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Tour of Connecticut - NE
USA, May 16-23, 2004
Stage 1 - May 16: Litchfield Hills road race, 220km
McCormack triumphs in opening stage
Colavita's USPRO champ scores his first win of the year
Tour of Connecticut official report
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Reigning USPRO Champion Mark McCormack (Colavita Olive Oil Team) put in a stunning performance in the first stage of the Tour of Connecticut winning the 137 mile race in 5:38:16. Shawn Milne (Fior di Frutta) came in second at 28 seconds and Mark Walters (Navigators Insurance) at 35 seconds behind.
The stage opened with a 117 mile opening loop around historic and scenic Litchfield County, with the start and finish in Torrington. The day threatened rain, but instead provided beautiful sunshine for the 120 cyclists at the start.
After just five miles, a nine man break went away and forged a 4.5 mile lead on the field by mile 20. Olympic Champion Marty Nothstein (Navigators) won the first and second sprints of the day just before the break was caught at mile 42.
Dominique Perras (Team Ofoto) and Todd Herriott (Colavita) broke away on the very steep climb out of Sharon, opening up a two minute gap. The two held off the 50 strong pack that was shattered on the 4K Carter Road climb with inclines at 22%. Perras took the King of the Mountain (KOM) in Kent, and remained away until Mike Jones (Health Net) bridged the two minute gap alone by mile 87.
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The three men kept the 2 minute lead constant into Torrington, when Perras was seized by cramps, and was forced to pull off the road, and dive into a convenience store for something to drink on the 2-mile finishing circuits. He finished the race in 25th and claimed the best climber jersey for the day. Back in the action, Harriot and Jones, pursued by the Navigators, having chased for over 40 miles, saw their lead drop to 20 seconds with 6 laps to go of the 10 lap finishing circuit in Torrington.
One lap later, they were caught and Colavita sent Argentinian Juan Jose Haedo on the attack. Burke Swindlehurst followed, continuing the Navigator/Colavita battle in company with Melito Heredia (Toga Bikes).
They in turn were caught by McCormack (Colavita) who made the decisive break with Mark Walters (Navigators) and Shawn Milne (Fior di Frutta) before leaving them behind with 3 laps to go for the solo win. Milne also won the Chanler Lewis Best Amateur Jersey for the stage, repaying his teammates for all the hard work they had done for him early in the race.
Photography
Images by Jonathan McElvery/http://www.jsmcelvery.com/
- Waiting for the start at the first stage of Tour of Connecticut
- And they're off for the start of Tour of Connecticut
- The peloton heads through town
- Mike Jones (Health Net) takes a look back at Todd Herriot (Colavita Olive Oil)
- National Champion Mark McCormack (Colavita Olive Oil) takes the win in the starts and stripes
- Marty Nothstein (Navigators Insurance) at the front of the bunch as an attack goes
- Dominique Perras (Ofoto/Lombardi Sports) and Todd Herriott (Colavita Olive Oil) after breaking away on the steep climb out of Sharon
- Shawn Milne (Fior di Frutta) Mark McCormack (Colavita Olive Oil) and Mark Walters (Navigators Insurance) on the podium
Results
Pro Men, 99 Starters, 137 Miles 1 Mark McCormack (Colavita Olive Oil) 5.38.16 2 Shawn Milne (Fior di Frutta) 0.28 3 Mark Walters (Navigators Insurance) 0.35 4 Alexandre Nadeau (Volkswagen TREK) 5 Jon Erdeyli (Team Ofoto) 0.42 6 Melito Heredia (Toga Bikes) 0.44 7 Stu Gillespie (TIAA-Cref/5280 Magazine) 8 Bruno Langlois (Volkswagen TREK) 1.02 9 Scott Swizanski (Team Ofoto) 10 Tyler Wren (Colavita Olive Oil) 11 Gustavo Artacho (Colavita Olive Oil) 12 Peter Baker (Team Snow Valley) 13 Craig Upton (Stelvio TEAMWEAR-Orbis Properties) 14 Eneas Freyre (Team Holland) 1.06 15 Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators Insurance) 1.47 16 Wim Botman (Team Holland) 1.49 17 Alec Donahue (Louis Garneau Racing) 2.09 18 Joe Papp (Team Holland) 19 Chris