Criterium America Series - NEUSA, August 5-15, 2000Stage list
Race 1 - August 5: Madison, IndianaResults1. Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Cyclescience.com 2. Pelle Kil (Ned) L' Eqiupe Cheval 3. Jonathon Wirsing (USA) Snow Valley 4. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Ital Pasta 5. Ryan Peterson (USA) Mercy Fitness 6. Kirk Albers (USA) Saturn of Columbus 7. George Menard (USA) 8. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet/Colnago 9. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 10. Steve Cate (USA) Mercy Fitness Race 2 - August 6: Zionsville, IndianaResults1. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet/Lemond 2. Ivan Domiguez (Cub) Cyclescience.com 3. Greg Walker (USA) Saturn of Columbus 4. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 5. Jonathon Wirsing (USA) Snow Valley 6. Rainiel Sanchez 7. Jay Moglia (USA) NCVC/Spokes Etc 8. Gustavo Carrillo (Gua) Cityscape/highergear 9. Ryan Smith (USA) 10. Mike Zingaro (USA) Cyclescience.com Race 3 - August 7: Loveland,OhioResults1. Greg Walker (USA) Saturn of Columbus 2. Steve Sevener (USA) Zaxby's 3. Jonathon Wirsing (USA) Snow Valley 4. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 5. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet/Colnago 6. Troy Clarke (Aus) Saturn of Columbus 7. Alex Canderlario (USA) Rocky Mounts 8. Pelle Kil (Ned) L' Equipe Cheval 9. Steve Tilford (USA) Shimano/Jogmate 10. Steve Cate (USA) Mercy Fitness Race 4 - August 9: Mt. Vernon, Ohio, 45 kmCriterium America is an Amateur-only race series in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia. The fourth race of the series was held on a half-mile course that featured a brick street and many tight turns. The field was very active from the beginning and many riders tried to escape the field. In the end a five rider break succeeded in staying away. Results - 45 km1. Russ Langley (USA) NCVC-Spokes Etc 1.05.31 2. Troy Clarke (Aus) Bear Solutions 3. Mark Southard (USA) FCRC/New Belgium 4. Jay Moglia (USA) NCVC-Spokes Etc 5. Dan Larson (USA) Cyclescience.com 6. Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Cyclescience.com 1.01 7. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet 8. Steve Tilford (USA) Shimano-Jogmate 9. James Baldeseare (USA) GoMart-WV 10. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 11. Brice Jones (USA) Mercy Fitness 12. Alex Candelario (USA) Rocky Mounts 13. Kirk Albers (USA) Jelly Belly 14. Emile Abraham (USA) Jamis 15. Christian McCarthy (USA) FCRC 16. Jason Waddell (USA) Arlington Velo 17. Pele Kil (Ned) Le Equipe Cheval 18. Mark Light (USA) Snow Valley 19. Mike Stewart (USA) 20. Gustavo Carrillo (Gua) Cityscape/Highergear Results courtesy of Jason Waddell Race 5 - August 10: Circleville, OhioRace 5 of the 10 race series was held on a 8/10 of a mile rectanglular course that was wide and smooth. The race offered 7 $100 primes and with the speed of the field the pack mostly stayed together. A few riders tried to escape the field, but in the end it was the Flying Cuban Ivan Domimguez of Cyclescience.com who was victorious in the field sprint. Results1. Ivan Domiguez (Cub) Cyclescience.com 1.02.51 2. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 3. Mark Light (USA) Snow Valley 4. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Colnago/Lemond 5. Russell Langley (USA) NCVC-Spokes Etc 6. Steve Tilford (USA) Shimano-Jogmate 7. Jason Waddell (USA) Arlington Velo 8. Brice Jones (USA) Mercy Fitness 9. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Ital Pasta 10. Gustavo Carrillo (Gua) Higher Gear 11. Alex Candelario (USA) Rocky Mounts 12. Jonathon Wirsing (USA) Snow Valley 13. Aaron Quesnell (USA) LA Wings 14. Alex Lavallee (USA) Kissena 15. Luke Mauritsen (USA) 16. Josh Frick (USA) Snow Valley 17. Jay Moglia (USA) NCVC-Spokes Etc 18. Pele Kil (Ned) Le Equipe Cheval 19. Ryan Cady (USA) 20. Geri Mewitt (USA) Defeet/Lemond Race 6 - August 11: Lancaster, OhioThe sixth race of the series was supposed to be an easy/rest day before the $25,000 race on Saturday. It was anything but, with a 29.2 mph average on the 6/10 of a mile course the