Janeliunaite wins crash marred sprint in Missouri

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Numainville, Kirchmann make up the podium

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Janeliunaite celebrates her win(Image credit: Matt James)

Lithuania's Edita Janeliunaite (Colavita Forno D'Asolo) won her first race stateside at the Tour de Grove on Saturday. She won the bunch sprint ahead of Joelle Numainville (Tibco-To the Top) in second and her teammate Leah Kirchmann placed third.

"I was helping my teammates today," Janeliunaite said. "I wanted to go to the front and have my teammates on my wheel. But, I won the sprint. I have a good sprint too."

Some 50 Pro-Cat 1 and 2 women started the race under wet conditions. The L-shaped course catered to the cagiest criterium racers. The women competed for 60 minutes plus three laps and for a total prize purse of $7,500. The Tour de Grove is a member of both the National Racing Calendar (NRC) and the USA Crit Championship Series.

The peloton was aggressive from the start, however, all attempted breakaways were short-lived. "Nothing was really sticking today," said Rachel Heal Colavita Forno D'Asolo directeur. "There were small groups but nothing was getting very far."

Sprinters registered for the race vying for a sprint finale included Numainville and her teammate Jo Kiesanowski (Tibco-To the Top), Janeliunaite and Kelly Benjamin (Colavita Forno D'Asolo), Laura McCaughey (Salamander), Erica Allar (BMW-Bianchi) and Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom), among others.

Allar took the corner at the front of the field, however, she crashed causing several riders to go down. The sprint continued from behind where Janeliunaite was able to hang on for the bunch sprint ahead of Numainville and Manderfield. Jen McRae (Team Type 1) placed fourth ahead of Kacey Manderfield (Pure Energy) in fifth, Samantha Schneider (Team Type 1) in sixth and van Gilder in seventh.

"Erica went down in the last corner," Heal said. "She was sitting in first position coming out of the last corner. There were three, maybe four riders who went down. Tibco were there and Edita was positioned behind them."

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Elite Women
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Edita Janeliunaite (Colavita Forno d'Asolo)1:09:12
2Joelle Numainville (Team TIBCO/To The Top)Row 1 - Cell 2
3Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Coo)Row 2 - Cell 2
4Jennifer Mcrae (Team Type 1)0:00:01
5Kacey Manderfield (Pure Energy Cycling Team ProAi)Row 4 - Cell 2
6Samantha Schneider (Team TIBCO)Row 5 - Cell 2
7Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom)0:00:02
8Gray PattonRow 7 - Cell 2
9Joanne Kiesanowski (Team TIBCO/To The Top)Row 8 - Cell 2
10Amy Mcguire (Wheelworks Racing)Row 9 - Cell 2
11Lauren Hall (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Coo)Row 10 - Cell 2
12Sarah Huang (Nova ISCorp)Row 11 - Cell 2
13Carrie Cash-Wootten (Pedal the Cause/Team Revolutio)0:00:03
14Laura Mccaughey (Salamander)Row 13 - Cell 2
15Lenore Pipes (Guam National Team)0:00:04
16Tiffany Pezzulo (Primal/MapMyRide)Row 15 - Cell 2
17Kate Chilcott (FCS Cycling Team)Row 16 - Cell 2
18Whitney Schultz (CheckMark p/b Veloforma)Row 17 - Cell 2
19Courteney Lowe (FCS Cycling Team)0:00:05
20Stacy Appelwick (ABD Cycling Team)Row 19 - Cell 2
21Christine Roettger (Team Revolution)0:00:07
22Kristen Meshberg (ABD Cycling Team)Row 21 - Cell 2
23Shailie Sanbrooks0:00:09
24Jane Weakley (Secret Cycling)0:00:10
25Emilie Flanigan (Dogfish Racing Team)Row 24 - Cell 2
26Heather Hill (Revolution)Row 25 - Cell 2
27Vanessa Mckenzie0:00:11
28Jennifer Wheeler (Team TIBCO)0:00:13
29Meredith Miller (Team TIBCO)0:00:14
30Nichole Wangsgard (Primal/mapmyride)0:00:18
31Elizabeth Lauer (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)0:00:25
32Kelly Benjamin (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Coo)0:00:42
33Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Coo)Row 32 - Cell 2
34Kat Carr (Vanderkitten)Row 33 - Cell 2
35Heather Logan-Sprenger (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo p/b Coo)Row 34 - Cell 2
36Colleen Hayduk (Verducci Breakaway Racing UCI)Row 35 - Cell 2
37Jennifer Rasmusson (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)Row 36 - Cell 2
38Jacqueline Kurth (Team Kenda)0:00:43
39Aimee Allen (Maple Leaf)0:01:37
40Sarah Demerly (ABD Cycling Team)Row 39 - Cell 2
41Aubree Dock (Tulsa Tough Racing)Row 40 - Cell 2
DNFJill Kislia (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)Row 41 - Cell 2
DNFLindsey KrieteRow 42 - Cell 2
DNFRachel Byus (FCS Cycling Team)Row 43 - Cell 2
Kirsten Frattini
Kirsten Frattini
Deputy Editor

Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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