2nd Saturn Cycling Classic - NE

Boulder, USA, August 11, 2001

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Complete Live Report

Note: Times are Boulder, CO local times.

09:20 - 0 km
And the riders are off! More than 100 of them pedal away from 14th and Spruce in downtown Boulder heading south on Colo. 93. The weather in Boulder is sunny and warm, 22 degrees celsius. Perfect racing weather!

09:40
The cyclists just entered Jefferson County. The first six miles or so, the cyclists rode as a pack. Then three riders broke away, and it's been attack and counter-attack since. "Despite the few minor attacks, I think the pack is pretty mellow right now," said Race Director Len Pettyjohn, from one of the VIP caravans. "I think they're aware of what's ahead."

10:00
The entire field starts up Coal Creek Canyon together on their way to Wondervu ­ the first of seven peaks they'll climb today. A $1,000 King of the Mountain prize will be awarded to the points winner. The climbs still to come are Golden Gate, Oh-My-God Road, Guanella Pass, Kenosha Pass, Red Hill and Hoosier Pass.

10:40
The first riders reach Wonderview. Juan Gabriel Sanchez (No. 75) of Tecos Turbo, a Mexican team, is first, taking 15 points in the King of the Mountain race. Doug Ziewacz (No. 65) of 7-Up/Colorado Cyclist is second for 12 points; Phil Zajicek (No. 6) of Mercury is third for 8 points; Harm Jansen (No. 14) of Saturn is fourth for 4 points; and Nathan Busch (No. 131) of Rio Grande Monsoon Racing is fifth for 2 points.

These five and three other riders - Dariusz Wojciechowski of Handle Bar & Grill, Alex Candelario of Zaxby's Cycling Team, and Kirk O'Bee of Navigators Cycling Team ­ are in a break-away as they head toward the Peak-to-Peak Highway. The group has 4 minutes, 10 seconds on the pack. The weather is still gorgeous. Sunny and 70 degrees. Note: Wojciechowski (former Mroz rider) is a formidable climber.

11:25
The break-away of eight is now seven - and it's a slightly different group. Wojciechowski (No. 33) and Candelario (No. 83) were dropped (Note: Oh well, can't pick 'em all). And Jeff Hartman (No. 114) of Trek/VW, New Belgium has joined the lead group. The leaders have 7'30 on the pack as they head up the Peak-to-Peak Highway to the second King of the Mountain peak - Golden Gate.

Meanwhile in Breckenridge, the Cat 4 Men are warming up for their criterium, and adults and children are starting to gather along the streets - checking out the Saturn CyberBike and other displays that are set up around town. It's sunny and 19 degrees in Breckenridge.

11:37
They've reached Golden Gate. Points go to: 1. Doug Ziewacz (7-Up/Colorado Cyclist) 10 points; 2. Juan Gabriel Sanchez (Tecos Turbo) 6 points; Phil Zajicek (Mercury) 4 points; and Nathan Busch (Rio Grande Monsoon Racing) 2 points. As they start the descent from Golden Gate, Harm Jansen comes flying to take a 30-meter lead off the front at about 55 mph.

11:43
Harm Jansen (Saturn) was leading into Black Hawk, but just before the Black Hawk sprint finish (with a total of $8,000 at stake), Kirk O'Bee (No. 43) of Navigators overtook Jansen for first place. O'Bee got 50 points for first in the Sprint totals; Jansen got 40 points for second; Phil Zajicek of Mercury took third for 30 points; Nathan Busch of Rio Grande Monsoon took fourth for 20 points; and Doug Ziewacz of 7-Up/Colorado Cyclist took fifth for 10 points.

The Sprint point winner gets $5,000; second gets $2,000; and third gets $1,000... but they have to finish the race within the time cut in order to collect their prizes. If they don't, the money will go to the next person in line.

11:48
Mercury's Phil Zajicek passes O'Bee and Jansen to win the Central City Sprint, adding another five points to his sprint total. Nathan Busch takes second for 4 points, and Saturn's Harm Jansen is third for three points. Although O'Bee is in the sprint lead with 50 points, Harm Jansen can still win the $5,000 prize if he places first or second in the two remaining sprints.

11:57
Mercury's Phil Zajicek is still in the lead at the top of Oh-My-God Road. He gets 15 points in the King of the Mountain race for being first to the top. Juan Gabriel Sanchez gets there second; Busch was third; Jansen was fourth; and O'Bee was fifth. The leading group still numbers seven, and they have 5'50 on the pack. They're making their way through Idaho Springs and onto the I-70 frontage road.

