Alzate and Cliff-Ryan take stage 2 at Nature Valley

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Team Exergy's Carlos Alzate took the win and the sprinter's jersey at the Nature Valley Grand Prix's stage 2 St. Paul criterium Wednesday, but Kenda/5-Hour Energy's John Murphy got the big prize by winning a five-second intermediate time bonus and taking over the race lead from Optum Pro Cycling's Tom Zirbel.

In the women's race, ExergyTWENTY12's Theresa Cliff-Ryan grabbed the stage win and the sprinter's jersey, but Optum's Carmen Small extended her overall lead by finishing third behind teammate Leah Kirchmann and grabbing several time bonuses along the way.

“It was a big team effort,” Small said of the stage. “I got the two time bonuses, so it was good. We were going for stage win with Leah, unfortunately Exergy jumped us, and I was not expecting that. But that's racing, so we learned. Tomorrow's another day.”

The women raced for 28 laps around the 1.6 km course in the heart of downtown St. Paul, and Optum wasted little time laying claim to the front of the field. The highly technical six-corner course with just one long straightaway leading to the start/finish made it easier for the six-rider team to control the race. But with time bonuses being offered for two intermediate sprints and the finish, the pace was fast from the beginning and never really let up.

Small added to her overall lead early on by taking the first time bonus sprint just five laps into the race, crossing the line ahead of Specialized-lululemon's Ally Stacher and Optum teammate Jade Wilcoxson. TIBCO-To the Top's Megan Guarnier countered the intermediate sprint with a short-lived attack that saw her solo off the front for just a couple of loops around the circuit.

With 14 laps remaining Small took the maximum reward at the second intermediate time bonus sprint, this time finishing ahead of Emilia Fahlin (Specialized-lululemon) and Colavita-ESPNW's Julie Beveridge.

Next it was Specialized-lululemon rider Loren Rowney's turn to hop off the front of the field, but this time the solo attack stuck quite a bit longer. Rowney built a maximum gap of 11 seconds and held off the field from 11 to go to just five to go but was swept up by an Optum chase and an accelerated pace for the last intermediate points sprint.

With the field back together and the lap counter nearing zero, Cliff-Ryan's ExergyTWENTY12 team moved to the front and swarmed the lead out train Optum had set up for Canadian speedster Leah Kirchmann.

Heather Logan delivered Cliff-Ryan into the final corner in perfect position, and the Exergy Tour stage 1 bunch sprint winner unleashed her powerful kick, opening a gap of several bike lengths over Kirchmann, who was charging up quickly at the line but eventually ran out of room to overtake Cliff-Ryan.

“We were happy with it coming down to a sprint,” Cliff-Ryan said. “When we got there the girls did a perfect job; they kept it strung out so I didn't have to fight for position. All I had to do was concentrate on my jump.”

Small's third-place finish earned her another five-second time bonus to further consolidate her overall lead. Optum team director Rachel Heal praised her team leader and said the squad controlled the front for most of the race, not only to protect Small's overall lead but also to keep the pace high to stretch out the field and keep things safe.

“We were in control the whole time, and we never panicked at any point,” Heal said. “It's also easier to do than continually chasing down attacks. If one rider is dangling off the front, we're happy to leave them there because we've got the firepower to bring them back straightaway.”

Alzate and Team Exergy overcome Optum Squad for stage win

Just as in the women's race, Optum patrolled the front of the men's field to protect Zirbel's yellow jersey, setting a ballistic pace at the beginning that immediately had several riders in trouble and falling off the pace. A few riders tried to sneak off the front, but none of the moves lasted more than one or two laps and never gained more than handful of seconds as the Optum squad reeled everything back almost immediately.

Optum's Mike Friedman grabbed the first time bonus sprint, preventing any of Zirbel's GC rivals from cashing in and moving closer in the overall battle. Bissell Pro Cycling's Frank Pipp, who started the day in sixth just 10 seconds down, finished second to earn a three-second bump, and Kenda's Andy Jacques-Maynes grabbed one second for third.

Optum kept a virtual lock on the race from that point on until the second time bonus sprint with 16 laps remaining. That's when Murphy took the maximum five-second prize and moved ahead of Zirbel as the overall leader on the road.

“Getting that time bonus took some of the pressure off because winning the stage wasn't necessary to take the jersey,” Murphy said. “But we always race to win.”

With about 10 laps remaining the sprinters' teams started moving to the front, and Zirbel himself took the reins to keep the pace high. The time trial specialist set the tempo until only three laps remained, ceding the front to Bissell's Chris Baldwin. Bissell was driving the race when the field took the bell for one to go, and Jamis-Sutter Home moved into place behind them. Jelly Belly and Alzate's Team Exergy leadout man Freddie Rodriguez also started fighting for the front spots on the final lap.

“We tried to let Optum work for their leader, then be in good position and fight for the sprint,” Alzate said. “Then in the end we took control on the last lap so we could win.”

“I attacked going into the last corner,” Huff said. “I came out of the corner with maybe a tiny gap, but (Alzate) just blew my doors off. I hung onto second and I'm happy about it because I wasn't involved in any crashes. It was pretty sketchy, and so I just tried to keep myself out of danger and save it for the line.”

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