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Tri-Peaks Challenge - NE
Russellville, Arkansas, May 19-21, 2006
Main Page Results Overall standings Next Stage
Stage 1 - May 19: Criterium, 45/60 mins
Stevic and Bates take Tri-Peaks opener
by Mark Zalewski, with additional reporting by Kirsten Robbins
The three-stage Tri-Peaks Challenge began with a fast and furious criterium on Friday. The Toyota-United team dominated the men's podium when Ivan Stevic and Ivan Dominguez took the top two spots. Nurnberger's Kate Bates outsprinted breakmate Rachel Heal (Victory Brewing) for the women's win.
One-two for the Ivans and Toyota-United
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"We were in a break with eleven people," said Dominguez about the action in the 60-minute-plus-two laps men's race. "[Stevic] attacked with one lap to go in the last corner with 400 meters. He got a gap, and I was behind him, but the riders behind stayed with me. I went slower and slower until Nathan O'Neill went but it was too late."
"They pretty much put the smack on us," said third place Nathan O'Neill of the Health Net-Maxxis team which swept last weekend's race clean. "We had two in the break and so did they. They had two really fast guys and we were lacking a little bit of speed. We tried to one-two them in the final laps, but Stevic was too strong today. He bridged across to me and went over the top and I had no answer."
While the racing was fast, it was the humidity that affected riders the most. "It was hard -- the heat is killing me!" said Cuban-born Dominguez. "I think I forgot about the heat from living in L.A. where it is dry. But the heat and humidity is rough."
Since the race began with a criterium the top finishers are all still within a few seconds of each other, the next two days of actual road racing will likely determine the overall winner. Many of the riders know the courses well from previous years. Nathan O'Neill believes that the race will still come down to Sunday's 84-mile stage which ends with an eighteen-percent uphill finish. "It's going to come down to Sunday," he said. "It depends on how well I can go up the hill with [Stevic.] Hopefully, they will assume some responsibility and take control of the race. They have the most guys here."
"We will try to protect Stevic, he is feeling good so he has a good chance to win," Dominguez said. "He finished something like five seconds behind Scott Moninger, who won last year."
As for Toyota-United team defense of the overall lead, one name is on top of the watch list. "Nathan O'Neill is a dangerous guy -- I was surprised to see him in the front group of a criterium," Dominguez said. "He was going good in the corners. Thank God there is no time trial here, because he is so good in the time trial."
Nurnberger's Bates Solos to Win
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It was forty degrees in Russellville as the women lined up to race their 45-minutes-two laps criterium stage of the Tri Peaks Challenge -- a semi-technical course with two long straights followed by several corners and a chicane coming into the finish. A break of six riders split off of the front halfway into the criterium, with two of them staying away the whole race. In the end it was Katherine Bates (Nurnberger) outsprinting Rachel Heal (Victory Brewing) for the win.
“Rachel Heal of Victory Brewing kept attacking us and I countered her,” said general classification leader Katherine Bates. “With ten minutes to go in the race we got off the front together. Coming into the final lap I sat on Heal because I figured I am a better sprinter out of the two of us and neither of us had teammates.” The two enjoy a minute and a half lead on the rest of the women's field.
Back on the course there was a chase group of four riders: Webcor's Alisha Lions, Cheerwine's Kristin Sanders, Colavita-Cooking Light's Sarah Tillitson and Victory Brewing's Kate Sherwin. The group finished one minute and thirty seconds behind the two race leaders.
Finishing positions in Friday's criterium setup the team tactics for the ninety-two mile road race on Saturday morning. The road race features three major climbs that will play a role in the transformation of the general classification. The current leaders are all conscious of the impact Sunday's finale could have on the overall as well.
“Everyone here is worried about the final climb on Sunday – Mt. Nebo. It is really hard and a will be a big decider in the general classification,” said Bates. “I needed to gain the extra time today before going into that final climb.”
Second place rider Rachel Heal described how the break away affects the general classification for the upcoming stages. “Kate and I both had the same goal – to put as much time between us and the field as we can going into Sunday's climb,” said Heal. "I have an advantage over Kate because I have a full team behind me. The advantage she had over me in the final few laps is that she knows I am going for the overall here so I needed to maximize the gap to the chasing groups.”