Sanchez leads the King of the Mountain points total with 33. Zajicek is second with 27 points.

12:10
The Men's Cat 4 Crit is under way in Breckenridge. The crowds are getting larger

12:40
The same group of seven leads the Men's 140-mile race entering Georgetown. But the big news is that somewhere after the Oh-My-God Road descent a second break-away formed. This second group of eight riders - Mercury's Chris Horner and Floyd Landis; Saturn's Tim Johnson, Trent Klasna and Soren Petersen; Navigators' Burke Swindlehurst; 7-Up/Colorado Cyclists' Clark Sheehan; and Tecos Turbo's Florencio Ramos - is just a couple of minutes behind the leading group of seven. Interesting note: last year's winner Scott Moninger, wearing jersey No. 1, isn't in either of the two breakaways.

12:53
In the Men's 140-mile race, part of the second group has caught the first group as they shoot through Georgetown. There's now a lead pack of 13 riders. Six members of the second break-away caught the first group of seven.

In the Georgetown sprint, Jeff Hartman (Trek/VW, New Belgium) took first followed by Trent Klasna (Saturn) and Floyd Landis (Mercury). Kirk O'Bee still leads the sprint total, and Harm Jansen is in second.

13:00
Heading up Guanella Pass, Jeff Hartmann makes a solo break, with Mercury's Chris Horner right on his heels. The other 11 of the lead group are scattered behind Hartmann and Horner as they make their way up the gruelling pass.

Meanwhile in Breckenridge, the official results of the Men's Cat 4 criterium are in:

1 Josh Seldman (Colorado Springs, CO) 2 Roger Raines (Fort Collins, CO) 3 Mark Thompson (Breckenridge, CO) 4 Greg Ludke (Edwards, CO) 5 Barry Hanson (Dillon, CO)

Also, on a sad note, Cat 4 rider Dave Hawes took an ugly spill in the first turn of the course, and was injured. He has been transported to Breckenridge Medical Center for treatment.

13:10
Horner has caught and passed Hartmann in the Men's 140-Mile Race as they continue up Guanella Pass. The weather continues to hold with sunny skies and 73 degrees on the Pass. Behind Horner and Hartmann, the other packs of riders are beginning to scatter.

13:35
Near the top of Guanella pass, Mercury's Chris Horner has a 1'43 lead over Navigators' Burke Swindlehurst. Mercury's support crew is preparing mountain bikes for their riders to switch from road bikes to mountain bikes. There's a small group of riders about 3 minutes, 20 seconds behind Horner. That group includes Mercury's Scott Moninger, Floyd Landis, and Chris Wherry, Saturn's Michael Barry, Tim Johnson and Soren Peterson, Handle Bar & Grill's Jonathan Vaughters, and Tecos Turbo's Jesus Zarate. The skies are still sunny, with scattered clouds, and it's a pleasant 17 degrees.

Meanwhile in Breckenridge, the official results of the Men's Cat 3 criterium are in:

1 Larry Smith (Centennial, CO) 2 Matthew Walp (Golden, CO) 3 Elias Bachmann (Boulder, CO) 4 Tim Faia (Frisco, CO) 5 John Seehafer (Louisville, CO)

13:50
Mercury's Chris Horner is the first to the top of Guanella Pass. He is followed by Jonathon Vaughters at 1'50, Burke Swindlehurst (2'00), Chris Wherry (2'10), Michael Barry (2'20), Jesus Zarate (2'25), Scott Moninger (2'30 back). All seven of these riders switch to mountain bikes for the descent. Floyd Landis is just behind Moninger; he stays on his road bike, as does Tim Johnson, who's following Landis closely.

14:00
King of the Mountain update: Juan Gabriel Sanchez still holds first with 33 points, followed Phil Zajicek with 27 points, and Chris Horner is third with the 25 points he earned by being first to the top of Guanella Pass.

14:25
Three riders have caught leader Chris Horner of Mercury on the way up Kenosha Pass in the Men's 140-mile Race. They are Jonathan Vaughters (Handle Bar & Grill), Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators) and Michael Barry (Saturn). About three minutes behind this group four is a group of three Mercury riders: defending champion Scott Moninger, Floyd Landis and Chris Wherry.

14:33
Defending champion Scott Moninger retires from the race at Mile 95. Horner, Vaughters, Swindlehurst and Barry still lead the pack.

