World champion Bronzini wins stage as Armstrong stays in yellow
UnitedHealthcare Makes It Three-For-Three
World champion Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno D'Asolo presented by Cooking Light) sprinted to victory in Thursday's Nature Valley Grand Prix Cannon Falls road race to win her third race on American soil in 11 days.
Chloe Hoskings (HTC-Highroad) finished a close second in stage 3, with Bronzini's teammate, Theresa Cliff-Ryan, in third.
Having two very strong sprinters on one team is an advantage, giving the team more options in chaotic sprint finishes, Cliff-Ryan said.
"The sprint was going to be for me today," she said. "I lined up behind Shelley (Olds) with Giorgia behind me as a sweeper. That gives us a chance if I screw up the sprint so Giorgia can come. I chose to be on the left side and had to go onto the curb because the peloton came up the left. Halfway up the hill I yelled to Giorgia to 'go'. With Giorgia first and me third, it's a good result."
"We tried to do the same sprint today as we did yesterday," Bronzini said of her plans with teammate Cliff-Ryan. "She is strong, and I hope she win tomorrow."
Bronzini sprinted to victory in Wednesday's Paul Downtown Criterium Wednesday night to go along with her victory June 5 at the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia.
The majority of Thursday's 66.5-mile race traveled through gently rolling farm lands surrounding Cannon Falls. Several teams set out to make the race hard and attacks were launched nearly continuously.
"We're going to be aggressive and race smart," Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Highroad) said before the start. "We have a really incredible team here, and we're sitting in second and fourth overall, so we have a lot of options. We're going to see how the race plays out, what the other teams do, and take it from there."
The most prominent break of the day gained nearly a minute's lead in anticipation of the first Queen of the Hill (QoH) competition. Leah Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D'Asolo), Rachel Warner (Missing Link Coaching Systems/Specialized), and Amity Elliot (Team Kenda presented by Geargrinder) took the top points, respectively, up the first QOH. But they were caught shortly afterwards.
From then on, no other breaks were allowed more than 20 seconds of freedom, with all teams contributing to the chasing. Yellow jersey wearer Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) even brought back two herself.
"It was a really good race and there was always something going on," said Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita Forno D'Asolo), wearer of the best young rider jersey. "The race went really fast, we were always concentrating. I think every team was out today to draw everybody out. It was good out there and the wind wasn't too strong. We knew we had good sprinters in the bunch, so either way we knew we had good cards to play."
All of the jerseys remained the same after today's race, including the most aggressive rider jersey that went to Shelley Olds (Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan). The jersey typically changes shoulders on each stage.
UnitedHealthcare Makes It Three-For-Three
The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team made it three in a row Thursday night by winning the stage 3 Cannon Falls Road Race at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Robert Förster took top honors and the race lead, while teammate Jake Keough was second and Ken Hanson (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) finished third.
Just like Förster said it was drawn up at his team's pre-race meeting, the German sprinter took the race lead from teammate Rory Sutherland with the help of a 12-second time bonus at the finish.
"I knew that I was only 11 seconds behind Rory, so we tried to make the leadout for me today," Förster said.
With a slim, one-second lead over three-time Nature Valley Grand Prix champion Sutherland, Förster said he wants to defend. But he also said he has no problem passing the leader's yellow jersey on to one of his teammates. "I want to hold the jersey as long as possible but when Rory comes back or another rider, I don't care as long as it's the team, the main thing is the team."
Racing was fast and aggressive on the 66.5-mile road race as the riders sped through gently rolling, but wide open farmlands. Attacks and counter-attacks were flying at the front but no one was able to escape until 30 miles into the stage. Four riders - Tom Zirbel (Jamis/Sutter Home), Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Pro Cycling), Marsh Cooper (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Optumhealth) and Mat Stephens (Elbowz Racing) - sped free, but never managed more than a 35-second gap.
