Raleigh Downtown Criterium - NE

USA, May 25, 2007

2006 Results Results Past winners

Sprinters dominate in Raleigh

By Laura Weislo in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina

Second in 2006, Travieso wins
Photo ©: Robert Harvey

The National Racing Calendar headed east for the holiday weekend criteriums, and on the first stop in Raleigh, North Carolina, it was sprinters Frank Travieso and Laura Van Gilder taking the top honours on the fast, flat course. While Van Gilder and her Cheerwine team-mate Kelly Benjamin used patience and superior sprinting speed to take the top two spots in the women's bunch sprint, Travieso hammered the competition into submission with relentless attacks.

27 year-old Cuban and his AEG Toshiba team were aggressive throughout the evening, and when the elastic snapped, it was Travieso who made the winning break that lapped the field. "I knew I was going to win because I have one of the best teams in the US. I knew they were going to work good for me today - I love my team!" said an elated Travieso after the race.

It was unusual to see a sprinter such as Travieso throwing down multiple attacks, and then ending up in a break lapping the field. "We have three sprinters on the team, and so I said I don't want to sprint today, I want to go with the breaks and lap the field," explained the Cuban, "All year long I've sat in and waited for the sprint, and I don't feel like I do anything in the races, that's why I attacked today."

Jittery Joes' second place finisher Timothy Henry knew it would be tough to out sprint a speedster like Travieso. "I had some really experienced team-mates helping me out, I had Cody Stevenson looking out for me. It was scary with a few laps to go, a bunch of guys swarmed around us for a bit, but Cody still got me back up there, and Tommy came back up and pulled me around the last lap and dropped me off," he explained. "I used to be a good sprinter, but not so much now. I thought if I could be first going through the last two turns I might be able to get [Frank], but he had a whole team leading him out, and I just couldn't get up there."

John DeLong (Alliance Environmental)
Photo ©: Kurt Jambretz

The race was fast from the gun, and the nearly 100-rider peloton was strung out single file along the streets of downtown Raleigh's booming business district, covering attack after attack until the right combination formed before the midway point of the race. Travieso attacked and was joined by Raleigh native Rich Harper (Abercrombie & Fitch), Jittery Joes' Timothy Henry, John DeLong (Alliance), Tom Soladay (Kelly Benefit Strategies) and another Raleigh resident, David Duncan (TIME).

The six men quickly built a strong lead over a shattered peloton, and succeeded in lapping the field with 20 laps to go. Behind them, a second break with Raleigh natives Terry Hess, and David 'The Old Man' LeDuc, a 56 year old former Master's World Champion, Emile Abraham (Priority Health), and Tiego DePaula (Time) got within sight of the back of the field, but as the lead group took their lap and AEG-Toshiba, Jittery Joe's and Abercrombie started throwing their weight into the pacemaking, they quickly brought the second group back. The three big teams kept the bunch all together until the finale, and the AEG-Toshiba team provided a picture perfect leadout for Travieso, who won the field sprint ahead of his team-mate Keith Norris.

Rich Harper takes turn four
Photo ©: Robert Harvey

It was a dicey strategy for the riders in the break to work with Travieso to lap the field, but this sprinter wasn't just sitting on - he was driving the break. "Honestly, I think we would've lapped even if I didn't work," described Henry, "I was just rolling through, but when Frank came through to the front, he would just crank it up and increase our speed probably five miles per hour, and pull like three quarters of a lap like that, so it didn't matter if I helped him out, so I pulled through."

Athens Twilight winner Mark Hekman admitted that their lead-out for Harper got a little messed up. "He yelled at me to go, but I waited until after the turn, and I punched it too hard and I kinda gapped him off. We still got third, thank goodness... we'll take it - a podium in an NRC race in Rich's hometown? It's awesome." Harper didn't have any hard feelings, "They were just driving it for me - I didn't think we would take that lap, but when we did, the team just went to the front and started driving it." Getting on the podium in front of his home crowd was exciting for the Raleigh native, "My whole family is here, all my friends - it's great to get on the podium for them."

Cheerwine pops the cap on a one-two punch

Van Gilder wins
Photo ©: Robert Harvey

The women's race was also fast off the line, with the Cheerwine, Aaron's and Vitesse Cycling teams providing much of the animation in the race. While the men succeeded in cracking the field, the women never found the right combination for a break to stay clear. "It was pretty animated considering there were so many sprinters in the race. There were a lot of primes, and that made it worthwhile for us. But it was good women's racing," said winner Laura Van Gilder after the race.

Van Gilder's Cheerwine team-mate Sarah Bamberger put in an attack near the end of the race that drew out the other sprinters' teams, forcing Aaron's to close the gap and use up valuable resources. "We just wanted to make opportunities for ourselves to win, and it didn't pan out for her to win, but it helped our team win," said Van Gilder.

