Alena Amialiusik wins Winston-Salem Classic
By Laura Weislo
Belarus rider beats Amber Neben in final showdown
Five time national champion from Belarus Alena Amialiusik (Velocio-SRAM) took the victory Sunday at the Winston-Salem Classic ahead of Amber Neben (Visit Dallas-Noise4Good), with Lauren Komanski (Twenty16-ShoAir) attacking on the final lap to take third.
Amialiusik joined Neben in a two-rider breakaway that formed late in the race and then dropped the Visit Dallas rider in the closing kilometres to solo in for the win.
"I'm so happy, every win is good. It's successful because we worked just for the win," Amialiusik said. "We had a plan to attack and make the race hard. It was the right moment for my attack. We won Tour of California with my teammate Trixi Worrack, it was an amazing race from the whole team, and the same today."
Neben, 40, has had to fight back from several bad crashes in recent years, the worst was in the 2013 Tour of California time trial, and another at last year's Joe Martin Stage Race that scuttled her 2014 season. She was happy to be able to follow Amialiusik's move and get a podium finish.
"It's just fun being a bike racer again and being in the mix," she told Cyclingnews.
Tasked with covering the moves from Velocio-SRAM by her team director, Neben had her work cut out for her. The team began lighting up the race halfway through as the field was already much reduced by sheer attrition from the heat, humidity and a tough, twisty 8-mile lap.
First Tayler Wiles and then Lauren Rowney put in promising moves, with Rowney's move with three laps to go gaining a minute. The field splintered chasing her back, and then Amialiusik countered.
"With three laps to go, toward the top of the climb, Alena went, and I knew that was the move right there," Neben said. "I dug really deep to be able to get to it.
"It was hard, at that point, because I had used so many matches earlier, I was just in that mode where I need to be conservative. She was really strong. The second-to-last time up the climb both of my adductors seized up and I thought uh-oh, I had to try to relax and recover. It was just surviving the last lap - she was so strong. I did my best to hang on for second."
With UnitedHealthcare left to chase behind, trying to set up a sprint finish for national championship runner-up Coryn Rivera, Komanski was able to follow and take her chance on the last climb and solo in for third.
Racing in front of a large group of her hometown fans and family, Komanski was thrilled to land on the podium.
"It's pretty incredible to race here, and to finish on the podium is a nice bonus. The team worked super hard - I got to be protected in the end and take a flyer on the hill," she said. "With the weather, it's so hot and it felt like a sauna. We rode aggressively but it's hard to tell how you'll react.
"When Villumsen didn't make the bridge, UHC had the strongest team, and they had Coryn. They went to the front and the rest of us played a little poker and let them work on the front pretty hard."
The result followed a third place overall at Tour of California in a promising first half of the season for the 29-year-old.
"This is huge," Komanksi said. "It's doubly big because it's my hometown. This and Tour of California were two pretty big American results."
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Velocio-SRAM | 2:37:30 |
2 | Amber Neben (USA) Visit Dallas p/b Noise4Good | 0:00:07 |
3 | Lauren Komanski (USA) TWENTY16 presented by Sho-Air | 0:00:13 |
4 | Coryn Rivera (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women's Team | 0:00:16 |
5 | Joëlle Numainville (Can) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | 0:00:34 |
6 | Carmen Small (USA) TWENTY16 presented by Sho-Air | |
7 | Lauren Stephens (USA) Team TIBCO -SVB | |
8 | Tayler Wiles (USA) Velocio-SRAM | |
9 | Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Alé Cipollini | 0:00:35 |
10 | Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Velocio-SRAM | |
11 | Elise Delzenne (Fra) Velocio-SRAM | |
12 | Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Velocio-SRAM | 0:00:36 |
13 | Eugenia Bujak (Pol) BTC City Ljubljana | 0:00:48 |