UnitedHealthcare riders worked hard to control the front for most of race and were content to let the four-man group dangle off the front. But the break was doomed from the start and the field was all back together before making the right-hand turn into the gravel road section on its way back to Cannon Falls. The fast pace was even higher on the six finishing circuits that included a short, steep climb to the finish line.
"It was a fast race, with a 48 kph average speed," Förster said. "All the teams tried to attack us and it was difficult to stay together. We lost some boys from the hard work in the first 70, 80 kilometers and then we came to the loops."
Once on the circuit, the battle for control at the front was on between several teams, with the Jelly Belly squad taking over with four laps to go.
"We knew our best chance was to just ride the front and keep me out of trouble and then UnitedHealthcare was going to take over and try to lead out the sprint." Hanson said. "Jelly Belly rode really great to get organized."
Chaos reigned with the sprinters fighting for position behind the leadout train of UnitedHealthcare on the final lap. Sutherland was at the front, followed by Karl Menzies, Förster, Keough and Hanson. The battle to stay on the train intensified and Hanson said he had to work hard to close down a gap. After reconnecting to Keough's wheel, he got boxed in when the leadout riders peeled off at the front.
"Once I lost the momentum on the hill, that was it. So I ended up third," Hanson said. "I'm happy to get on the podium, but it could have been better."
Kyle Wamsley (Bissell) will be wearing the polka-dot King of the Hills jersey after taking top points in the first two sprint lines. Tom Zirbel (Jamis/Sutter Home) was awarded the most aggressive rider jersey. The other special jerseys remain the same: Carlos Alzate (Team Exergy) in the black sprint competition jersey, Chad Haga (Team Rio Grande), in the green jersey as the top amateur, and Joey Rosskopf (Team Type 1-Development) in the white jersey for the best young rider.
Racing continues Friday with the Minneapolis Uptown Criterium, the marquee event of the Nature Valley Grand Prix, attracting what many observers consider to be the largest criterium crowd in the country. Uptown is a major entertainment district that abuts dense, upscale residential neighborhoods. The flat, six-corner course and a pumped-up crowd traditionally makes for high speeds. A long drag up Lake Street leads to a short dash from the final corner to the finish line on Hennepin Avenue.
Förster hopes to make it four straight for UnitedHealthcare with another performance like Wednesday's one-two-three sweep of the Downtown Saint Paul Criterium.
"We'll try to do the same as yesterday, but since we lost one rider, Hilton (Clarke), who separated his shoulder, we are only seven tomorrow," he said. "We used all the guys today to do the sprint, so maybe it can be a little bit different. But the guys are good, they are all in good condition, we all work well together and we know what to do."
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 2:38:02 |
2 | Chloe Hoskins (HTC-High Road) | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Shelley Olds (Diadora Pasta Zara) | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Emily Collins (Vanderkitten-Focus) | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Jennifer Purcell (Danbury Audi) | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Anne Samplonius (NOW And Novartis) | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Erinne Willock (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Kaytee Boyd (BikeNZ National Team) | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Jade Wilcoxson (NVGP Pro Ride) | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Devon Gorry (NOW And Novartis) | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Kristin McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Amber Neben (HTC-High Road) | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Evelyn Stevens (HTC-High Road) | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Samantha Schneider (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Ally Stacher (HTC-High Road) | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Barbara Guarashi (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Lindsay Myers (Danbury Audi) | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Amanda Miller (HTC-High Road) | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Amber Pierce (Diadora Pasta Zara) | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Robin Farina (NOW And Novartis) | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Hilary Billington (Danbury Audi) | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Rachel Neylan (Diadora Pasta Zara) | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Meredith Miller (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Megan Guarnier (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Lauren Tamayo (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Laura Ralston (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Jenna Rinehart (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Anna Barensfeld (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Holly Mathews (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:01:13 |
