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O'Bee new American Criterium Champion

Saturn's Jansen wins at Downers Grove

By Chris Baldwin, cyclingnews.com correspondent

Kirk O'Bee of the Navigators is the 2001 US Pro Criterium Champion, beating Mercury's Derek Bouchard-Hall in a field sprint for the title. Saturn's Harm Jansen of Holland finished the race first, breaking away from a group of 15 riders with two laps to go.

Under sunny skies and a brisk wind, 93 riders from 12 teams started on Sunday, with heavy favourites Bouchard-Hall, Prime Alliance's Jonas Carney, and Saturn's Trent Klasna at the line. Foreign riders Vasilli Davidenko of the Navigators, Ivan Dominguez of Saturn, and Canadian Mark Walters were also present, but unable to lay claim to the stars and stripes jersey of American national champion.

Jansen left the Americans to settle their differences on lap 58, pushing his pedals to what was at one time a 20 second gap on the chasers and over 40 seconds on the main pack. As time and fatigue set in on the 33 year old from Delft who now calls Topanga, CA home, great chunks of his lead were eaten away. Nonetheless he crossed the finish line alone and exultant, arms thrust skyward in joyous relief.

That the Yankees would sprint was foreseen well before the finish, with each of the Americans in the final group accompanied by at least one team member in the last laps. Bouchard-Hall had Chris Wherry, Klasna and McCormack had each other, and O'Bee was well represented by Davidenko.

"Vasilli led out in the second to last turn and left me sitting pretty," said O'Bee. "At the final corner Bouchard-Hall came around (Saturn rider Mark) McCormack and the gate for me was wide open."

McCormack held on for 5th behind 7Up's David McCook and just ahead of NetZero's James Paolinetti. The field finished at 2:16:53, 12 seconds behind Jansen. What for Saturn had been a reluctance to slow down the night before wound up biting them in the nethermouth on Sunday when McCormack nearly stopped before the bend.

"He was in front at the last corner when he went really hard on the brakes," said Bouchard-Hall. "I don't know why, maybe because yesterday his teammates didn't use their brakes at all. I caught up and passed him. Kirk got a nice line too, and won the race, but the corner determined the sprint."

The first third of the race's 62 laps was fast and uneventful, the peloton stringing out into a single laconic line of riders. 7Up's John Lieswyn took great initiative after lap 20, leading several times over the course's solitary climb.

Navigators then took it upon themselves to do some leading, dominating the pace and pushing rivals Saturn towards the front with Klasna, McCormack and Dominguez all pulling. A small group of 9 riders, including O'Bee, Saturn's Chris Fisher, and Mercury's John Peters held off at the front until US Postal's Stéphane Barthe spurred a group effort to reel in the leaders. This worked, and at the race's midpoint the peloton was whole.

The second third of the race was the mortar and artillery of the battle, with teams sending out attacks to up the pace and shatter malingerers. Julian Dean of US Postal led one lap, Mercury's John Peters the next, Saturn's Eric Wohlberg the one after that. Finally a group of six riders managed to stay away for a long enough period of time that a chase by Prime Alliance was able to form, reeling everybody back in. Frank McCormack took advantage of the slight lull and broke at the top of the hill, taking Mercury's Mike Sayers with him and staying away for three laps.

That pair of riders initiated what turned out to be the decisive moment in the race, as the teams began sending their favored sprinters to the front. A lead group of 15 riders, including O'Bee, Bouchard-Hall, and Jansen quickly put 20 seconds on the pack. Julian Dean of US Postal tried to bridge up from behind in a solo effort, and 7Up's Clark Sheehan did much the same, both hunkering down and turning big gears hastily.

Back at the front the leaders' tactics turned erratic and slow as gamesmanship and inertia intertwined to colour the remaining five laps. At one point the pace was a sluggish 10 mph, accelerating to 30 after a turn in an effort to break positions and create advantage. As this played out Jansen looked around to see if anybody would follow him if he went away. "Nobody did," he said later. "So I decided that I might as well go."

The lead pack had little concern for a flying Dutchman, as the American national title was on the line. Coming into the last two turns, Bouchard-Hall was being led out by teammate Wherry, while Davidenko pulled O'Bee along at full speed. McCormack was ahead of them all going into the final turn when he pulled hard on his brake levers. Bouchard-Hall swung to his left to pass him on the inside, with O'Bee, McCormack and McCook in tow.

