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The elite women get underway (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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Carlos Azate (UnitedHealthcare) atop the elite men's podium (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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Elite men's Sunny King Crit podium (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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Coryn Rivera (UnitedHealthcare) atop the elite women's podium (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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Elite women's podium at Sunny King Crit (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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Racers during the elite men's crit (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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UnitedHealthcare riders set the pace (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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A Kelly Benefits rider in action (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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The start of the elite men's race (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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Racers sprint for a prime (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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The elite women's peloton (Image credit: Kent Ruby)

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Anniston, Alabama, shined as brightly as the brilliant sun Saturday as cycling fans lined the boards early and stayed late for the Sunny King Criterium, the first stop on the 2014 USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar (NCC). Coryn Rivera and Carlos Alzate won the elite women's and men's races, respectively.

Women

The elite women took to the line and from the start, Colavita-Fine Cooking took control across the seven-tenths of a mile Downtown Anniston course.

Multiple $200 cash primes kept the racers attentive and the crowd blind to a clear winner until the finish. Coryn Rivera (UnitedHealthcare), Arden Stelly (Pain Pathways) and Vanessa Drigo (Garneau Factory Team) all went home a little richer.

Mini breaks and attacks formed throughout the race but nothing stuck except for strategy in racers' minds. Sara Tussey (Mellow Mushroom), Drigo, Jenny Rios and Pepper Palace joined Colavita in taking turns at the front while local favorite Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom) stepped on the gas with four to go.

Two laps remaining, it was Colavita 1-2-3-5 with Van Gilder sitting fourth wheel and interrupting their straight. But with an all-out sprint down the straightaway, it was returning Sunny King Criterium Champion Rivera of UnitedHealthcare making Marian University proud as she stood atop the Eastman podium in the NCC points leaders jersey and Sunny King crown. Erica Allar (Colavita) and Morgan Brown (Century Road Club) rounded out the podium, in second and third, respectively. Van Gilder landed fourth.

Men

Nearly 100 elite men took to the Start line after an emotional National Anthem and lead-in procession featuring an official welcome from Anniston Mayor Vaughn Stewart and Mrs. Patty King of Sunny King Automotive, the criterium's longstanding title sponsor.

Chunky primes starting flying with Andrew Crater (Finish Strong) and Chris Uberti (Astellas) hitting the bank early on. Adrenalin pumping, Uberti flirted with a short stint up front after the prime pick-up but the UnitedHealthcare Blue Train started pulling out of the station. The pace picking up with 20 laps to go, it became obvious this would be a battle until the end.

With nearly a 20-second gap, Ruben Campanioni (Jamis-Hagens Berman) kept the rocket fuel burning for a dozen or so laps but with UnitedHealthcare charging, his lead was cut to eight seconds before a $400 cash prime with seven laps remaining blew things up. David Novak (Kelly Benefit Strategies) picking up the green and the crowd climbing atop the barricades, UnitedHealthcare dominated six deep with three laps remaining...1,2,3,4 with two laps on the counter.