field was flying. Very few breaks were allowed any room to breathe and with 15 laps to go a 8 rider break escaped including overall leader Ivan Dominguez (Cyclescience.com). With everyone in the break looking at each other and with some hard work at the front of the field from the Snow Valley team, the break was doomed. At 8 laps to go it appeared that a field sprint was imminent, however Jamie Paolmetti (Netzero.net) escaped the field with 2 laps to go and held on to win with a 3 second gap. The Flying Cuban Ivan Dominguez (Cyclescience.com) and Graeme Miller (Saturn of Columbus) rounded out the podium. Tomorrow's race in Westerville,Ohio will be very intense as the winner will receive $6,000! Results1. Jamie Paolmetti (USA) Netzero.net 50.28 2. Ivan Domiguez (Cub) Cyclescience.com 0.03 3. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 4. Jason Waddell (USA) Arlington Velo 5. Emile Abraham (USA) Jamis 6. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Ital Pasta 7. Russ Langley (USA) NCVC-Spokes Etc 8. Steve Tilford (USA) Shimano-Jogmate 9. Aaron Quesnell (USA) La Wings-Reynolds 10. Pele Kil (Ned) L' Equipe Cheval 11. Tyler Farrar (USA) Saturn of Bellevue 12. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet-Colnago 13. Gustavo Carrillo (USA) CityScape-HigherGear 14. Andy Crater (USA) Breakaway Couriers 15. Mike Zingaro (USA) Cyclescience. com 16. George Neuman (USA) Ital Pasta 17. Jay Moglia (USA) NCVC-Spokes Etc 18. Patrick O'Donnell (USA) GoMart 19. Shawn Willard (USA) Defeet-Lemond 20. Alex Candelario (USA) Rocky Mounts Race 7 - August 12: Westerville, Ohio, 60 kmThe 7th race of the Criterium America series was the Crown Jewel of the series with a $25,000 prize list. The winner received $6,000 of the pot with 6th still paying $1,000! The crowd for the race lined the streets of Westerville and was estimated at 4,000 strong. The race was held in the downtown restaurant district and the people that gathered to to enjoy a fantastic show. This series is the richest in the country and is a series that caters to the amateur racer. Division I,II pro riders are not allowed into the race and even without them, the racing is still some of the most aggressive that I have witnessed. The course was a one mile square with many tight turns that caused many bottlenecks in the turns. The race was full of attacks with the Snow Valley rider Josh Frick trying a solo move for several laps only to succumb to the pace of the field. The next major move of the race in included Greg Medinilla(NetZero.net) Mark Light(Snow Valley) and Gustavo Carrillo (CityScape/Highergear) finally escaped the field with 20 laps to go. With the two strongest teams represented and with their teammates controlling the field, the break steadily gained time on the field. Medinilla was the first to jump and held of his breakaway companions with Light and Carrillo rounding out the top three. The field sprint that ensued was led out by Pelle Kil (L'Equipe Cheval) and once again the Flying Cuban Ivan Domiguez (Cyclescience.com) proved that he was fastest in the sprint against Graeme Miller (Saturn of Columbus) and myself Jason Waddell (Arlington Velo). The race was a success and the racing resumes tomorrow in Chagrin Falls,OH. Results - 60km1. Greg Medinilla (USA) Netzero. net 1.08.45 2. Mark Light (USA) Snow Valley 3. Gustavo Carrillo (Gua) Cityscape-Highergear 4. Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Cyclescience. com 0.45 5. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 6. Jason Waddell (USA) Arlington Velo 7. Jeff Hopkins (Aus) Cycledrome 8. Steve Sevener (USA) Zaxby's 9. Brice Jones (USA) Mercy Fitness 10. Jamie Paolinetti (USA) NetZero. net 11. Steve Tilford (USA) Shimano-Jogmate 12. Jonathon Wirsing (USA) Snow Valley 13. Chris Fredrick (USA) Jamis 14. Aaron Quesnell (USA) LA Wings-Reynolds 15. Jim Haswell (USA) FCRC-New Belgium 16. Emile Abraham (USA) Jamis 17. Roberto Gagggioli (USA) Defeet-Colnago 18. Luke Mauritsen (USA) 19. Gabriele Rampollo (USA) Defeet-Lemond 20. Jim Baldeseare (USA) GoMart-WV Results courtesy of Jason Waddell Race 8 - August 13: Chagrin Falls, Ohio, 80 kmChagrin