Aitcheson wins Athens Twilight

Ryan Aitcheson (Astellas Cycling Team) took the top step with Oscar Clark (Holowesko | Citadel Cycling Team p/b Hincapie Sportswear) and Bobby Lea (Maloja Pushbikers) securing 2nd and 3rd respectively.

"The race stayed hard," Aitcheson told race announcers before the podium. "We kept the pace up and then we reshuffled. Gap started opening and we just rode as hard as we could. I had one of the best lead out riders in the country, Aldo Ilseic. We were saving each other. Once we took the corners one, two and three, we knew we had it."

Seven riders lapped the field including Clark, Lea, John Harris (GREEN LINE VELO driven by Zipcar), Eamon Lucas (Astellas), Tom Gibbons (Unattached) and Aitcheson. Once the settled into the pack, another move went up the road with three of the seven riders from the original break going with them, meaning those riders would be two laps up.

Gibbons and Harris missed the move, so they were stuck in the pack.

Starting with 170 riders, but ending with just about 50 was a testament on how fast the riders were traveling. Clark, Aitcheson and Lea were the three who lapped the field twice, setting them up for the inevitable sprint for first. Aitcheson had the advantage of Aldo Ilseic as a lead out, and the Astellas rider got on his wheel with a half lap left and was essentially escorted to the line by a fine lead out by his teammate.

Athens wrapped up the 2016 edition of Speed Week and saw Bobby Lea completing his domination by retaining both the orange overall and the blue lap leader jerseys. Eamon Lucas took home the grey best young rider jersey.

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