Companioni wins Clearwater Classic Criterium

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Ruben Companioni (Team Jamis Sutter Home) handily won the TUFMED USA CRITS Championship Series at Clearwater Classic on Saturday, pulling clear of a breakway group containing most of race favorites with two laps remaining. Travis McCabe and Mac Brennan, both with Holowesko|Citadel Cycling, finished in second and third place, respectively.

“I race by myself and I think it helps me,” Companioni said after his win. “The race was pretty hard, especially up the hill. When I had the chance to attack, I took it. I don’t consider myself a pure sprinter. I like to win by pulling away and not seeing anyone behind me.”

After winning the Tampa Grand Prix last weekend, Companioni’s victory at Clearwater has slightly extended his lead in the overall competition, but it all could change during the third stage of USA CRITS in Charlotte on April 30. McCabe trails the Jamis rider’s 535-point lead by 26 points. Brennan sits 70 points behind the leader.

The finale of the weeklong Sunshine Grand Prix was well attended by the all of the top pro teams. The 70-minute crit held on an undulating .6-mile course treated fans to plenty of no holds barred, high-speed action in downtown Clearwater, which saw aggressive racing straight from the starting gun.

In the early stages of the race, Sunshine Grand Prix sprint leader Chris Uberti (Finish Strong) went on the attack. Andsz Flaksis (Holowesko/Citadel) countered the move and was probably one of the most active riders in the race.

Flaksis managed to hang on to his lead by a slim margin while Jake Silverberg (Astellas Cycling) and Parker Kyzer (Finish Strong) chased in the gap. Daniel Holloway’s team, Giant Racing, was quick to assume control of the main bunch, eager to get their team leader and last year’s TUFMED USA CRITS overall winner into contention after a disappointing day at Tampa GP last weekend.

Despite all the action, no one seemed pleased with the combinations that were forming up the road. With 20 minutes left, Andrei Krasilnikau (Holowesko/Citadel) finally snapped the elastic that kept other riders from gaining any sort of substantial gap on the field. The Belarusian rider maintained a 10 second gap while Astellas gathered at the front of the pack to keep him in check.

Krasilnikau’s solo break was inevitably brought back as the race favorites began to sense the urgency during the latter part of the stage. Krasilnikau’s teammate, Oscar Clark, took off after a prime taking race favorites Companioni, McCabe, Brennan Holloway, Thomas Gibbons (706 Project), Ryan Aitcheson (Astellas), Aldo IIesic (Astellas), Fletcher Lydick (Finish Strong) and Hernandez (CCB Racing) along for the ride.

With eight laps remaining, Companioni attacked, obviously unwilling to take his chances in the final sprint. Seeing IIesic time-trialing the group back up to him, he sat up with six laps to go to reset his tactics.

As the break was under no pressure from the field, the next few laps were a game of cat and mouse until Companioni put on the pressure again. This time, it his efforts would stick. The Jamis rider held off the break, lead by Ilesic again, by a good 10 seconds before he posted up for victory.

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