34 | Rosara Joseph (BikeNZ National Team) | 0:01:17 |
35 | Amity Elliot (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | 0:01:55 |
36 | Heather Logan-Sprenger (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 0:01:56 |
37 | Genevieve Whitson (MVP Health Care Cycling Team) | 0:01:58 |
38 | Elle Anderson (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Jessica Prinner (ABD Cycling Team) | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Stacy Appelwick (ABD Cycling Team) | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Leah Guloien (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Whitney Schultz (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Rebecca Wellons (Danbury Audi) | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Jazzy Hurikino (Vanderkitten-Focus) | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Emma Mackie (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | 0:02:02 |
46 | Kathleen Billington (Danbury Audi) | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Jacqueline Kurth (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Joanne Kiesanowski (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Jeannie Kuhajek (ABD Cycling Team) | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | Kathleen Giles (NVGP Pro Ride) | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | Inga Cilvinaite (Diadora Pasta Zara) | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | Jennifer Rasmusson (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Robin Bauer (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:02:43 |
54 | Amy Miner (NVGP Pro Ride) | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Kaitlin Antonneau (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:02:45 |
56 | Jaime Nielson (BikeNZ National Team) | 0:02:47 |
57 | Lauren Ellis (BikeNZ National Team) | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
58 | Cara Gillis (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Tayler Wiles (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:02:51 |
60 | Missy Erickson (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:04:30 |
61 | Laurel Larsen (NVGP Pro Ride) | 0:04:42 |
62 | Laura Meadley (MVP Health Care Cycling Team) | 0:04:43 |
63 | Melanie Colavito (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | 0:04:49 |
64 | Alison Starnes (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:04:52 |
65 | Kimberley Turner (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:05:04 |
66 | Addy Albershardt (NOW And Novartis) | 0:05:24 |
67 | Jane Weakley (NVGP Pro Ride) | 0:05:46 |
68 | Louise Smyth (NVGP Pro Ride) | 0:05:50 |
69 | Olivia Dillon (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:05:51 |
70 | Lenore Pipes (MVP Health Care Cycling Team) | 0:06:07 |
71 | Maura Kinsella (Vanderkitten-Focus) | 0:06:34 |
72 | Elizabeth Newell (Vanderkitten-Focus) | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
73 | Carmen Small (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | 0:06:39 |
74 | Joelle Numainville (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | 0:06:47 |
75 | Rachel Warner (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | 0:07:59 |
76 | Erika Graves (NOW And Novartis) | 0:10:19 |
77 | Christina Gokey-Smith (NOW And Novartis) | Row 76 - Cell 2 |
78 | Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:12:34 |
79 | Ashley James (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | 0:13:33 |
80 | Judy Jenkins (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | Row 79 - Cell 2 |
81 | Janel Holcomb (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 0:28:25 |
DNF | Colleen Paine (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | Row 81 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Kristen Meshberg (ABD Cycling Team) | Row 82 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Catherine Cheatley (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | Row 83 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 5 | pts |
2 | Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 3 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Kaytee Boyd (BikeNZ National Team) | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 5 | pts |
2 | Rachel Warner (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | 3 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Amity Elliot (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Robin Farina (NOW And Novartis) | 5 | pts |
2 | Kristin McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 3 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Carmen Small (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | 5 | pts |
2 | Rachel Neylan (Diadora Pasta Zara) | 3 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Shelley Olds (Diadora Pasta Zara) | 2 | pts |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Jade Wilcoxson (NVGP Pro Ride) | 2:38:02 |
2 | Laura Ralston (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Holly Mathews (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:01:13 |