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by RC White/rcwhitephotography@gmail.com
- Ivan stevic wins the opening criterium in the Tri-Peaks Challenge
Images by Danny Scott / Russellville Courier
- A group of women cyclists rounding the corner of M Street and Glenwood Avenue on the Arkansas Tech campus
- Rachel Heal (left) and Katherine Bates side by side at the finish
- Katherine Bates smiling as she crosses the finish line to win the women's race
Results
Pro men 1 Ivan Stevic (SCG) Toyota-United 2 Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Toyota-United 3 Emile Abraham (Tri) AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork 4 Brice Jones (USA) Jelly Belly 5 Robbie King (USA) Priority Health 6 Zach Bell (Can) Rite Aid 7 Nathan O'Neill (Aus) Health Net pb Maxxis 8 Bruno Langlois (Can) AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork 9 Roman Kilun (USA) Health Net pb Maxxis 10 Aaron Tuckerman (NZl) Rubicon/Gleukos 11 Christian Valenzuela (Mex) Monex 12 Erik Lyman (Can) Calyon-LiteSpeed 13 Mark Hekman (USA) Abercrombie & Fitch pb Inferno 14 Chris Wherry (USA) Toyota-United 15 Alexander Gonzalez (Col) Caico 16 Viktor Laza (SCG) AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork 17 Tim Johnson (USA) Health Net pb Maxxis 18 Gord Fraser (Can) Health Net pb Maxxis 19 Juan Haedo (Arg) Toyota-United 20 Richard England (Aus) Priority Health 21 Chad Cagle (USA) Mercy Cycling 22 Chad Nikolz (USA) Broadmark / Hagens-Berman 23 Ben Raby (USA) Bianchi/Grand Performance 24 Nathan Miller (USA) Monex 25 Tony Cruz (USA) Toyota-United 26 Oscar Henao (PRc) Caico 27 Tommy Nankervis (Aus) Priority Health 28 Ryan Keels (USA) Compliance Depot 29 Ryan Nenninger (USA) Bianchi/Grand Performance 30 Devon Vigus (USA) Monex 31 Todd Herriott (USA) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home 32 Andrew Bajadali (USA) Jelly Belly 33 Tero Hameenaho (Fin) CTCA / Tulsa Wheelmen 34 Reid Mumford (USA) ABD 35 Scott Moninger (USA) Health Net pb Maxxis 36 Hugh Moran (USA) AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork 37 Prokic Predrag (SCG) AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork 38 Malachi Peacock (USA) Abercrombie & Fitch pb Inferno 39 Heath Blackgrove (NZl) Toyota-United 40 Christoph Herby (USA) Rite Aid 41 Edward King (USA) Priority Health 42 Franco Font (PRc) Caico 43 Ryan Trebon (USA) AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork 44 Janne Hamalainen (USA) CTCA / Tulsa Wheelmen 45 Eric Keim (USA) AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork 46 Glenn Fant (USA) Monex 47 Mat Stephens (USA) Mercy Cycling 48 Brian Jensen (USA) Jelly Belly 49 Frank Travieso (Cub) AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork 50 Paul Esposti (USA) Rio Grande/Sports Garage 51 Chris Baldwin (USA) Toyota-United 52 Jered Gruber (USA) Abercrombie & Fitch pb Inferno 53 Owen Gue (USA) Broadmark / Hagens-Berman 54 Pleasure Jackson (USA) Broadmark / Hagens-Berman 55 Stuart Gillespie (USA) TIAA-CREF 56 Brooke Boocock (Can) Calyon-LiteSpeed 57 Brian Sheedy (USA) Priority Health 58 Mike Ebert (USA) ABD 59 Brad Viera (USA) Rite Aid 60 Jake Rosenbarger (USA) Rio Grande/Sports Garage 61 Aarow Smathers (USA) Specialized 62 Alex Welch (USA) Mercy Cycling 63 Maxime Vives (Can) Calyon-LiteSpeed 64 Zak Grabowski (USA) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home 65 Brian Dziewa (USA) Mercy Cycling 66 Mat Ankney (USA) Mercy Cycling 67 Matthew Cooke (USA) LSV/Kelly Benefit Strategies 68 Frank Breure (USA) MMW/CARVE 69 Andrew Fischer (USA) Broadmark / Hagens-Berman 70 Ian Ayers (USA) Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter Home 71 Peter Fairbanks (USA) Bianchi/Grand Performance 72 Andy Applegate (USA) Abercrombie & Fitch