Prologue
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Prologue Skinner’s Butte, 1 km:The first day of the Tour of Willamette started off under perfect conditions Wednesday with the Boly/Welch Prologue at Skinner’s Butte.The short but steep 1km climb to the top was over in less than three minutes, not much in a five-day stage race, but no one was taking the opening day to be just a warm-up. "It’s a stage race and a lot of things can happen in a race this long and difficult¯but, it could very well come down to just seconds, and if you slack off at the prologue it can really come back to haunt you," said Doug Kaufman, team manager for the Saturn men’s and women’s teams. In a closely contested men’s field, Eddy Gragus (Oilme) and Scott Fortner (Saturn) tied for first in 2:15. Mark McCormack (Saturn) took third at 2:17. The rest of the pack was close behind, and five riders tied for fourth place -- Adham Sbeih (NutraFig), John Leonard (Lemond-Bike Gallery), Mike McCarthy (Saturn) and Mercury’s Gord Fraser and Mark Walters finished four seconds of the leader, with times of 2:19. In the women’s competition, the Saturn team came on strong with a first place finish from Karen Kurreck, who finished in 2:38, while teammates Julie Hanson and Clara Hughes finished just five seconds back, tied for fifth at 2:43. The Saeco-Timex squad also did well, with Susy Pryde taking second place at 2:39, and Pam Schuster in third spot at 2:41. "I went out too fast. I thought it was a minute shorter -- my lungs were on fire. I hurt!," said a tired but happy Nicole Freedman (Shaklee), after finishing in 2:42, placing fourth among the women and four seconds off the lead.
Men 1. Eddy Gragus (USA) Oilme 2.15 2. Scott Fortner (USA) Saturn 2.15 3. Mark McCormack (USA) Saturn 2.17 Women 1. Karen Kurreck (USA) Saturn 2.38 2. Susy Pryde (NZ) Saeco-Timex 2.39 3. Pam Schuster (USA) Saeco-Timex 2.41 Stage 1, Brownsville Road RaceYou couldn’t have asked for better conditions or more excitement from the thrilling second stage of the Mercury Tour of Willamette Thursday. Those conditions produced two very different races.In the men’s event, a small group of racers broke away unusually early in the race and held off the rest of the pack over two grueling climbs and for more than100 miles. "We went from the first mile of the race," said Roy Knickman (Mercury) of the five riders who got out front early and stayed away. Of the five, it came down to Knickman out-sprinting Norm Alvis (Saturn) to win Thursday’s Brownsville Road Race and move into the top spot in the overall standings. "It was a strange move tactically because we weren’t the designated leaders, none of us were," Knickman said. "It was a big chess game out there. We rolled to an eight-minute lead and then they started racing behind us. And we were waiting for them to get close, but it was very cat-and-mouse." As the race progressed the eight-minute gap got smaller, but the rest of the peloton never caught up. The five riders in the breakaway dueled among themselves, but by the end, only Knickman and Alvis were left. "It was just a race of attrition within our group," Knickman said. "We hit the hill the first time and we lost one rider, and then on the descent we lost another, and then on the big hill again we lost another, and then it was just Norm and myself." With a kilometer to go, and with Knickman in the lead, Alvis took over to lead the sprint. "At 300 meters he (Alvis) started to accelerate and I didn’t want him to fully get the jump," Knickman said. "I wanted it to be a drag race, so I jumped hard to get next to him to force him to either drag race me or get on my wheel and try to come around. We drag raced and then I came around at 100 meters and just held him off." It is Knickman’s first national win since returning competition after a three- year retirement. Knickman finished less than a bike-length ahead of Alvis and they both clocked in at four hours, 44 minutes and 51 seconds. Gord Fraser (Mercury) took third at 4:46:17 and teammate Mark Walters led Bill Innes (Kissena) along with a group of riders in at 4:46:20. Where the men split up early, the women stayed much closer together. The field finally split apart somewhat around 40 miles into the 66 mile women’s course when the Saturn and Saeco-Timex teams began to send riders off. A group of six riders, led by Clara Hughes (Saturn), crossed the finish line at three hours and 43 seconds, less than two minutes in front of the main peloton. Nicole Freedman (Shaklee) placed second and moved into second overall behind Hughes; Susy Pryde (Saeco-Timex) took third, followed Cheryl Binney (Ralph’s- Klein), Tammy Jacques (Clif Bar) and Kathleen Gleason (Potomac). More than 60 women then crossed in a mad sprint 1:28 behind the leaders. The margin of victory is very slight and no team has emerged as a clear leader. While Hughes took the win, it was a day for other teams to gain some satisfaction. Binney, who placed fourth, gave all the credit to her team members for getting her out front. "Our job was really to cover the bigger teams, because there are only three of us," she said. "Our team was able to do that, whether it was me one of the others, but we were going to have one of us up front. I wouldn’t have been there without my teammates." Friday’s race, the Smith River Road Race, is one of the most difficult stages, with about 6,000 feet of climbing and a distance of just under 100 miles. The twisty, narrow BLM roads demand a high level of technical skill and concentration. Riders have to contend with rough, resurfaced logging roads, complete with storm damage and moss-slickened shaded areas. The demanding conditions take their toll on both riders and equipment and could serve to open up the overall race for both the men and women.
