"Gobsmackingly Brilliant" rides of 2000

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Henk Vogel

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Henk Vogels' First Union USPRO championship ride, hands down. With less than 3k left in the 250 k race, Vogel makes a couple aborted stabs at getting away from a final group that includes America's two best road sprinters, George Hincappie and Fred Rodriguez. Each time he is quickly brought back.
Finally, he launches a vicious attack, gets some air and starts riding balls to the wall. For a few moments, it looks like he has the gap. His head down, he is pushing so big a gear it hurts just to watch. The camera pans back. No one seems to be there as he starts up Lemon Hill.

Then out of the blue the rest are coming back. Vogels glances over his shoulder and sees the jig is up. He sits up, looking fried. Flash forward to 1,500 meter to go. Rodriguez and Hincappie are watching each other as the line draw near. BANG, an attack from the rear. It's, it's, YIKES, it's Vogels back from the dead. The group hesitates. You know the rest.

Chris Hepp
USA
Mon, 11 Dec

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