14:38
Official results from the Junior's Criterium are in:

1 Scott Tietzel (Boulder), 2 Allen Krughoff (Boulder), 3 Mikkel Christensen (Evergreen), 4 Ben Seltzer (Boulder), 5 Ian MacGregor (Boulder).

And the Women's Nicole Reinhart Criterium (for Pro/1/2 riders) is about to begin in downtown Breckenridge.

14:52
The King of the Mountain points race continues to heat up as riders reach the top of Kenosha Pass in the Men's 140-mile Race. First to the top of Kenosha is Michael Barry (Saturn), followed by Jonathan Vaughters (Handle Bar & Grill), Chris Horner (Mercury), Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators), and Chris Wherry (Mercury).

Standings for King of the Mountain point totals are: first place is a tie between Juan Gabriel Sanchez (Tecos Turbo) and Chris Horner (Mercury), both with 33 points; Jonathan Vaughters (Handle Bar & Grill) follows them closely with 32 points.

In other racing news, Horner, Barry, Vaughters and Swindlehurst still have the lead, but Mercury's Wherry and Landis are gaining on them, just 1:30 back. The riders are now on their way to Fairplay.

15:15 - 45 km to go
Mercury's Chris Wherry has just joined the top group of four - Barry, Vaughters, Horner and Swindlehurst. Landis is solo a few minutes behind them. And a group of six riders is seven minutes behind the lead group as they all enter Fairplay with about 45 km to go.

15:32
Jonathan Vaughters (Handle Bar & Grill) attacked and only Mercury's Horner could keep up with him. The two have a 30 second lead on the others just after leaving Fairplay.

In the Fairplay Sprint, Vaughters took first, Horner second and Barry third. The final results for the Sprint race (riders must finish the race to collect their prize money):

1 Kirk O'Bee (Navigators) $5,000, 2 Harm Jansen (Saturn) $2,000, 3 Phil Zajicek (Mercury)

15:36
Results are in from the Red Hill King of the Mountain. Jonathan Vaughters (Handle Bar & Grill) was first followed by Chris Horner (Mercury) and Michael Barry (Saturn). As for point totals for King of the Mountain, Chris Horner leads with 36 points; Juan Gabriel Sanchez is in second with 33 points, and Jonathan Vaughters is third with 32 points.

15:40
Official results of the women's miss-and-out format criterium:

1 Dede Demet-Barry $1,000, 2. 2 Anke Erlank $750, 3. Sarah Konrad $500, 4. Lyne Bessette $400, 5. Anne Lannan $300

15:50
Three miles from the top of Hoosier Pass, Handle Bar & Grill's Jonathan Vaughters is being the aggressor, and Mercury's Chris Horner is sitting in. Saturn's Michael Barry, Mercury's Chris Wherry and Navigators' Burke Swindlehusrst are holding strong 2'29 back. And Mercury's Floyd Landis is on his own 4'45 seconds back.

16:00
The leaders of the Men's 140-mile Race are about 1 kilometer from the summit of Hoosier Pass. It's still Jonathan Vaughters and Chris Horner in front. Mercury's Chris Wherry and Saturn's Michael Barry are in the second group about 2 minutes back; they have just dropped Navigators' Burke Swindlehurst.

16:10
Mercury's Chris Horner is first to the top of Hoosier Pass, followed directly by Handle Bar & Grill's Jonathan Vaughters. Saturn's Michael Barry was third, Mercury's Chris Wherry is fourth and Navigators' Burke Swindlehurst is fifth.

That clinches the King of the Mountain victory for Mercury's Chris Horner who finishes with 51 points, earning him the $1,000 King of the Mountain prize. Vaughters was second with 44 points, Barry was third with 34 points, and Tecos Turbo's Juan Gabriel Sanchez was fourth with 33 points. Prize money is only awarded to the first place finisher in the King of the Mountain points race.

16:25
Handle Bar & Grill's Jonathan Vaughters crossed the finish line just seconds ahead of Mercury's Chris Horner to win the 2001 Saturn Cycling Classic. Saturn Cycling Team's Michael Barry and Mercury's Chris Wherry rode into town just after Vaughters and Horner crossed the line. Barry and Wherry battled it out for third in their final lap around town, with Barry barely edging out Wherry.

16:35
Burke Swindlehurst of Navigators rode into town solo to take fifth place.

Results

Unofficial
1 Jonathan Vaughters (USA) Handle Bar & Grill
2 Chris Horner (USA) Mercury
3 Michael Barry (Can) Saturn
4 Chris Wherry (USA) Saturn
5 Burke Swindlehurst (USA) Navigators

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