Men 1. Roy Knickman (USA) Mercury 4.44.51 2. Norm Alvis (USA) Saturn s.t. 3. Gord Fraser (Can) Mercury 1.26 4. Mark Walters (Can) Mercury 1.29 5. Bill Innes (USA) Kissena s.t. GC after Stage 1 1. Roy Knickman (USA) Mercury 4.47.02 2. Norm Alvis (USA) Saturn 0.04 3. Gord Fraser (Can) Mercury 1.29 4. Adham Sbeih (USA) NutraFig 1.37 5. Eddy Gragus (USA) OilMe 1.42 Women Stage 2, Smith River Road RaceCompetition intensified and leaders' jerseys changed backs amid the steep climbs and technical road conditions of Friday’s mountainous Smith River stage of the Mercury Tour of Willamette.There no complaints heard from the riders who seemed to thrive on challenging conditions. The men’s course was particularly messy, with winter storm damage, logging debris and gravel that turned sections of the course into a technical trap. In fact, most of the men loved it. Mike McCarthy (Saturn) summed it up best. "It was awesome! It’s the most fun road race I’ve done in America. There’s a certain amount of risk involved, and when you are warned at the start that sections are a bit rough, it’s up to you. You have to be prepared, and you have to make the right choices. Yeah, it was a bit sketchy, but this is epic!" In the men’s event, the majority of the race saw lots of small attacks and counterattacks. During the first big climb the Saturn team and Norm Alvis, second overall going in to the race, moved out front, trying to get away from Tour leader Roy Knickman (Mercury). "Roy didn’t make the first group, so the Saturn guys threw down really hard trying to eliminate the group because they had the race lead by a minute and 50 seconds," Willett said. "But the guys came back up to us. Actually, we had some help when (Saturn’s Brian) Walton flatted on the descent and that took a little impetus out of their charge ... and then Roy made it back." Willett ended up breaking away later and eventually out-sprinting Walton of Saturn for the stage win. But there was still plenty of racing before it was over. Knickman made it back up to the front and then he flatted, and teammate Thurlow Rogers gave him his bike so he could stick with the leaders. Rogers then made it back up to the group of about 25 riders in the lead. The group continued to attack until about 2km past the feed zone and 70 miles into the 95-mile race, when four riders broke away. Willett went with this group, hanging back on the other three riders until the sprint. He finished first, followed by Walton, Greg Randolph (GT) and Ron Schmeer (NutraFig). All received the same time of three hours, 51 minutes and four seconds. Rogers, Mark McCormack (Saturn), and Eddy Gragus (Oilme) arrived next, respectively, with the time of 3:52.45. Knickman and Alvis, showed up less than a minute later with David Zabriskie (U.S. National Team) and leading a huge pack of about 60 riders to finish with a time of 3:53.34. The Mercury vs. Saturn rivalry has shifted as Willett now holds a four-second lead over Walton. "It was a good effort on my part, the result was second place, and of course we’re always going for the win," Walton said. "But it’s not over yet, we still have tomorrow and we’ll be challenging and try to put the boots to Kirk tomorrow on Kill Hill. The everyone’s riding strong, but we’re undermanned ... yet as a team we’re clicking very well." Knickman, whose stage win on Thursday was the first national win of his comeback after retiring four years ago, was a bit surprised at his finish and isn’t sure what to expect as he starts racing again. "This year, it’s a bit of a mystery since I took four years off. Normally I’m better second and third days, but I felt excellent yesterday ... and today on the steeper climb, it was brutal for me! I was following Norm around, who’s just a few seconds behind, and people were joking we were connected by a four- second string (the time difference between the two). Norm saw I was cracking and he gave it everything on the steep hill and he got in the front group. My team did an excellent job. Thurlow Rogers and Dave Clinger waited for me and they rode steady and kept us close, and then when the Saturn rider flatted out of the front group, the front just sat up and so it made it easy for us to get back in." For the women, Friday’s stage covered the hardest climbing yet in the Tour. "The race was really about surviving over the climb," said Cheryl Binney (Ralph’s-Klein). "It was just so much longer than yesterday." Binney finished in the second group of about 25 riders just under four minutes after the front group of six. Also in this group was Clara Hughes (Saturn), the overall women’s leader at the start of the stage. Hughes’ teammate Dede Demet finished first in 3:02:25, leading a sprint with Susy Pryde (Saeco-Timex), Ward Griffiths (Safeway-Saturn), Tammy Jacques (Clif Bar), Linda Jackson (Saeco-Timex) and Louisa Jenkins (Shaklee) all finishing with the same time. "It was a really hard race, really good course, beautiful roads, beautiful scenery -- and hard!" said Hughes. "And Dede won. We were really happy we had one rider up front and you can’t ask for more than that on a day like today. It was hard from the gun, it was fast from the gun, and it just got harder and harder. Then we got on the climb. And that basically made the selection of the race. "The group got away on the climb and we chased and chased, but we were happy to have one of the Saturn girls up front. Dede was able to sit on. Obviously she’s not going to pull when her teammate with the leader’s jersey is behind chasing, and that enabled her to go to the finish line pretty fresh for the sprint." Pryde moved into the leader’s jersey, 25 seconds ahead of Jacques.
