Christiana Care Cup, Cat 1.4

USA, May 30, 1999

Women's Race

Christiana Care Cup, 149.67 kms:

 1. Jesus Zarate (Mex) Mercury 			     3.41.12 (40.597 km/h)
 2. David Clinger (USA) Mercury 			0.07
 3. Davide Bramati (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step  		0.07
 4. Mark Walters (Can) Navigators  			0.07
 5. Bart Bowen (USA) Saturn  				0.07
 6. Stig Guldbeak (Den) Acceptcard  			0.07
 7. Vros Murn (Slo) Krka Telekom  			0.07
 8. Mike Sayers (USA) Mercury 				0.16
 9. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Saturn  			0.16
10. Jan Karlssen (Swe) Acceptcard  			0.16
11. Clark Sheehan (USA) Composite  			0.16
12. Steve Speaks (USA) Composite 			0.32
13. Gordon Fraser (Can) Mercury 			2.24
14. Eddy Gragus (USA) Ikon-Lexus  			2.24
15. Robbie Ventura (USA) Saturn  			2.24
16. Pelle Kil (Ned) Composite  				2.24
17. Mario Traversoni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale  		2.24
18. Martin Kryger (Den) Acceptcard  			2.24
19. Jacob Piil (Den) Acceptcard  			2.24
20. Jason Van Marle (USA) Nutra-Fig  			2.24
21. Ashley Powell (USA) Composite  			2.24
22. Todd Littlehales (USA) Navigators  			2.24
23. John Lieswyn (USA) Shaklee  			2.24
24. Bostjan Merver (Slo) Krka Telekom  			2.24
25. Mark Hlady (Can) Jet-fuel Cycling  			2.24
26. Eric Wohlberg (Can) Shaklee  			2.24
27. Antonio Cruz (USA) Composite  			2.24
28. Guiseppe Giuliano (Can) Jet-fuel Cycling  		2.24
29. Fred Rodriguez (USA) Mapei-Quick Step  		2.24
30. Donald Reeb (USA) Nutra-Fig  			2.24
31. Kirk Albers (USA) Ikon-Lexus  			2.24
32. Dirk Friel (USA) Composite  			2.24
33. Adriano Baffi (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step  		2.24
34. Ainslie MacEachran (USA) Composite  		2.24
35. Seth Pelusi (USA) Saturn  				2.24
36. Davide Tani (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step  		2.24
37. Paul Martin (USA) Navigators  			2.24
38. Massimiliano Mori (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale  		2.24
39. Chrisopher Baldwin (USA) Navigators  		2.24
40. John Peters (USA) Mercury  				2.24
41. Wayne Roth (USA) Composite  			2.24
42. Bogdan Fink (Slo) Krka Telekom  			2.24
43. Jonathan Hamblen (USA) Navigators  			2.24
44. Luca Segato (Can) Nutra-Fig  			2.24
45. Alex Gardner (USA) Nutra-Fig  			2.24
46. Anton Villatoro (USA) Composite  			2.24
47. Steve Hegg (USA) Ikon-Lexus  			2.24
48. Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale  		2.24
49. Chris Wherry (USA) Saturn  				2.24
50. Brendon Vesty (USA) Navigators  			2.24
51. Mat Anand (Can) Saturn  				2.24
52. Sandi Papez (Slo) Krka Telekom  			2.24
53. Jimmy Madson (Den) Acceptcard  			2.24
54. Bart Leysen (Bel) Mapei-Quick Step  		2.24
55. Harm Jansen (Ned) Composite  			2.24
56. Elliott Hubbard (USA) Navigators  			2.24
57. Wilifred Peeters (Bel) Mapei-Quick Step  		2.24
58. Rinaldo Nonicenti (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step  		2.24
59. Leif Hoste (Bel) Mapei-Quick Step  			2.24
60. Alessandro Guerra (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale  		2.24
61. Ron Schmeer (USA) Nutra-Fig  			2.24
62. Dario Andriotto (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale  		2.24
63. Vassili Davidenko (Rus) Navigators  		2.24
64. Chad Gerlach (USA) Composite  			2.24
65. Pasquale Santoro (Ita) Krka Telekom  		2.24
66. Derek Bouchard-Hall (USA) Mercury  			2.24
67. Thurlow Rogers (USA) Mercury  			2.24
68. Scott Moninger (USA) Mercury  			2.24
69. Floyd Landis (USA) Mercury  			2.24
70. Matt Hansen (Can) Jet-fuel Cycling 			2.57
71. Roy Knickman (USA) Mercury 				3.08
72. Patrick Caro (USA) Ikon-Lexus 			4.21

Report:

Thirteen teams of racers from fifteen countries took the start of the 1999 Christiana Care Cup under blazing hot and windy conditions. Jan Karlssen of the Danish Team Acceptcard, jumped away from the start in a solo breakaway that quickly gained a one minute, fourty-five second lead on the field. Karlssen held his lead 72 kms - scooping up King of the Hill points along the way - before being joined by five men: Saturn's Bart Bowen, Mercury's Mike Sayers and Jesus Zarate and two independents, Steve Speaks and Clark Sheehan. The five men forged to four minutes, 30 second lead on the field but began to lose ground as the chasers ignited into action from behind.