4 | Elle Anderson (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:01:58 |
5 | Jessica Prinner (ABD Cycling Team) | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Stacy Appelwick (ABD Cycling Team) | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Kathleen Giles (NVGP Pro Ride) | 0:02:02 |
8 | Robin Bauer (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:02:43 |
9 | Amy Miner (NVGP Pro Ride) | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Kaitlin Antonneau (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:02:45 |
11 | Laurel Larsen (NVGP Pro Ride) | 0:04:42 |
12 | Kimberley Turner (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:05:04 |
13 | Addy Albershardt (NOW And Novartis) | 0:05:24 |
14 | Jane Weakley (NVGP Pro Ride) | 0:05:46 |
15 | Maura Kinsella (Vanderkitten-Focus) | 0:06:34 |
16 | Elizabeth Newell (Vanderkitten-Focus) | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Erika Graves (NOW And Novartis) | 0:10:19 |
18 | Ashley James (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | 0:13:33 |
19 | Judy Jenkins (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Chloe Hoskins (HTC-High Road) | 2:38:02 |
2 | Emily Collins (Vanderkitten-Focus) | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Samantha Schneider (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Ally Stacher (HTC-High Road) | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Barbara Guarashi (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Lindsay Myers (Danbury Audi) | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Amanda Miller (HTC-High Road) | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Holly Mathews (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:01:13 |
11 | Elle Anderson (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:01:58 |
12 | Jessica Prinner (ABD Cycling Team) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Whitney Schultz (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Jazzy Hurikino (Vanderkitten-Focus) | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Jacqueline Kurth (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | 0:02:02 |
16 | Inga Cilvinaite (Diadora Pasta Zara) | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Kaitlin Antonneau (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:02:45 |
18 | Lauren Ellis (BikeNZ National Team) | 0:02:47 |
19 | Tayler Wiles (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:02:51 |
20 | Missy Erickson (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:04:30 |
21 | Kimberley Turner (Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars) | 0:05:04 |
22 | Addy Albershardt (NOW And Novartis) | 0:05:24 |
23 | Maura Kinsella (Vanderkitten-Focus) | 0:06:34 |
24 | Joelle Numainville (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | 0:06:47 |
25 | Rachel Warner (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | 0:07:59 |
26 | Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:12:34 |
27 | Ashley James (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder) | 0:13:33 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light | 7:54:06 |
2 | HTC-High Road | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | NOW And Novartis For MS | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Danbury Audi | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Team TIBCO/To The Top | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Diadora Pasta Zara | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized | 0:01:58 |
9 | Kowalski's Collegiate All-Stars | 0:03:11 |
10 | BikeNZ National Team | 0:04:04 |
11 | NVGP Pro Ride | 0:04:45 |
12 | Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder | 0:05:55 |
13 | ABD Cycling Team | 0:05:58 |
14 | Vanderkitten-Focus | 0:08:32 |
15 | MVP Health Care Cycling Team | 0:12:48 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 3:51:36 |
2 | Evelyn Stevens (HTC-High Road) | 0:00:23 |
3 | Amber Neben (HTC-High Road) | 0:00:29 |
4 | Kristin McGrath (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:00:33 |
5 | Anne Samplonius (NOW And Novartis) | 0:00:45 |
6 | Amber Pierce (Diadora Pasta Zara) | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 0:00:47 |
8 | Erinne Willock (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | 0:00:48 |
9 | Jade Wilcoxson (NVGP Pro Ride) | 0:00:55 |
10 | Rachel Neylan (Diadora Pasta Zara) | 0:00:56 |
11 | Meredith Miller (Team TIBCO/To The Top) | 0:01:00 |
12 | Amanda Miller (HTC-High Road) | 0:01:03 |
13 | Lauren Tamayo (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) | 0:01:04 |
14 | Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 0:01:11 |
15 | Kaytee Boyd (BikeNZ National Team) | 0:01:13 |
16 | Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | 0:01:15 |
17 | Robin Farina (NOW And Novartis) | 0:01:16 |
18 | Anna Barensfeld (Missing Link Coaching Systems / Specialized) | 0:01:20 |
19 | Ally Stacher (HTC-High Road) | 0:01:21 |
20 | Devon Gorry (NOW And Novartis) | 0:01:29 |
21 | Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Cooking Light) | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Chloe Hoskins ( |