pb Inferno 73 Mariano Friedick (USA) Toyota-United 74 Nick Reistad (USA) Jelly Belly 75 Scott Veggeberg (USA) Compliance Depot 76 Abe McNutt (USA) Abercrombie & Fitch pb Inferno 77 Ryan Gamm (USA) Abercrombie & Fitch pb Inferno 78 Frank Dierking (USA) ABD 79 Doug Greek (USA) Mercy Cycling 80 Derek Laan (USA) Purdue University 81 Steven Grife (USA) Boston Mountain Cyclists 82 Eric Marcotte (USA) Bianchi/Grand Performance 83 Matthew Belcher (USA) Team Dayton 84 Kirk Carlsen (USA) Rubicon/Gleukos 85 Emmanuel Suarez (USA) Monex 86 Brian Wyrick (USA) HHH/MSU 87 Eudaldo Asencio (PRc) Caico 88 Jeremy Sartain (USA) Bianchi/Grand Performance 89 Duane Dickey (USA) Bianchi/Grand Performance 90 Bryce Mead (USA) ABD 91 Ryan Fiddler (USA) Mercy Cycling 92 Russell Langley (USA) Rite Aid 93 Eric Warnsman (USA) Northwest Cycling Club/Alkek Velodrome 94 Joel Charles (USA) Rio Grande/Sports Garage 95 Jake Rubelt (USA) AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork 96 Jean Sebastien Perron (Can) Calyon-LiteSpeed 97 Shane Densmore (USA) Compliance Depot 98 Charly Vives (Can) Calyon-LiteSpeed 99 Joel Dion Poitras (Can) Calyon-LiteSpeed 100 Keith Franklin (USA) CTCA / Tulsa Wheelmen 101 Martin Adamczyk (USA) Lot/Polish Airlines 102 Scott Barnes (USA) Boston Mountain Cyclists 103 Curt Kippenberger (USA) Mercy Cycling 104 Daniel Mendoza (USA) Team Dayton 105 Jason Woods (USA) Dogfish 106 Edwin Ramos (PRc) Caico 107 Richard Speer (USA) Rubicon/Gleukos 108 John Delong (USA) Rite Aid Pro Cycling 109 Dylan Lewis (USA) ABD/Trek-VW Cycling Team 110 Jason Macom (USA) Mercy Cycling 111 Noah Singer (USA) Mercy Cycling 112 Justin Morgan (USA) Broadmark / Hagens-Berman 113 Ryan Heydenrych (USA) Mercy Cycling 114 Anuthee Huffstetter (USA) Compliance Depot 115 Scott Walnofer (USA) Boston Mountain Cyclists 116 Logan Hunn (USA) Rubicon/Gleukos 117 Justin Jackson (USA) MATRIX 118 Tracy Martin (USA) Raising Canes 119 William Gowin (USA) Appalachian State University 120 Zachary Martin (USA) Mercy Cycling 121 Christopher Jones (USA) Champion System 122 Joseph Carpisassi (USA) E.C. Velo Racing 123 Nathan Rogut (USA) Compliance Depot 124 Jarred Gilker (USA) Mercy/ Zero Mountain 125 Ruben Borrero (PRc) Caico 126 Solomon Woras (USA) Broadmark / Hagens-Berman 127 Tom Zirbel (USA) Priority Health 128 Bain Foote (USA) Herring Gas 129 Travis Jones (USA) Unattached 130 Lucas Musselman (USA) Cannondale Women 1 Katherine Bates (Aus) Nurnberger 2 Rachel Heal (GBr) Victory Brewing 3 Sarah Tillotson (USA) Colavita/Cooking Light 4 Kate Sherwin (USA) Victory Brewing 5 Kristin Sanders (USA) Cheerwine 6 Alisha Lion (USA) Webcor-Platinum 7 Charm Breon (USA) Cheerwine 8 Katharine Carroll (USA) Victory Brewing 9 Sima Trapp (USA) Colavita/Cooking Light 10 Leigh Hobson (Can) Victory Brewing 11 Brooke Ourada (USA) Colavita/Cooking Light 12 Shannon Koch (USA) Compliance Depot 13 Kim Geist (USA) Victory Brewing 14 Tara Ross (Can) Victory Brewing 15 Laura Yoisten (Can) Victory Brewing 16 Elizabeth Frye (USA) Cheerwine 17 Holli Steelman (USA) Cheerwine 18 Robin Farina (USA) Team Kenda Tire 19 Amanda Lawrence (USA) North Atlantic Velo 20 Caroline Soong (USA) Team Kenda Tire 21 Jennifer Manefield (Aus) Cheerwine 22 Audrey Lemieux (Can) Colavita/Cooking Light 23 Jenny Trew (USA) Team Kenda Tirew 24 Maegan Daigler (USA) JR Engineering 25 Kirsten Robbins (Can) Victory Brewing 26 Stacey Bertsch (USA) Mercy Cycling Team 27 Mandy Lozano (USA) Cheerwine 28 Tracie Akerhielm (USA) Compliance Depot 29 Pamela Hinton (USA) dent wizard 30 Mary Downing (USA) Team Kenda Tire 31 Laura Bowles (USA) Victory Brewing 32 Katy Ligler (USA) Team Kenda Tire 33 Suzanne Aguero (USA) Mercy Cycling Team 34 Rebecca Gross (USA) Armed Forces 35 Abby Cooper (USA) Team Kenda Tire
