Friedman, Olds win overall at Nature Valley Grand Prix

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J.J. Haedo (Jamis-Hagens Berman) took his third stage win of the Nature Valley Grand Prix Sunday during the difficult Stillwater criterium by outsprinting overall winner Mike Friedman (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Jesse Goodrich (California Giant-Specialized). Friedman took the overall win, his first since the Tour of Korea in 2010.

"This is my first stage win on US soil," Friedman said. "So it's pretty rad. I'm really happy. Really happy."

The women's race was embroiled in controversy after overall leader Jade Wilcoxson crashed in the final corner and did not cross the finish line, surrendering her overall lead to TIBCO's Shelley Olds, who started the day one second behind. TIBCO's Claudia Häusler won the race by bridging to a three rider break and then outsprinting her teammate Joanne Kiesanowski and Specialized-lululemon's Tayler Wiles.

"From the start of the race we set [Optum] under pressure," Häusler said immediately after the stage. "We had some good moves, and I was one of them. And when I can win the stage I go for the stage, too. And I think we also won the tour. That was our goal for today, and we did it."

Despite a rule that riders who crashed in the final lap would get the time of the group they were in when the mishap occurred, officials ruled that the group that contained both Wilcoxson and Olds splintered going up the final climb to the finish, and Wilcoxson was given the time of the only two riders who finished together, nine seconds after Olds. Officials denied Optum's subsequent protest.

A patient Haedo waits and then grabs win number three

Optum showed up to the Stillwater criterium after having already defended yellow on the same course for Tom Zirbel in 2012 and Jesse Anthony in 2011. The orange-and-black squad kept the race under control throughout, sacrificing Scott Zwizanski's second overall placing to help protect Friedman's lead and even launch him into second on the stage.

"I was super nervous coming into the race," Friedman said. "I was freaking out. I woke up like 3:30 in the morning and I was analyzing, like okay this could happen or this could happen. All the different scenarios were playing out in my head. I talked with Jesse Anthony this morning and I talked with Tom Zirbel at the race, and he said, 'Look, man. Just trust us. Here's what we're going to do. Just have faith in us.'"

CashCall struck hard early to pick up the first KOM points for jersey wearer Chris Barton just three laps into the race. Barton took the prize and secured the jersey before the pace settled down slightly. Attacks from Elbowz, which started the day with Andres Diaz 28 seconds behind Friedman for third overall, forced a quick pace as the men got further into their 20-lap stage.

But Optum's six-rider spread across the Chilkoot climb, which was narrowed by a large and enthusiastic crowd, kept most attacks in check. The team would then ramp up the pace on the false flat to the top of the course before reeling back escapees on the descent.

The tactic kept any breaks within easy striking range for Optum, until Janier Acevedo got a small gap on the final lap. The Jamis-Hagens Berman rider had a three-second advantage on the descent halfway through the course, but Optum pulled him back before sprint started in earnest. It was a perfect setup for Haedo, who waited patiently behind the Optum train and then let out for the finish at the base of the climb.

"Janier got a gap on the last bit of the kicker, not the steep one, the other one," Haedo said. "He got a gap and it was perfect because it forced the other guys to chase really hard and also stretch it out so I could stay in position."

The former WorldTour rider had a lead of four bike lengths by the finish. Friedman crossed the line two seconds later, followed by California Giant-Specialized's Goodrich and national road race champion Freddie Rodriguez. Haedo said the 150 meter, 17 percent grade climb to the finish did not intimidate him.

"The last three or four laps started getting tougher and tougher," Haedo said. "But I kept thinking if I can make it there I know I have enough power to do a 150 meter sprint, and that's whether it's uphill or flat. It's actually better because you can go full power. It's not like you need speed or position. I looked back before we got to the hill and I saw Freddie gave me a little gap maybe to get a run into me, so I just went as soon as I could."

Häusler gets stage, Olds takes controversial overall win

TIBCO started the women's 13-lap race at the front and kept the pressure on Optum throughout. But it was Specialized-lululemon's Ally Stacher who jumped away from the group first with seven laps remaining. She was joined two laps later by her teammate, Wiles, and TIBCO's Kiesanowski.

"All of the sudden the gap got really big and I heard Ian, one of our sponsors from HED Wheels, started screaming that Tayler was coming up behind me, and I thought, game on, we can win this," Stacher said. "So we just drilled it."

The three leaders quickly gained 21 seconds on the field, bringing Optum to the front to pick up the chase. With just two laps remaining, the trio had a gap of 29 seconds, and by then Häusler was bridging fast.

The German climbing specialist whittled down 13 seconds in half a lap to join the leaders halfway through the final circuit and then powered away on the climb of Chilkoot Hill for the win. Kiesanoskwi, who had sat on the break group while her teammate bridged, crossed the line for the TIBCO one-two finish. Wiles finished five seconds back, while Stacher crossed the line 14 seconds in arrears.

But with none of the lead quartet a danger to the overall race lead, the real battle for the final General Classification was playing out behind in a select group of 10 that included top-three riders Wilcoxson, Olds and Specialized's Carmen Small.

Descending down off the climb through multiple corners before a tight right-hander onto the finishing straight, the race got too sketchy for Small, who is scheduled to race the Giro Donne with her team at the end of the month.

"It was just [Olds and Wilcoxson] fighting, and they were pretty aggressive coming down the backside," Small said. "In the second-to-last corner I was on their wheels, but they were just going way too hot, so I actually sat up off them. They took that last corner and I was like, 'Nope, they're not making it,' and Jade went right into the barriers. I'm just not willing to take those risks. The Giro is a huge race for us, so I need to be in good form for that. It's not worth crashing as I already did earlier this stage race."

With Small out of the picture, Wilcoxson and Olds continued to battle, along with Olds' teammate Lauren Stephens, Saturday's stage 5 winner.

"It was a fight, but it always is," Olds said. "I knew that getting through the last two corners to the front was the key, and I told my teammate Lauren Stephens to just get me through the last two corners and to the base of that climb. Jade was the only one who jumped us. So she jumped us and got in front in the last two corners. When I came through the last corner I saw Jade go into the side. It's really unfortunate, but it wouldn't have changed the way the race would have happened, I don't think."

Wilcoxson took the final corner wide and collided with the barriers, ending her race and opening up the finish for Olds' powerful sprint. Olds grabbed fifth, one second behind Stacher, followed by Optum's Lauren Hall, Birchwood Cycling's Flavia Oliveira, Optum's Brianna Walle and then Small. All of the riders were separated by several seconds except Oliveira and Walle, who the group that officials put Wilcoxson to decide her finish time. The decision gave Olds a nine-second gap over Wilcoxson on the stage and lifted her into the over by eight seconds.

A battered and bruised Wilcoxson, who was scheduled to compete with the US National team at the Giro Donne, said she made a mistake by going past Olds and Stephens rather than riding in on Olds wheel.

"I took a little bit more risk than I needed to," she said. "I felt really good today. I probably would have been just fine sitting on Shelley's wheel and sprinting with her up the hill. But maybe I got a little greedy and wanted to gap her off when I didn't need to. Unfortunately, I paid the price. I feel more bad for my team that worked so hard all week. And to not get to come home with yellow is a little bit painful."

Olds said she regretted the way the race finished, but she didn't think the race would have turned out different even if Wilcoxson hadn't crashed.

"It's really unfortunate," Olds said. "But it wouldn't have changed the way the race would have happened, I don't think."

Men - Full Results

Women - Full Results