Phinney beats Dominguez in criterium finish

Image 1 of 17

 Taylor Phinney (Trek-Livestrong) captured an outstanding victory when he sprinted around some of fastest men in the country in the final hundred metres of the Downtown Silver City Criterium, the fourth stage of the SRAM Tour of the Gila. The undeniably talented youngster out-paced Ivan Dominguez (Jamis-Sutter Home) to claim victory while Charles Dionne (Fly V Australia) took third.

“My team was great today and Alex Dowsett got me where I needed to be, right behind Ivan Dominguez,” Phinney said. “Luckily I had the legs to come around him. It’s great to win here and hear people cheering my name. I can’t thank everybody enough. For Jesse Sergent to win yesterday and me to win today, it’s just a beautiful race for us.

“I’m so proud, man,” he added. “Yesterday we had six guys in the top 20 places in the time trial and we are really showing that our development program can work and the Holowesko development program is working really well. So, the young guys are coming and the old guys better watch out; you know what I’m saying.”

Levi Leipheimer (Mellow Johnny’s) maintained his lead in the overall classification ahead of DZ Nuts team-mates Tom Danielson and Dave Zabriskie heading into the fifth and final stage at the Gila Monster Road Race.

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,” Leipheimer said. “I think it is the best day of the whole race. It is the queen stage and the hardest stage and it’s going to be fun.”

Phinney relied on team-mate Alex Dowsett’s superb lead-out to bring him passed the dominant Fly V Australia train and over the circuit’s climb on the last lap. Phinney maneuvered his way on to one of the fastest wheels in the bunch, that of Dominguez. The pair shot out the final corner in second and third place respectively. Dominguez was the first to start his sprint and when he checked under his arm there was only one rider on his wheel: Phinney.

“I looked back after I started my sprint and Phinney was still on my wheel,” Dominguez said. “It was a long way to the finish line, a little uphill and windy. I knew that if he could stay on my wheel after I jumped, then I was not going to win the race. My team was working for me the whole day and I feel bad that I didn’t get the win. It is better that one guy passed me than the whole field.”

Fly V Australia rolled through with the strongest lead-out train in the final laps of the race. Dionne praised his team-mates for their hard-fought effort to bring him to the line in the best possible position.

“They did an awesome job,” Dionne said. “Ben Day and Phil Zajicek especially did so much work at the end. I am a little bit disappointed because I wanted to do a good sprint for them but coming around the corner I was in about sixth wheel, too far back. That’s racing.”

Zabriskie was the first to make a move in the opening laps of the Pro men’s 40-lap criterium, quickly followed by Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell). Several riders tried to bridge across resulting in the field coming back together after the first sprint for time bonus.

Jacob Rytlewski (Kenda-Gear Grinder) initiated the day’s main breakaway. He was followed by Peter Salon (Holowesko Partners), Roman Kilun (UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis), Phil Zajicek (Fly V Australia), Andy Jacques-Maynes and Jeremy Vennell (Bissell), Marsh Cooper (Rubicon-Orbea), Ken Hanson (Team Type 1) and the previous day’s stage winner Jesse Sergent (Trek-Livestrong).

The large group was well organized, maintaining a 15-second lead over the peloton for the following 10 laps. Leipheimer sat protected amongst the top 10, while team-mates Lance Armstrong and Jason McCartney did much of the pace setting at the front of the field. As the race progressed the pair received help from Jamis-Sutter Home riders Nick Frey and Ignacio Pereyra, working for odds-on favourite sprinter Dominguez.

“We tried to keep the race together and sent our guys to the front to help work because it was very windy and a lot for the two Mellow Johnny’s guys, so we wanted to help,” Dominguez said.

Four riders escaped the breakaway that included strong-men Cooper, Rytlewski, Salon and Kilun. They continued on with a slim lead for an additional 12 laps but could not hold off the powerful teams Mellow-Johnny’s and Jamis-Sutter Home. All breakaway riders were back in the field with six laps to go.

Phinney made an initial bid for victory with six laps to go that resulted in a 10 rider breakaway. The group proved to be too large and unorganised and was reabsorbed two laps later. Chris Baldwin (UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis) and Zabriskie took individual solo flyers with two laps to go but neither succeeded in gaining more than a few second at a time.

Dowsett weaved his way through the field on the last lap, passing the Fly V Australia train and putting Phinney on Dominguez’s wheel. Dominguez was the first to start his sprint but he was passed by Phinney, who gained nearly a bike length at the finish line ahead both podium finishers Dominguez and Dionne. 

Evans claims smooth win

Shelley Evans (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) won the bunch kick to the line at the Downtown Silver City Criterium. The speedster captured the top spot on the podium ahead of Carla Swart (Vera Bradley Foundation) while Carmen Small (Colavita-Baci) claimed third. 

“Powers attacked with one lap to go and my team had to really cover that,” Evans said. “Our only goal here was the general classification and our second goal was to win the stage. I sat on Kelly Benjamin’s wheel and had the perfect lead-out.”

Evans used her points race expertise to collect two of the day’s intermediate time bonus sprints. Her efforts succeeded in protecting her team-mate Mara Abbott’s overall race lead ahead Alison Powers (Vera Bradley Foundation) and Erinne Willock (Webcor-Builders).

“We weren’t too concerned about the time,” Shelley said. “Our main thing was to sit on her [Alison Powers] and make her work for it, then come around her at the line. We certainly don’t want to lose a race by one or two seconds so if we can take some time, why not?”

Teams Colavita-Baci and Vera Bradley Foundation initiated a flurry of attacks in the opening laps of the race. Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 set a fast tempo on the front to close down all threatening moves before the day’s first intermediate time bonus sprints. Evans captured the two time bonus sprints offered, to deny Powers, Miller and Small of the additional seconds.

Dvorak won the third time bonus sprint followed by her team-mates Small and Cath Cheatley. The additional time helped Dvorak, in fourth place overall, move closer to the podium.

“We weren’t really going for time bonuses but rather a stage win for Kelly Benjamin,” said Small. “I think we got kind of jumbled up in the lead-out. I was the last rider in our lead-out and went as hard as I could but I think Kelly got jumbled up a bit.”

Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 succeeded in holding the field together following attacks from Anne Samplonius and Robin Farina (Vera Bradley Foundation), Jessica Phillips and Modesta Vzesniauskaite (Colavita-baci).

“I think our whole team did really well and there was a lot of representation from our team at the front all the time,” Swart said. “If there was a break it was our goal to be there and we wanted to make Peanut Butter work.”

Powers launched a solo flyer with two laps to go to try and gain time on Abbott’s overall lead, however she was reeled back in before the final sprint. Evans won the gradual uphill sprint ahead of Swart and Small.

“A bunch sprint win was my goal,” Swart said. “I did a pretty good finish, went hard out of the last corner and I just went for it and Shelley came past me. I should have been more aware of her but she is such a good sprinter.”

Results