14 | Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Team TIBCO -SVB | |
15 | Stephanie Roorda (Can) SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized | |
16 | Flavia Oliveira (Bra) Alé Cipollini | 0:00:49 |
17 | Brianna Walle (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
18 | Lauren Defrescenzo (USA) DNA Cycling pb K4 | |
19 | Iris Slappendel (Ned) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | 0:00:51 |
20 | Christy Keely (USA) Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels Racing | 0:01:00 |
21 | Nicole Mertz (USA) ISCorp Cycling p/b Smart Choice MRI Kick Off | 0:01:02 |
22 | Joanne Hogan (Aus) Team TIBCO -SVB | 0:01:20 |
23 | Doris Schweizer (Sui) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
24 | Loren Rowney (Aus) Velocio-SRAM | 0:01:21 |
25 | Andrea Dvorak (USA) TWENTY16 presented by Sho-Air | 0:02:12 |
26 | Linda Melanie Villumsen (NZl) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women's Team | 0:02:35 |
27 | Hannah Barnes (GBr) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women's Team | |
28 | Alexis Ryan (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women's Team | |
29 | Lauren Tamayo (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women's Team | 0:10:07 |
30 | Olivia Dillon (Irl) FCS Cycling Team | |
31 | Lindsay Bayer (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling p/b The Happy Tooth | |
32 | Laura Van Gilder (USA) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | 0:10:08 |
33 | Clara Koppenburg (Ger) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
34 | Diana Pe—Uela (Col) Colombia National Team | |
35 | Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin (Can) DNA Cycling pb K4 | |
36 | Lauren Hall (USA) TWENTY16 presented by Sho-Air | |
37 | Sharon Laws (GBr) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
38 | Liza Rachetto (USA) BMW p/b Happy Tooth Dental | |
39 | Heather Fischer (USA) DNA Cycling pb K4 | |
40 | Emilie Moberg (Nor) Hitec Products | |
41 | Kirsten Wild (Ned) Hitec Products | |
42 | Laura Jorgensen (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling p/b The Happy Tooth | 0:10:09 |
43 | Justine Clift (Can) Pain Pathways Womens Cycling | |
44 | Elena Berlato (Ita) Alé Cipollini | |
45 | Dalia Muccioli (Ita) Alé Cipollini | |
46 | Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) Alé Cipollini | |
47 | Rushlee Buchanan (NZl) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Women's Team | |
48 | Annalisa Cucinotta (Ita) Alé Cipollini | |
49 | Tina Mayolo Pic (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling p/b The Happy Tooth | |
50 | Amy Charity (USA) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
51 | Kathyrn Donovan (USA) Team Colavita/Bianchi p/b Fine Cooking Women's Professional Cycling Team | 0:10:10 |
52 | Kathrin Hammes (Ger) Team TIBCO -SVB | |
53 | Nicole Bruderer Cofino (Gua) ISCorp Cycling p/b Smart Choice MRI Kick Off | |
54 | Alison Tetrick (USA) OPW | |
55 | Samantha Scheider (USA) ISCorp Cycling p/b Smart Choice MRI Kick Off | |
56 | Amber Gaffney (USA) TWENTY16 presented by Sho-Air | |
57 | Anna Sanders (USA) FCS Cycling Team | |
58 | Sara Tussey (USA) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | 0:10:11 |
59 | Miranda Griffiths (Aus) BMW p/b Happy Tooth Dental | 0:11:41 |
60 | Debbie Milne (USA) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | 0:13:07 |
61 | Christina Gokey-Smith (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling p/b The Happy Tooth | 0:17:53 |
DNF | Shelley Olds (USA) Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
DNF | Beth Ann Orton (USA) FCS Cycling Team | |
DNF | Kendall Ryan (USA) Team TIBCO -SVB | |
DNF | Alison Jackson (Can) TWENTY16 presented by Sho-Air | |
DNF | Miriam Bjÿrnsrud (Nor) Hitec Products | |
DNF | Ariane Horbach (Ger) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
DNF | Erica Allar (USA) Team Colavita/Bianchi p/b Fine Cooking Women's Professional Cycling Team | |
DNF | Krista Doebel-Hickok (USA) Team TIBCO -SVB | |
DNF | Lorena Vargas (Col) Colombia National Team | |
DNF | Megan Rathwell (Can) BMW p/b Happy Tooth Dental | |