Seven men emerged from the fighting in the field, Leipheimer (Saturn), Clinger (Mercury), Walters (Navigators), Bramati (Mapei), Guldbaek (Acceptcard), and Murn (Slovenia). It took 32 kms of hard chasing, but the seven men bridged the gap between the groups and joined the five leaders at the 110 kms mark.

The twelve stayed together until the last lap when an attack by Guldbaek split the group in two with five miles to the finish. Clinger drove the split for his team sprinter Zarate with Mapei's Bramati and Bowen forcing in turn. Clinger completed the Team Mercury show of power, by leading out an explosive Zarate in the sprint and managing to hold off Bramati for second place despite his long sacrificing effort.

Zarate's win was the biggest of his career. The 1998 Mexican National Amateur Road Champion was a deserving winner, having been active throughout the day and finishing second in the King of the Hill points to Karlssen by one point. The strong performance of Zarate and his Mercury team makes them a favored team for the First Union Cycling series that culminates with the First Union USPRO Championship on Sunday, June 4.

First Union Wilmington Classic, 50 kms:

 1. Nicole Reinhart 			     1.16.43 (39.019 km/h)
 2. Jen Mcrae
 3. Jamie Nicholson
 4. Kendra Wenzel
 5. Katie Compton
 6. Tara Parsons
 7. Cynthia Ferguson
 8. Tiffany Pizzulo
 9. Mina Pizzini
10. Sandra Kolb
11. Aleka Skouras
12. Marisa Vandevelde
13. Lauura Van Gilder
14. Clara Hughes
15. Elizabeth Emery
16. Tana Stone
17. Stacey Spencer
18. Roz Reekie
19. Christina Underwood
20. Sophie Radecki
21. Cassandra Ramirez
22. Sarah Uhl
23. Shannon Greenhill
24. Ashley Mccullough
25. Tina Mayolo
26. Katrina Friedrich
27. Dede Demet
28. Jenni Buckley
29. Caryl Gale 					 3.38
30. Shannon Hutchson 				 7.27
31. Mary Georgetti 				 7.27
32. Vickie Huffman 				11.07
33. Ann Marie Greenwood 			11.07
34. Vanessa Mandel 				11.43
35. Diedre Murphy 				11.51

Women's Report:

Nicole Reinhart showed that she is the fastest woman road sprinter in North America with a decisive win today at the First Union Wilmington Classic in Wilmington, Del. Reinhart and her Saturn teammates were in control of every tactical move of the day, and her victory was the result of a cohesive team effort.

The Team Saturn moves began from the starting gun with Clara Hughes, who recently returned to racing condition after an illness, and Tina Mayolo of the Celestial Seasonings Team escaping the field and building up a 35" lead. Their breakaway lasted until half-way into the 50 kms race when, in response to the attacks and counter-attacks coming out the chasing field, Reinhart herself closed the gap on her teammate Hughes.

Reinhart explained the tactic: "At first we were happy with the breakaway because Tina wasn't a threat to us in the overall Saturn USPRO Cycling Tour points standings," said Reinhart. "But they were kind of just dangling out there and the race wasn't hard enough. We wanted to be really aggressive today and make a hard race."

Her counter-attack toughened the race and sparked another breakaway, this time with Saturn's Tana Stone, Mina Pizzini of Stoneyfield/Potomac and Celestial Seasoning's Elizabeth Emery. They were absorbed by the field with four miles to go and yet another Celestial Seasonings rider, Roz Reekie of Australia, went on the attack, with Clara Hughes joining her. The duo was caught with a half a mile to go just as the sprint was launched. Reinhart, guided in the slipstream of teammate Dede Demet was being shoved into the barricades as the riders fought for position and was forced to begin her sprint much farther from the line than normal. Reinhart's her track-trained skills kept her in front to the line, where she "threw the bike" across to win by inches over Jen McRae of Team Timex.

In third place, in a great surprise, was Jamie Nicholson of the Century Road Club Association. Nicholson is a full-time investment banker. She will know what to do with her prize money.

Thanks to John Eustice for the reports