"I got led out really well on the last lap," said O'Bee. "We had been covering the breaks all day, chasing down whoever got away. When I saw Derek go wide around McCormack I knew I could take it. It was do or die."

Results

Men
 
1 Harm Jansen (Ned) Saturn              2.16.41
2 Kirk O'Bee (USA) Navigators              0.12
3 Derek Bouchard-Hall (USA) Mercury
4 David Mccook (USA) 7 UP Colorado Cyclist
5 Mark Mccormack (USA) Saturn
6 James Paolinetti (USA) Net Zero
7 Michael Barry (Can) Saturn
8 Dirk Friel (USA) Zaxby's
9 Julian Dean (NZl) US Postal Service
10 Jason Waddell (USA) Jelly Belly
11 John Lieswyn (USA) 7 UP Colorado Cyclist
12 Trent Klasna (USA) Saturn
13 Frank Mccormack (USA) Saturn
14 Danny Pate (USA) Prime Alliance
15 Chris Wherry (USA) Mercury
16 Tim Johnson (USA) Saturn
17 Glen Mitchell (NZl) Navigators
18 Kirk Albers (USA) Jelly Belly
19 Jeff Hopkins (Aus) Composite 1/Bikesource
20 Robbie Ventura (USA) US Postal Service
21 Clark Sheehan (USA) 7 UP Colorado Cyclist
22 Kevin Monohan (USA) 7 UP Colorado Cyclist
23 John Peters (USA) Mercury
24 Jesse Lawler (USA) Zaxby's
25 Shawn Willard (USA) Defeet-Lemond
26 Graeme Miller (NZl) Net Zero
27 Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Defeet-Lemond
28 Damon Kluck (USA) Jelly Belly
29 Steve Tilford (USA) Composite 1/Bikesource
30 Mike Sayers (USA) Mercury
31 Vassili Davidenko (Rus) Navigators
32 Juan Pineda (Gua) 7 UP Colorado Cyclist
33 Alexandre Lavallee (Can) Composite 1/Bikesource
34 Mariano Freidick (USA) Jelly Belly
35 Oscar Pineda (Gua) 7 UP Colorado Cyclist
36 Gustavo Carrillo (Gua) Composite 1/Bikesource
37 George Neuman (Can) Composite 1/Bikesource
38 Ryan Guay (USA) 7 UP Colorado Cyclist
39 Viktor Laza (Yug) Defeet-Lemond
40 Nat Faulkner (Can) Composite 1/Bikesource
41 Justin Gilmore (USA) Zaxby's
42 Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Saturn
43 Mike Ley (USA) Zaxby's
44 Max Finkbeiner (USA) Zaxby's
45 Oleg Grichkine (Rus) Navigators
46 Chris Fisher (USA) Saturn
47 Soren Petersen (Den) Saturn
48 Christian Lamczyk (Can) Composite 1/Bikesource
49 Eric Wohlberg (Can) Saturn
50 Chris Pic (USA) Mercury
51 Jonathan Erdelyi (USA) Jelly Belly
52 Todd Littlehales (USA) Navigators
53 Andy Crater (USA) Realitybikes.com
54 Jon Atkins (USA) Realitybikes.com
55 Ryan Barrett (USA) Net Zero
56 Siro Camponogara (Ita) Navigators
57 Andrew Broas (USA) Realitybikes.com
58 Brendon Vesty (USA) Navigators
59 Phil Zajicek (USA) Mercury
60 Mark Walters (Can) Navigators
61 Rusty Miller (USA) Zaxby's
62 Travis Hutchinson (USA) Realitybikes.com
63 Colby Pearce (USA) Prime Alliance
64 Adham Sbeih (USA) Navigators
65 Jason Mccartney (USA) Jelly Belly
66 Norm Carter (USA) Jelly Belly
67 Kent Bostick (USA) Realitybikes.com
68 Stephane Barthe (Fra) US Postal Service
69 Chris Harcky (USA) Defeet-Lemond
70 Greg Wolf (USA) Defeet-Lemond
71 Gabriele Rampollo (Ita) Defeet-Lemond
72 Kenny Labbe (USA) US Postal Service

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