DNF | Mary Zider (USA) Team Colavita/Bianchi p/b Fine Cooking Women's Professional Cycling Team | |
DNF | Whitney Schultz (USA) Team Colavita/Bianchi p/b Fine Cooking Women's Professional Cycling Team | |
DNF | Elena Valentini (Ita) BTC City Ljubljana | |
DNF | Anna Grace Christiansen (USA) FCS Cycling Team | |
DNF | Erica Zaveta (USA) BMW p/b Happy Tooth Dental | |
DNF | Janelle Cole (USA) Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels Racing | |
DNF | Jelena Eric (Srb) BTC City Ljubljana | |
DNF | Breanne Nalder (USA) DNA Cycling pb K4 | |
DNF | Vanessa Drigo (Sui) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | |
DNF | Dafnè Therous (Can) SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized | |
DNF | Meredith Bunkers (USA) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | |
DNF | Morgan Brown (USA) Team Colavita/Bianchi p/b Fine Cooking Women's Professional Cycling Team | |
DNF | Valentina Paniagua (Col) Colombia National Team | |
DNF | Janicke Gunvaldsen (Nor) Hitec Products | |
DNF | Lex Albrecht (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
DNF | Starla Teddergreen (USA) Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels Racing | |
DNF | Jamie Gilgen (Can) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | |
DNF | Jacqueline Parker (USA) SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized | |
DNF | Annie Ewart (Can) Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies | |
DNF | Katherine Shields (USA) Pain Pathways Womens Cycling | |
DNF | BrittLee Bowman (USA) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | |
DNF | Mia Manganello (USA) FCS Cycling Team | |
DNF | Catherine Dessureault (Can) SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized | |
DNF | Fiona Meade (Irl) Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels Racing | |
DNF | Erin Wittwer (USA) Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels Racing | |
DNF | Hayley Giddons (NZl) ISCorp Cycling p/b Smart Choice MRI Kick Off | |
DNF | Alexandra Millard (USA) ISCorp Cycling p/b Smart Choice MRI Kick Off | |
DNF | Lauretta Hanson (Aus) Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels Racing | |
DNF | Yussely Mendevil Soto (Mex) ISCorp Cycling p/b Smart Choice MRI Kick Off | |
DNF | Lindsey Knast (USA) QCW Women's Cycling | |
DNF | Meghan Korol (USA) Pain Pathways Womens Cycling | |
DNF | Kristin Lotito (USA) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | |
DNF | Mia Radotic (Cro) BTC City Ljubljana | |
DNF | Lenore Pipes (Gum) Pain Pathways Womens Cycling | |
DNF | Ashley Barson (Can) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | |
DNF | Carrie Cartmill (Can) Pain Pathways Womens Cycling | |
DNF | Adriane Provost (Can) SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized | |
DNF | Jennifer Nordhem (USA) Stan's NoTubes p/b Velo Classic Cycling | |
DNF | Natalia Franco (Col) Colombia National Team | |
DNF | Courteney Lowe (NZl) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling p/b The Happy Tooth | |
DNF | Vita Heine (Nor) Hitec Products | |
DNF | Anne Perry (USA) DNA Cycling pb K4 | |
DNF | Tess Senty (USA) QCW Women's Cycling | |
DNF | Andrea Brennan (USA) QCW Women's Cycling | |
DNF | Sarah Caravella (USA) Pepper Palace Pro Cycling p/b The Happy Tooth | |
DNF | Jessica Cutler (USA) Team Colavita/Bianchi p/b Fine Cooking Women's Professional Cycling Team | |
DNF | Kirsti Lay (Can) SAS-Mazda-Macogep-Specialized | |
DNF | Cinthia Lehner (USA) Pain Pathways Womens Cycling | |
DNF | Marianna Williams (USA) QCW Women's Cycling | |
DNF | Melissa Hiller (USA) QCW Women's Cycling | |
DNF | Tiffany Pezulo (USA) DNA Cycling pb K4 | |
DNF | Vita Heine (Nor) Hitec Products | |
DNF | Julie Leth (Den) Hitec Products | |
DNF | Hayley Giddons (NZl) ISCorp Cycling p/b Smart Choice MRI Kick Off | |
DNF | Melissa Hiller (USA) QCW Women's Cycling | |
DNF | Andrea Brennan (USA) QCW Women's Cycling | |
DNF | Kristie Nichols James (USA) QCW Women's Cycling | |
DNF | Jessica Cerra (USA) TWENTY16 presented by Sho-Air | |
DNF | Andrea Brennan (USA) QCW Women's Cycling | |
DNF | Melissa Hiller (USA) QCW Women's Cycling |
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