Wellens secures second win in Issaquah

Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) nabbed a second win this weekend at the UCI C2 Rapha-Focus Gran Prix held at the Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah, Washington. The former double world champion out-paced his teammate Rob Peeters who placed second and Jonathan Page (Planet Bike-Blue) in third.

"Wellens mentioned that he has a big appreciation for the American riders who come over to Europe to race," said co-promoter Zac Daab. "Traveling and not having what you’re used to can be tough. It’s hard to race when you are abroad and I think he has more respect for US guys going over to Europe now."

Rapha-Focus Gran Prix, formerly known as Rad Racing, was held on at the same venue as the previous day’s StarCrossed p/b Stanley at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah, Washington.

The late-afternoon men’s race was held on a flat 2.8km circuit that included a built-in fly-over and a set of Rapha-Focus barriers close to the crowd’s expo area and beer garden. One of the most challenging aspects of the circuit was the number of corners and twist and turns positioned throughout each lap and a lengthy sand pit that forced riders to dismount and run.

"It rained through out the day and then on and off through the men’s race," Daab said. "The crowds were great both days and a lot of people were out at the beer garden. People liked the course and the lines were different because of the wet weather."

Wellens lined up as the man-to-beat having won the previous day’s StarCrossed ahead of Ryan Trebon (LTS-Felt) and Jonathan Page (Planet Bike-Blue). Other strong contenders included US National Champion Todd Wells (Specialized Racing), Rob Peeters (Telenet-Fidea), Ben Berden (Stoemper), Fabio Ursi (CS Esercito) and Zac McDonald (Rapha-Focus).

"Wellens was very aggressive and made it clear that he was going to work from the front of the race today," Daab said.

Wellens kicked of the 60-minute men’s race with a fast paced that resulted in a three-rider lead with Page and Peeters. The trio stayed together for much of the race. Wellens made his winning move during the last laps of the race and gained a sizable lead ahead of his chasing teammate Peeters and Page.

"Wellens was well ahead by about 20 seconds and then Peeters was holding off Page for most of the race," Daab said. "They were riding one, two and three for most of the race and it stayed that way until the end, that was how they finished. Todd Wells was chasing for fourth place but he ended up not being able to catch Page."