Main page Past winners Results Previous stage
Navigators team report
Jonas Carney has repeated his 1990 victory in the Visalia criterium after a frantic race in which no one rider or team was able to gain a clear advantage.
Today's criterium was held on a 1km, six-corner course in the downtown district of Visalia. With 70 laps of racing ahead of the riders, the race began with a first lap attack by Prime Alliance's World U23 Champion Danny Pate. Although it was short lived, it set the tone for the day.
The action was fast and the field was strung out almost single file with the attacks coming on every lap, but with the high speed, no breakaway lasted more than a few laps. The longest break of the day came from Navigators' Glen Mitchell as he went on the attack with about 22 laps remaining. His solo effort gained him nine seconds which he held steady for the next five laps as the charging field tried to get an organized chase at the front.
As the pace started increasing, Glen was brought back into the fold and another attack was launched. With the lap cards showing single digits, the sprint trains gathered at the front of the peloton. The Navigators team controlled the front from eight to go, then the Prime Alliance team followed by Saturn and Mercury. With the high speed and single-file field, it was difficult for any team to hold the front as only a handful of riders from each team could make their way to the head of affairs.
In the last couple of laps, it appeared that the majority of sprinters had only 1 or 2 team-mates to control the last lap. As the riders exited the final corner Mercury's Plamen Stoyanov took it too hot and lost control, bouncing into the curb taking several riders down behind him including Saturn's Jay Sweet and Merecury's Gord Fraser - two of the favourites for the event.
Jonas Carney (Prime Alliance) somehow made it round the carnage, winning by about four bike lengths over Ivan Dominguez (Saturn) and Hilton Clarke (Schroeder Iron).
Report by Team Saturn
In the women's race, Saturn's Ina Teutenberg made it two for two, out-sprinting Patricia Choo (Helen's / Trek VW) after the pair had escaped and lapped the field.
The first half of the 50 lap, 35 mile race saw several smaller but substantial breaks form only to be reabsorbed by the consistently hard charging field. As the Saturn team attacked one of the larger breakaway , Teutenberg and Choo broke away from the main group. Saturn's Kim Davidge, Suzanne Sonye and Lynn Bessette controlled the chase as Choo and Teutenberg continued to put time on the field eventually lapping the field. In the finish it was Teutenberg over impressive Choo for the win. Saturn's Sonye escaped with four other riders before Teutenberg had taken the lap and handily out sprinted the group for a third place finish.
Men 1 Jonas Carney (Prime Alliance) 2 Ivan Dominguez (Saturn) 3 Hilton Clarke (Schroeder Iron) ... 6 Jackson Stewart (ofoto/Lombardi sports) 7 Oleg Grichkine (Navigators) Women 1 Ina Teutenberg (Saturn) 2 Patricia Choo (Helen's/Trek VW) 3 Suzanne Sonye (Saturn)
First Second Third 2001 Gordon Fraser (Can) Baden Cooke (Aus) Ivan Dominguez (Cub) 2000 Gordon Fraser (Can) Antonio Cruz (USA) Mark McCormack (USA) 1999 Gordon Fraser (Can) Graeme Miller (NZl) - 1998 1997 Julian Dean (NZl) Frank McCormack (USA) Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) 1996 1995 Dave McCook (USA) Robbie Ventura (USA) Radisa Cubric (Ser) 1994 Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Chris Huber (USA) Jonas McCarney (USA) 1993 Davis Phinney (USA) Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Scott McKinley (USA) 1992 Alex Stieda (Can) David Phinney (USA) Scott McKinley (USA) 1991 Greg Oravetz (USA) Lance Armstrong (USA) Cezary Zamana (Pol) 1990 Jonas Carney (USA) Roberto Gaggioli (Ita) Jim Pollak (USA) Past winners by Mario Stiehl, Berlin