All eyes on the livestream for backside reports, the sprint and the first NCC race of 2014 was taken by 2013 Sunny King Criterium Champion Carlos Alzate Escobar, with Ricardo Escuela (Incycle-Predator) and David Guttenplan (Guttenplan Coaching), close behind in second and third, respectively.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Carlos Alzate Escobar (UnitedHealthcare)	1:31:16
2	Ricardo Escuela (Incycle-Predator Components)	0:00:01
3	David Guttenplan
4	Isaac Howe (Champion System - Stans)	0:00:02
5	Chad Burdzilauskas (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team)
6	Alder Martz (Hincapie Sportswear Dev)	0:00:03
7	Demis Aleman (Jamis Sutter Home)
8	Drew Christopher	0:00:04
9	Frank Travieso (Team United Healthcare Georgia)
10	Travis Livermon (Team SmartStop p/b Moun)
11	Hilton Clarke (UnitedHealthcare)
12	Stephen Hall (Incycle-Predator Components)
13	Thomas Brown (Astellas Cycling Team)	0:00:05
14	Brandon Feehery (Astellas Cycling Team)
15	Mac Brennan (Bissell-Abg-Giant)
16	Winston David (Lupus Racing Team)
17	Ian Crane (Jamis Hagens Berman)	0:00:06
18	Hogan Sills (Astellas Cycling Team)
19	David Cueli
20	Karl Menzies (UnitedHealthcare)
21	Brendan Cornett	0:00:07
22	Christopher Uberti (Astellas Cycling Team)
23	Benjamin Renkema	0:00:08
24	Diego Garavito	0:00:10
25	Matt Moosa (Stan's NoTubes P/b Proferrin)
26	Zeb King (Stan's NoTubes P/b Proferrin)	0:00:11
27	David Novak (Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV)
28	John Brizzard (Team LaS'port)	0:00:12
29	Jacob Hill (Finish Strong Elite Cycling Tea)
30	Orlando Garibay (Incycle-Predator Components Eli)	0:00:13
31	Kyle Perry (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team)	0:00:16
32	Justin Williams (Astellas Cycling Team)	0:00:18
33	Guido Palma (Jamis Sutter Home)	0:00:19
34	Oleg Tanovitchi (Lupus Racing Team)
35	Bradley White (UnitedHealthcare)	0:00:20
36	Calixto Bello (Incycle-Predator Components)	0:00:24
37	Thomas Barnett (Lupus Racing Team)	0:00:25
38	Parker Kyzer (Finish Strong Elite Cycling Tea)
39	Andrew Reardon
40	Andres Alzate (Champion System - Stan's NoTube)	0:00:26
41	Johnny Mitchell
42	William Rekemeyer	0:00:27
43	Ryan Shean (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team)
44	Christopher Butler (Hincapie Sportswear Dev)
45	Cristian Saavedra (Incycle-Predator Components)	0:00:28
46	Ruben Companioni
47	Andrew Scarano (Team United Healthcare Georgia)
48	Michael Dalterio
49	Jon Atkins	0:00:29
50	Charles (Joe) Eldridge (Team Novo Nordisk)
51	Derek Schanze	0:00:30
52	Luis Zayas (Stan's NoTubes P/b Proferrin)
53	Dylan Degan	0:00:32
54	Ryan Sullivan (Team United Healthcare Georgia)
55	David Reyes (Stan's NoTubes P/b Proferrin)	0:00:36
56	Rudolph Napolitano (Incycle-Predator Components Eli)	0:00:49
57	Travis Werts (Sonic Cycling)	0:00:55
58	John Hayes (Village Volkswagen Cycling Team)	0:00:57
59	Alexey Shmidt	0:01:12
60	Adam Leibovitz (Champion System - Stans)	0:01:41
61	Adrian Hegyvary (UnitedHealthcare)	0:01:54
62	Martyn Irvine (UnitedHealthcare)
DNF	Brian Hill
DNF	Igor Rudalev (Lupus Racing Team)
DNF	Stephen Hyde (Astellas Cycling Team)
DNF	Gavriel Epstein (Champion System - Stans)
DNF	Henry Willis
DNF	Kevin Mullervy (Champion System - Stans)
DNF	Nathan Robinson
DNF	Jordan Heimer
DNF	Dustin Armstrong (Serious Cycling)
DNF	Justin Lowe
DNF	Andrew Buntz
DNF	Andres Rodriguez (EDA Contractor)
DNF	Conor Mullervy (Champion System - Stans)
DNF	William Myers
DNF	Ross White
DNF	Chris Moore
DNF	Scott Savory (Lupus Racing Team)
DNF	Stephen Vogel (Hearts Racing Club)
DNF	Jan Kolar (Lupus Racing Team)
DNF	Andrew Crater (Finish Strong Elite Cycling Tea)
DNS	Jacob King (Hincapie Sportswear Dev)
DNS	Aaron Perry (Novo Nordisk)
DNS	Benjamin Dilley (Team Novo Nordisk)
DNS	Ryan Knapp (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team)
DNS	Christopher Williams (Novo Nordisk)
DNS	Brian Arne (Finish Strong Elite Cycling Tea)
DNS	Charlie Hough (Hincapie Sportswear Dev)
DNS	Richard Stuart (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team)
DNS	David Carpenter (Village Volkswagen Cycling Team)
DNS	Matthew Russell (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team)
DNS	Ruud Cremers (Team Novo Nordisk Development)
DNS	Kurt Page
DNS	Justin Morris (Novo Nordisk)

Elite Women
#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Coryn Rivera (UnitedHealthcare)	0:58:41
2	Erica Allar (Colavita Racing Inc.)
3	Morgan Brown (Century Road Club Assoc)	0:00:01
4	Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom Racing)
5	Sarah Fader (Pepper Palace Pro Cycling)	0:00:03
6	Vanessa Drigo (Garneau Factory Team)
7	Tracey Cameron (Stans Notubes p/b Endurancewerx)	0:00:04
8	Joanie Caron
9	Jennifer Purcell (Colavita Racing Inc.)
10	Laura Parsons (Pioneer Mortgage pb Yourkey.com)
11	Ann Koehler (Lagunitas Racing)
12	Mary Zider (Colavita Racing Inc.)	0:00:07
13	Chelsea Factor (Pioneer Mortgage pb Yourkey.com)
14	Holly Matthews (TEAM TIBCO/TO THE TOP)
15	Shannon Parrish (Cloud Racing p/b Ride2Recovery)	0:00:08
16	Amie Krasnozon
17	Holly Beard (Pioneer Mortgage pb Yourkey.com)
18	Amy Good (Colavita Racing Inc.)
19	Amy Phillips (Pepper Palace Pro Cycling)	0:00:09
20	Arden Stelly (Carolina Masters)	0:00:10
21	Jenny Rios	0:00:24
22	Cheryl Fuller-Muller (Garneau Factory Team)	0:00:35
23	Christy Keely (Asheville Bicycle Racing Club)
24	Katherine Shields (Carolina Masters)
25	Sara Tussey (Mellow Mushroom Racing)	0:00:36
26	Cinthia Lehner
27	Jan Bennett (FCS Cycling)	0:00:45
28	Caroline Moakley	0:00:46
29	Jessica Prinner (Colavita Racing Inc.)	0:00:58
30	Julie Kuliecza (Pepper Palace Pro Cycling)	0:01:01
31	Cali Ewing (Team Belladium)	0:01:13
32	Kailin Acheson (Team Belladium)
33	Abigail Aldridge (PCP Race Team)
34	Lindsay Bayer (Colavita Racing Inc.)	0:01:27
DNS	Debbie Milne (Finish Strong)