Rozdilsky (CRCA/Sakonnet Technology) 20 Waclaw Godycki (Team Ideal Tile/Briell Cyclery) 21 Pete Lopinto (Team Ofoto) 22 Todd Herriott (Colavita Olive Oil) 23 Joshua Dillon (Louis Garneau Racing) 24 Ian MacGregor (TIAA-Cref/5280 Magazine) 25 Dominique Perras (Team Ofoto) 26 Josh Gewirtz (Fior di Frutta) 27 Michael Henson (Stelvio TEAMWEAR-Orbis Properties) 28 Marty Nothstein (Navigators Insurance) 29 Jason Bremer (GS Mengoni) 30 Greg Montello (Essex County Velo) 31 Sebastian Alexandre (Colavita Olive Oil) 32 John Loehner (CRCA/Sakonnet Technology) 33 Rob Gianni (CRCA/Sakonnet Technology) 34 Jeremy Powers (Sharper Image - Jelly Belly) 35 Sheldon Deeny (TIAA-Cref/5280 Magazine) 36 Andrew Manart (TIAA-Cref/5280 Magazine) 37 Colin Sandberg (ESSM/GPOA) 38 Matt Sadauckas (Team Seasilver) 39 Ang Sheldrake (TIAA-Cref/5280 Magazine) 40 Nate Kokinda (Essex County Velo) 41 Robbie King (Louis Garneau Racing) 42 Eugene Boronow (GS Mengoni) 43 Zak Grabowski (TIAA-Cref/5280 Magazine) 44 Mike Dietrich (Fior di Frutta) 45 Bjorn Cornelissen (Team Holland) 46 John Funk (Team Snow Valley) 47 Jason Baer (Louis Garneau Racing) 48 Andrew Knight (Louis Garneau Racing) 49 Ian Beilby (Louis Garneau Racing) Sprint #1 1 Marty Nothstein (Navigators Insurance) Sprint #2 1 Marty Nothstein (Navigators Insurance) Sprint #3 1 Todd Herriott (Colavita Olive Oil) KOM #1 1 Dominique Perras (Team Ofoto) 2 Todd Herriott (Colavita Olive Oil) 3 Mike Jones (Health Net presented by Maxxis) KOM #2 1 Dominique Perras (Team Ofoto) 2 Todd Herriott (Colavita Olive Oil) 3 Mike Jones (Health Net presented by Maxxis) Men 2/3, 29 Starters, 32.3 Miles 1 Daniel Greenfield (Quad Cycles/Arlington BC) 1.16.17 2 Matt White (NCC/BikeReg.com) 0.07 3 Edward Angeli (Gruppo Sportivo Europeo) 0.13 4 Stephen Gray (Bethel Cycle) 0.42 5 John Legere (Benidorm/Createx) 6 Ryan Leech (ESSM/GPOA) 7 Nate Rogers (Colavita-Bolla/Team Toast) 8 Edward Torres Chavarria (Northeast Bicycle Road Club) 9 Brian Girard (Stage 1/Mercury/fusion THINK) 10 Elliot Holland (Mt Airy Bicycles) 11 Alvin Nordell (NCC/BikeReg.com) 12 Leigh Sorrells (Fior di Frutta/Ridgefield) 13 Matthew Baldwin (Fior di Frutta/Ridgefield) 14 David Smith 1.00 15 Jonathan Lowenstein (Arc en Ceil Racing Team) 1.07 16 Steve Roszko (NCC/BikeReg.com) 17 Wade Summers (Benidorm/Eastern Bloc) 18 Rich Hollenbeck (NECSA/ACT) DNF Laura Summers (Hudson Valley Velo Club) DNF Ted D'onofrio (Benidorm/Createx) DNF Richard Foley DNF Robert Lattanzi DNF Scott Willingham DNF Greg Hall (Laurel) DNF Darius Filipiak (NCC/BikeReg.com) DNF David Hartman (Stage 1 Cycling) DNF Christopher Chapleau (Stage One/Cannondale) DNF Matt Inconiglios (Stage 1/Mercury/fusion THINK) DNF Joe Rodrigues (Cyclonauts/Bicycle Alley) $20 Prime 1 Ryan Leech (ESSM/GPOA) Master Men 35+, 38 Starters, 30.4 Miles 1 Scott Bodin 1.07.39 2 Colman O'Connor (NEBC/Cycle Loft) 3 Bryan Atwood (Fiordifrutta/Ridgefield Bank) 4 Ted D'onofrio (Benidorm/Createx) 1.40 5 Morgan Stebbins (Westwood Velo) 6 Leigh Sorrells (Fiordifrutta/Ridgefield Bank) 7 Brian Wirtz (Bethel Cycle) 2.25 8 Pandal Henderson 2.30 9 Eric Streckfuss 2.53 10 Kevin Fitzmaurice (Zephyr Cycling) 11 Wade Summers (Benidorm/Eastern Bloc) 12 Claudio Mucci (Fiordifrutta/Ridgefield Bank) 13 Paul Marchese (CBRC) 2.55 14 David Smith (CRCA) 15 Michael Norton (Cyclonauts Racers) 16 Brian Wolf (Bethel Cycle) 17 John Interlandi (Fiordifrutta/Ridgefield Bank) 18 Richard Foley 19 Jeff Papineau (Cyclonauts Racers) 20 Thomas Butler (SAAB of Halfmoon/New Salem) 21 Brian Polhemus (CBRC) 22 Paul Nyberg (Eastern Bloc Cycling) 23 Tom Officer (CYBC/Richard Sachs) 24 David Whitney (Somerset Wheelmen) 25 Monte Frank (Zephyr Cycling) 26 Mike Taxter (Bethel Cycle) 27 James Conopask (Tokeneke Road Club) 28 Paul Siebert (BCA/Tosk) 29 Tom Toal (Bethel Cycle) 30 Bruce Townend (BCA/Tosk) DNF Anthony Cipolla (Fiordifrutta/Ridgefield Bank) DNF Robert Lattanzi DNF Miguel Pagan (Fiordifrutta/Ridgefield Bank) DNF Edward Angeli (Gruppo Sportivo Europeo) DNF Scott Willingham (CRCA) DNF Greg Hall (Laurel) DNF Joseph Korzenecki (Competitive Edge) DNF Jeff McKay (Fiordifrutta/Ridgefield Bank)