Falls is a little suburb tucked away southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. The weather was perfect with the temperature around 26 degrees Celsius and the people of Chagrin Falls turned out to make this 8th race of the series a hometown barbeque/pinic bike racing kind of day. The crowd was by my estimate was around 5,000 and all were excited to be a part of the race. The course was a complete reversal of the previous races as it was a 1 mile loop through downtown and up into the hills of the nearby neighborhood. The course featured two demanding hills and one featured an uphill chicane! Once again the riders made the race with many riders such as Paolinetti (Netzero.net) making a gutsy solo move only to be brought back and then replaced by Southard and McCarthy both of (FCRC/NewBelgium) making a hard push off the front. The field was not about to let the two have much room and after many laps off the front they were brought back. The field then seemed to settle in for the unlikely field sprint on this difficult course which saw only 42 riders of the 112 finish. With the field rolling through the S/F seeing only 3 laps to go, Pelle Kil (L'Equipe Cheval) made a strong move on the front of the field and with no one willing to follow his intense pace Kil instantly had a 5 sec lead on the long hill. Once he realized the gap Kil poured on the power and with 2 laps to go the field was still unsure about who was going to chase. All the while Kil kept up his speed and cruised to a well deserved victory.
Results - 70km1. Pelle Kil (Ned) L'Equipe Cheval (USA) 1.40.34 (40.1 km/h) 2. Ivan Domiguez (Cub) Cyclescience.com (USA) 0.18 3. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 4. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet/Colnago 5. Steve Tilford (USA) Shimano/Jogmate 6. Mark Light (USA) Snow Valley 7. Jamie Paolinetti (USA) NetZero.net 8. Emile Abraham (Tri) (USA) Jamis 9. Steve Cate (USA) Mercy Fitness 10. Gustavo Carrillo (Gua) CityScape/Highergear 11. Jonathon Wirsing (USA) Snow Valley 12. Jim Baldeseare (USA) GoMart/WV 13. Jay Moglia (USA) NCVC/Spokes Etc 14. Mark Southard (USA) FCRC/New Belgium 15. Rusty Miller (USA) Zaxby's 16. Alex Lavalle (Can) Kissena 17. Gabriele Rampollo (Ita) (USA) Defeet/Lemond 18. Alex Canderlario (USA) Rocky Mounts 19. Aaron Quesnell (USA) LA Wings/Reynolds 20. Rob Acciavatti (USA) Gomart/WV Results courtesy of Jason Waddell Race 9 - August 15: Wheeling, West VirginiaThe 9th race of the series followed a rest day and with the series drawing to a close, the racing was sure to be intense. The field was 70 strong at the start of the race with temperature around 27 degress Celsius. The downtown course was 1 mile in length and was similar to an hourglass shape that wound around the downtown businesses. As it was a Tuesday night and even with a band providing music the spectators were few and far between. The racing was intense from the beginning with yours truly taking a 4 lap flyer from the gun only to succumb to the field. The race was full of attacks throughout, and no one rider or group got more than a 5 sec lead. The field settled in for the field sprint that was sure to happen. With 3 laps to go the Saturn of Columbus team massed at the front of the field in support of their sprinter, Kiwi Graeme Miller. Once Troy Clarke (Saturn of Columbus) pulled off the front with 150 meters to go Miller had a clear shot at the sprint and handily won. The final race of the series is tomorrow in Martinsburg,WV. Results - 30 miles/48 km1. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus (USA) 1.02.20 (45.5 km/h) 2. Jamie Paolinetti (USA) Netzero.net 3. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet/Colnago 4. Ivan Domiguez Cyclescience.com 5. Greg Medinella (USA) Netzero.net 6. Brice Jones (USA) Mercy Fitness 7. Jason Waddell (USA) Arlington Velo 8. Steve Tilford (USA) Shimano/Jogmate 9. James Baldeseare Gomart/WV 10. Aaron Quesnell (USA) LA WingsReynolds 11. Jason Bausch Netzero.net 12. Jeff Hopkins (Aus) Cycledrome 13. Jay Moglia (USA) NCVC/Spokes Etc 14. Jonathon Wirsing (USA) Snow Valley 15. Gustavo Carrillo (USA) Cityscape/Highergear 16. Rob Acciavati (USA) Gomart/WV 17. John Harris (NZl) Ital Pasta 18. Chris Fredrick (USA) Jamis 19. Alex Lavallee (Can) Kissena 20. Steve Cate (USA) Mercy Fitness Race 10 - August 16: Martinsburg,West VirginiaThe 10th and final race of the series was held in Martinsburg, WVa which is located in the far Northeastern corner of the state. The town's residents came out to witness what the best amateur cyclists in the US have to offer. The weather for the race was a pleasant 26 degrees Celsius with no wind to speak of. The course was similar to a figure eight, in that it was two smaller squares joined by a common straight-away. The field of 65 riders that contested the 1 mile circuit found it to be fast and full of turns. Over 200 riders have competed in the 10 race series and all were grateful that the promoter Tim Tyler put together this race for the amateurs. The racing was anything but amateur, it was almost as fast as some of the Professional races that I have competed in. With the series being amateur only, it gave some riders a chance to get some good results and glory. I would also like to thank the Sponsors: Grange Insurance, and Saturn of Columbus, without their support this series would not have happened. With the top three overall positions locked up and the rest of the top riders trying to move up in the overall classification the racing was tight and fast. Many riders tried to escape on the twisty course only to be brought back by the high paced field. With the speed of the field and with the teams trying to solidify their overall riders positions, not many moves were allowed any leeway. This didn't stop riders from trying, and with $4,000 on the line for the final race the riders were launching off the front of the field regularly. (I didn't pay too close attention to every rider that was attacking, as I was protecting my top ten overall placing - JW) With no riders able to separate themselves from the field, everyone was sure that the field sprint was inevitable. But with 3 or 4 laps to go, Michael Johnson (Netzero.net) and Jonathan Wirsing (Snow Valley) launched themselves off the front and instantly got a gap. With help from their teammates, the two riders continued to hold off the field. Coming into the final turn with only 150 meters to go the two breakaway riders were playing cat and mouse and the field almost caught them from behind. But in the end it was Netzero's Johnson that had a better kick to the line and held off Wirsing to take the win. The field was lead in by the US Espoir (Under 23) National Road Champion Brice Jones (Mercy Fitness). Results - 40 miles/64 km1. Michael Johnson (USA) Netzero. net 1.12.12 2. Jonathon Wirsing (USA) Snow Valley 3. Brice Jones (USA) Mercy Fitness 4. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 5. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet/Colnago 6. Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Cyclescience.com 7. Mark Light (USA) Snow Valley 8. Eric Workowski (USA) Team Fuji 9. Jason Waddell Arlington Velo 10. Steve Tilford (USA) Shimano/Jogmate 11. Gustavo Carrillo (Gua) Cityscape/HigherGear 12. Russell Langley (USA) NCVC/Spokes Etc 13. Jamie Paolinetti Netzero.net 14. John Harris (NZl) Ital Pasta 15. Dan Larson (USA) Cyclescience.com 16. George Neuman (Can) Ital Pasta 17. Dean Rittenhouse Snow Valley 18. Chris Fredrick (USA) Jamis 19. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Ital Pasta 20. Jay Moglia (USA) NCVC/Spokes Etc Final overall standings: 1. Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Cyclescience.com 338 pts 2. Graeme Miller (NZl) Saturn of Columbus 322 3. Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet/Colnago 295 4. Steve Tilford (USA) Shimano/Jogmate 217 5. Jonathon Wirsing (USA) Snow Valley 216 6. Gustavo Carrillo (Gua) Cityscape/Highergear 207 7. Mark Light (USA) Snow Valley 177 8. Russell Langley (USA) NCVC/Spokes Etc 158 9. Jason Waddell (USA) Arlington Velo 157 10. Jay Moglia (USA) NCVC/Spokes Etc 151 (tie) 10. Jamie Paolinetti (USA) Netzero.net 151 10. Aaron Quesnell (USA) LA Wings 151 Results and report courtesy of Jason Waddell |