Men 1. Kirk WIllett (USA) Mercury 3.51.04 2. Brian Walton (Can) Saturn s.t. 3. Greg Randolph (USA) GT s.t. 4. Ron Schmeer (USA) NutraFig s.t. 5. Thurlow Rogers (USA) Mercury 1.41 6. Mark McCormack (USA) Saturn s.t. 7. Eddy Gragus (USA) OilMe s.t. GC after Stage 2 1. Kirk WIllett (USA) Mercury 8.39.39 2. Brian Walton (Can) Saturn 0.04 3. Greg Randolph (USA) GT 0.28 4. Ron Schmeer (USA) NutraFig 0.33 5. Roy Knickman (USA) Mercury 0.57 Women 1. Dede Demet (USA) Saturn 3.02.25 2. Susy Pryde (NZ) Saeco-Timex s.t. 3. Ward Griffiths (USA) Safeway-Saturn s.t. 4. Tammy Jacques (USA) Clif Bar s.t. 5. Linda Jackson (Can) Saeco-Timex s.t. 6. Louisa Jenkins (USA) Shaklee s.t. Tammy Jacques (USA) Clif Bar leads after a violation by Susy Pryde. Stage 3, Kill Hill Road RaceSaturday’s tactical battles among the major teams in the Kill Hill stage of the Tour of Willamette turned into an opportunity for some other riders to move into the spotlight.The men’s race began with Nathan Dahlberg (Start to Finish-Village Peddler) jumping from the gun to outrun the field to the summit of Wolf Creek and claiming the first of his three King of the Mountain awards for the day’s stage and taking the overall KOM title. Dahlberg hit the first major descent out in front with Donald Reeb (NutraFig) and Eric Roesinger (Team Oregon) soon bridging up. The trio raced away from the field, building up a lead as great as 18 minutes. Reeb, 59th overall going into Saturday’s stage, pulled in front at the final sprint uphill to win the 111-mile stage in four hours, 54 minutes and 13 seconds. Dahlberg captured second with the same time. Roesinger (Team Oregon) was alone in third place at 4:54.20. The main pack had closed in by now and finished just back at 4:54.54. "I just rolled over the hill and I punched it, just to go down the hill first, nothing more than that, I didn’t even know who was out there," Reeb said. "Eric showed up and I figured I’d just roll through with him and see who’s up there. It happened to be Dahlberg -- the best guy in the world to go 100 miles with, he never misses a pull. I was just going to go over the first hill, and then help these guys later, and ... well, what can you do when you get 15 minutes or more?" This was Reeb’s biggest win of his career and it was obvious that this Northwest racer was happy with his first national victory. "My biggest win before today was at last year’s Silver Falls Classic, just a regional race. Usually, I’m in a worker’s role, but this was a nice payback, they didn’t chase me down, they let me duke it out and I won!" The main field was trapped in a frustrating tactical battle between the teams of the two top overall racers, Kirk Willett (Mercury) and Brian Walton (Saturn). Separated by only four seconds, these two riders looked for any opportunity to get away. The group alternated between attacking hard and sitting up. For one section of about 20 miles the group averaged 40 miles per hour, yet the overall average was only 20 mph; slow for this course. Tour leader Willett was happy with the outcome. "We just had to keep the team together so that we could fend off any Saturn attacks. There’s really only three guys I had to look for, and that’s Ron Schmeer and (Greg) Randolph and Walton. I had 30 seconds cushion on two of them, so I really only had to keep my eyes on Walton. "My team just kept me out of trouble; neutralized all attacks. It worked out perfect. And when I heard who was out front, I thought it’d be cool if he (Reeb) stayed away. I used to ride with him on the Ray’s Boathouse team in past years. And they took the time bonuses, my guys didn’t have to ride hard, although they were spectacular in the second lap." As for Saturn’s Walton, he is ready for tomorrow’s showdown. "I’m only four seconds behind, and the team gave everything today," he said. "We were just attacking left and right, trying to whittle them down. They have a bit of numbers on us, we have five, they have seven and