHC one-two

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UnitedHealthcare's Morgan Schmitt won the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic's Stage 1 Mt. Tabor Criterium in a field sprint, propelling himself into the overall race lead via time bonuses given to the winner.

Schmitt's turn in the leader's jersey for stage two will mark the first time since the second stage of last year's race that 2009 winner Paul Mach (Bissell) won't be starting a stage in yellow.

Mach, who won the prologue yesterday, finished safely in the bunch on a slippery course but came into the day leading Schmitt by just two seconds. Schmitt's 10-second bonus gives him an eight-second lead over the Bissell rider, who still sits second overall.

Schmitt's UHC teammate Marc Demaar is now third overall after finishing second on the stage.

"It was definitely a great showing for us with all the UnitedHealthcare people at the race," Schmitt said. "There's no better way to win than in front of them."

UnitedHealthcare pb Maxxis directeur sportif Gord Fraser noted that the team was aggressive throughout the stage, making sure the Mach was working as much as possible.

"Mach had to do a lot of gap closing today," said Fraser. "The guys rode a great race today, and Morgan in particular was flying."

The record rainfall forecast for the stage never materialised, but weeks of damp weather had already turned the course into a slip-and-slide for the riders. The nearly 180-degree turn at the top of the 1.5-mile course bit many a rider, as did the descent that immediately followed.

UnitedHealthcare's Roman Kilun was one of the riders who fell hard, along with Hagens Berman Rider Sam Johnson, who started the day in eighth place but struggled after crashing on the first corner of the first lap and then again later in the race.

"It was so, so slick," said Johnson. "I have some of the best tyres they make, and I was running 90 psi, and I was sliding my rear on the uphills all the time. My front wheel was washing out left and right. It was pretty slick."

Despite the hardships for others, Schmitt stuck with the team's plan to try and spring a breakaway, but when that didn't pan out he did a little freelance work at the finish. Teammate Chris Baldwin, who sits on fifth on GC, said the team was determined to get the win once it became obvious they weren't going to make a tour-deciding breakaway happen.

"We wanted to try and spring a breakaway and kind of put the other GC contenders in the rearview mirror," said Baldwin. "But the conditions really weren't conducive to that. It was just too dangerous. Everything kept coming back together."

With the first plan out of the picture, the team set to work on getting the day's win.

"We tried to put a lead out together in the end," continued Baldwin. "That didn't work. So we tried to freelance with those guys, and plan C finally worked. It was just a real thrill to have Morgan pull off the win, and more exciting with United Healthcare here watching and sponsoring the stage. Morgan's parents are here, too, so it's pretty special."

Schmitt went into the final laps thinking he would help line up teammate Eric Barlevav for the stage win in a field sprint, but after setting up in the train behind Demaar, they found themselves swamped by a Yahoo! team determined to get the win for Ryan Parnes, who started the day third overall just five seconds down. Schmitt dug in his heels and followed Demaar's lead up the final power climb before the finish.

"The last time up the main climb, I attacked a bit and got a gap on the field and that kind of woke up the field to chase down McCarty," explained Schmitt. "I knew I was going to get caught so I eased up and slotted in behind Marc in fifth wheel. With 150 metres to go, I squeaked by on the left side and we held it to the line.

"Luckily he let me in because Yahoo! kind of died out 150 metres and things came back fast. I just kept the power on and felt good to the line."

Schmitt and his UHC team will now get to defend the jersey at the stage three Mt. Adams Road Race. Crews just cleared the route of snow this week for the two-lap, 108-mile trek that features two significant climbs per loop but offers a 10-mile downhill run to the finish that could give sprinters a chance.

The six-man UHC squad will have to keep an eye on Team Type 1's Michael Creed, who is riding solo at the race, Bissell's three-rider squad and a host of top amateur teams, including Yahoo!, which has Parnes sitting fourth.

"I think our team is strong enough to defend the jersey, but the Friday time trial will be tough," added Schmitt. "Paul [Mach] is good against the clock. But we'll see how it goes tomorrow. Marc's only a few seconds back, Chris [Baldwin] is only a few seconds back, so we have a lot of cards to play."

The Mt. Adams Road race also marks stage one for the Pro/Am women's Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.

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