Metlushenko powers out of field to take criterium

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Great weather, crowds and an exciting race provided a hat trick for cycling enthusiasts at the Univest Grand Prix Doylestown Criterium on Sunday while strong teamwork, a fast pace and Yuri Metluskenko brought similar results for his Amore & Vita presented by Lifetime Fitness/ Velo Vie team when he claimed his second consecutive victory in Doylestown.

The powerful Ukrainian's speedy sprint gave Amore & Vita its desired sweep of the expanded Univest Grand Prix weekend with wins in the team time trial in Allentown on Friday by Philipp Mamos and a strong finish by Volodomyr Starchyk on Sunday in the classic Univest road race. Amore & Vita/Lifetime Fitness was also sponsored by Detweiler Hershey and Associates of Soudertown for the Univest Grand Prix series.

Johan Lindgren of Team Cykelcity took second with the same time of 1:51:23 and Charles Dion of Team Quebec grabbed third in the pack finish to the 52-mile race that encompassed a crowded and scenic Doylestown Arts Criterium in the center of the county seat in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Caleb Fairly (Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin Under 23 team) captured the most aggressive rider jersey for his constant presence near the front of the field.

The race held together throughout the day - which was exactly what Amore & Vita wanted according to team director Roberto Gaggioli. Gaggioli said his team came into the Univest series with the goal of winning all three races - including the time trial held Friday in near-gale force winds and the road race, which finished in a steady drizzly rain.

"That was our goal when we came over, but you never know what can happen. You always have a little scare that something could happen," a grinning Gaggioli said at the finish line outside the Bucks County courthouse. "Today we planned to keep it together.

"Yuri is such a phenomenal sprinter. We knew that if we held it together we could put him in the position to win."

Metlushenko, in turn, dedicated his win to his director and credited his entire team with putting him in place to win. "What they did for me today was fantastic," Metlushenko said in remarks translated from Italian by race organizer John Eustice, president of Sparta Cycling.

Lindgren, the young Swede led his team into the Univest Grand Prix for the second consecutive year, acknowledged Metlushenko's speed and power.

It's hard to beat Yuri Metlushenko," Lindgren said. "Second place is good, also."

Eustice said the weekend played out in grand cycling form and the weather only added to the drama of the races.

"We had the epic weather on Friday with the strong winds and rain, we had the rain on Saturday and a beautiful, sunny day today," Eustice said. "Bad weather is part of cycling. They cancel games for bad weather, but cycling is in part a battle against the elements."

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