that makes it a little difficult, but of course these guys are riding like two of them anyway. "The hills weren’t tough enough to crack ‘em, these were pretty steady climbs and not like we’ve had the last few days. We got close near the end, but not close enough. We tried making it as unsteady as possible, a lot of jumping and stuff. But hey, it’s a bike race. It goes down to the last day. It’s only four seconds, it’s doable!" Susy Pryde (Saeco-Timex) established herself firmly at the top of the women’s event by powering through the uphill finish to win by less than a bike length over Cheryl Binney (Ralph’s/Klein). Ward Griffiths (Safeway-Saturn) took third with the same time. Pryde’s win moves the 1997 National Racing Calendar champion into first place overall, 10 seconds ahead of Tammy Jacques (Clif Bar). For Binney, this was a great finish. In four years of racing this is her highest placing in a stage of a national event and her top 10 overall placing is also her best yet. "I’m just a big ol’ gear masher, this place is my favorite, these kind of hills," Binney said. "For the first time, I actually realized, Hey, I could do this, and I went for it! I got second! I am excited!
Men 1. Donald Reeb (USA) NutraFig 4.54.13 2. Nathan Dahlberg (NZ) Village Peddler s.t. 3. Eric Roesinger (USA) Team Oregon 0.07 4. Adham Sbeih (USA) NutraFig 0.41 5. David Zabriskie (USA) U.S. National Team s.t. 6. Eddy Gragus (USA) OilMe s.t. 7. Michael Barry (Can) Canadian National Team s.t. 8. Greg Randolph (USA) GT s.t. 9. Brian Walton (Can) Saturn s.t. 10. Gord Fraser (Can Mercury s.t. 11. Kirk Willett (USA) Mercury s.t. Women 1. Susy Pryde (NZ) Saeco-Timex 3.58.33 2. Cheryl Binney (USA) Ralph’s-Klein s.t. 3. Ward Griffiths (USA) Safeway-Saturn s.t. 4. Brenda Brashears (USA) PowerBar s.t. 5. Karen Kurreck (USA) Saturn s.t. 6. Marie Holjer (Swe) Ralph’s-Klein s.t. 9. Sandy Espeseth (USA) Physical Culture s.t. 10. Stacey Peters (USA) LeMond-Bike Gallery s.t. Stage 4, Criterium:The Mercury Tour of Willamette wrapped up Sunday with the dramatic and unexpectedly difficult Greenhill Technology Park Criterium.Buffeted by strong winds from the north, the wide-open, flat course bared its teeth and kept everyone guessing until the announcer provided the final results. The men’s stage winner was decided early when Mike McCarthy (Saturn) joined Michael Barry (Canadian National Team) in a breakaway that lapped the field and put McCarthy across in first and Barry in second place, both with a time of 1:35.40. But the battle for the overall winner was far from over. It would come down to Kirk Willett (Mercury), the overall leader at the start of the day and Brian Walton (Saturn), who trailed by only four seconds overall. The 90-minute and then five lap race would continue with the seven-strong Mercury squad dominating the tempo throughout the majority of the race, allowing some riders to break off, but denying the Saturn team any opportunity to sustain an attack. Several times Walton and other Saturn team members appeared to attack, but each time the Mercury team picked up and regained control. With McCarthy and Barry having lapped the field and carrying a one and a half minute lead, the first and second slots with the respective 15 and 10 second time bonuses were taken. That left only the third place time bonus of five seconds available. It would be just enough to put Walton in the lead if he could get away and take third place in front of Willett. That’s when a U.S. National Team member, David Zabriskie, threw a wrench at an already tenuous Saturn position. Zabriskie went out alone and led the rest of the field, and with just five laps to go looked as if he might stay away and take third, along with the precious time bonus. However, as the clock ticked down and the final lap arrived, the field had closed in and devoured Zabriskie. Walton needed third to win the overall, even if Willett finished with the same time. The five-second time bonus was the key. Anyone else takes it and Willett wins. Everyone launched and the pace on the backstretch went ballistic. The sprint to the finish was furious, and it looked close. Walton led Willett. Bikes rocked back and forth beneath the racers as they gave everything. And then it was over. Gord Fraser (Mercury), the man that Willett had said yesterday "would be waiting to give me the turbo there at the last if it’s ever needed" did that and more by rocketing past Walton and Willett to wrap up third for the stage and keep Willett on top. Walton finished fourth and Willett took fifth. The main sprinting pack finished with a time of 1:37.10. "We let guys go that we wanted to let go, that weren’t dangerous, and let them have the time bonuses," Willett said. "With Gord up there, they’d have had to out-sprint Gord and me to get the time bonus. So I just had to sit on Walton’s wheel and finish with him. The team did it all. I did nothing." A determined but subdued Walton explain the Saturn strategy. "When Michael (McCarthy) was out there, we wanted to actually bridge up to him, and then all of a sudden it was too much, they are going for the win, we’ve got to sort of wait," he said. "The last three days took its toll on everybody, there were a couple of individuals still fresh, but not enough to break the Mercury train. They have seven guys in control and we’re here with five. It was a damn good effort on my team, I can’t complain. I think that we showed who the strongest riders were here. Mercury was lucky." It was a dramatic finish to wrap up five days of world-class bicycle racing. After 15 hours, 11 minutes and 43 seconds, Willett, of Pullman, Wash., had taken the title of overall winner of the 1998 Mercury Tour of Willamette by the narrowest of margins. Walton finished just four seconds back. The women’s event carried its own drama. Susy Pryde of Auckland, New Zealand and riding for Saeco/Timex, captured the overall title by finishing in the lead pack and not allowing Tammy Jacques, of Clif Bar to take a time bonus. Pryde’s teammate Kendra Wenzel of McKenzie Bridge, Ore., showed the field what she can do on the flats. For nearly half of the race Wenzel was off the front, building as much as a 18-second lead. It was an impressive show of force on a beyond blustery day. The main group finally chased her down, but she dropped back in to bide her time. She was rested and ready for the charge to the finish where she accelerated to win in 1:04.36, the same time as the lead group. Nicole Freedman (Shaklee) took second place.
Men 1. Mike McCarthy (USA) Saturn 1.35.40 2. Michael Barry (Can) Canadian National Team s.t. 3. Gord Fraser (Can) Mercury 1.30 4. Brian Walton (Can) Saturn s.t. 5. Kirk Willett (USA) Mercury s.t. Final Men's GC 1. Kirk Willett (USA) Mercury 15.11.43 2. Brian Walton (Can) Saturn 0.04 3. Greg Randolph (USA) GT 0.28 4. Ron Schmeer (USA) NutraFig 0.33 5. Roy Knickman (USA) Mercury 1.24 6. Norm Alvis (USA) Saturn Springs 1.28 7. Eddy Gragus (USA) OilMe 1.50 8. Mark McCormack (USA) Saturn 1.54 9. Michael Barry (Can) Canadian National Team 2.19 10. Gord Fraser (Can) Mercury 2.28 11. Adham Sbeih (USA) NutraFig 12. Billy Innes (USA) Kissena Cycling 3.13 13. Peter Wedge (Can) Canadian National Team 3.17 14. Mark Walters (Can) Mercury 3.18 15. Thurlow Rogers (USA) Mercury 4.18 16. Matt Anand (USA) Mercury 4.23 Women 1. Kendra Wenzel (USA) Saeco-Timex 1.04.36 2. Nicole Freedman (USA) Shaklee s.t. 3. Dede Demet (USA) Saturn s.t. 4. Julie Hanson (USA) Saturn s.t. 5. Stacey Peters (USA) LeMond-Bike Gallery s.t. Final Women's GC 1. Susy Pryde (NZ) Saeco-Timex 11.08.32 2. Tammy Jacques (USA) Clif Bar 0.10 3. Dede Demet (USA) Saturn 1.13 4. Ward Griffiths (USA) Safeway-Saturn 1.36 5. Louisa Jenkins (USA) Shaklee s.t. 6. Linda Jackson (Can) Saeco-Timex 1.38 7. Cheryl Binney (USA) Ralph’s-Klein 4.15 8. Cybil Diguistini (Can) Elita 4.27 9. Kathleen Gleason (USA) Potomac 5.40 10. Julie Hanson (USA) Saturn 5.44 |