Aaron's Catherine Powers, one of the main animators of the race, was the one who brought Bamberger back, and found herself on the front early, but made the effort worthwhile. "I was planning on doing the leadout, and I was just there for the gambler's prime," explained Powers, "and it was $200, so I just put on the gas and took it. Two hundred dollars is two hundred dollars - there's not a lot of money in most women's races, so it was good."

Catherine Powers (Aaron's)
Photo ©: Kurt Jambretz

With smaller teams and a shorter race, most attacks lasted one lap or less, and it was clear the sprinters would have their day. A late-race attack by Vanderkitten's Liz Hatch gained the most ground, with Hatch scooping up two lucrative primes before being reeled in by the pack.

As the end drew near, Cheerwine played out their strategy to perfection, launching Sarah Bamberger on the penultimate lap, a move which forced Aaron's to the front, with Catherine Powers taking out the gambler's prime as she began her leadout for last year's winner, Sarah Caravella.

As Powers faded early in the final lap, Cheerwine's Kelly Benjamin took over and set such a high pace that only her team-mate Laura Van Gilder could hold her wheel, and the pair came out of the last turn with a two bike-length lead. Vitesse Cycling's Nicole Wangsgard was third, just holding off Caravella for the final podium spot.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc

Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine) wins the Raleigh Crit
John DeLong (Alliance Environmental) leads the break ahead of Frank Travieso
Frank Travieso (AEG-Toshiba) wins the 3rd Raleigh Criterium
The men's podium Tim Henry, Frank Travieso and Rich Harper
Travieso flanked by his teammate
The women's podium Kelly Benjamin and Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine) and Nicky Wangsgard (Vitesse)
Travieso cleans up for the podium ceremony
Laura Van Gilder has two guns
Jenny Trew (Vitesse) put the hurt on the field early in the race
Catherine Powers (Aaron's) leads the field heading into the final laps
Leigh Valetti (Targetraining) rides alongside Marianne Holt (Outdoorlights.com)
Targetraining leads the pack in the women's race

Images by Robert Harvey

Brenda Lyons (Team Lipton) and Rachel Heal (Webcor) compare their guns
Jenny Trew (Vitesse) leads the pack
Mandy Lozano (Targetraining) sits in ahead of Catherine Powers
The first five laps were murderous thanks to the efforts of Kelly Benjamin
Kelly Benjamin strings out the bunch
Kim Sawyer (BMW-Bianchi) and Rachel Heal (Webcor)
Van Gilder sits in ahead of Rachel Heal (Webcor)
A split in the field had all the teams but too many sprinters to work
Catherine Powers (Aaron's) rode strong all race
Van Gilder leads Rebecca Larsen (Aaron's) into turn four
The final sprint and Van Gilder takes it!
Van Gilder wins
A hug for Laura Van Gilder from Sara Bamberger
The women wait to start in view of the Capitol
The women roll of the line
Mandy Lozano (Targetraining) in the pack at turn three
Kelly Benjamin leads Laura Van Gilder through the last turn
Shontelle Gauthier (Ultralink) took 7th
The women's podium Kelly Benjamin and Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine) and Nicky Wangsgard (Vitesse)
The men line up
The men await the start
Bobby Lea (Toyota-United) animated the race, but missed the right move
Rich Harper takes turn four at speed
Terry Hess (Raleigh All-Stars) and 'the old man' David Le Duc made up a second break that nearly lapped but then was later caught
The teams represented in the break fight for wheels at the front
AEG keeps the pace high followed by Jittery Joe's protecting the riders up a lap on the field
Travieso wins by lengths
Second in 2006, Travieso wins
Tim Henry (Jittery Joe's), Frank Travieso (AEG-Toshiba) and Rich Harper (Abercrombie & Fitch) on the podium
The men's podium Tim Henry, Frank Travieso and Rich Harper

Results

Men

1 Frank Travieso (AEG-TOSHIBA-JetNetwork)              1.50.00
2 Timothy Henry (Jittery Joes Cycling Team)            
3 Rich Harper (A&F Pro Development Cycling Team)              
4 Thomas Soladay (Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV)              
5 John DeLong (Team Alliance Environmental)                  
6 David Duncan (TIME Factory Development Team)               
7 Keith Norris (AEG-TOSHIBA-JetNetwork)                   2.57
8 Emile Abraham (Priority Health)                            
9 Bobby Lea (Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team)                
10 Guido Palma (Rite Aid Pro Cycling)                        
11 Mark Hekman (A&F Pro Development Cycling Team)             
12 Tiago DePaula (TIME Factory Development Team)             
13 Tommy Nankervis (Jittery Joe's Cycling Team)              
14 Michael Muller (Manulife Financial Cycling Team)                          
15 Owen Nielsen (Manulife Financial Cycling Team)            
16 Craig Dodson (Nature's Path Pro/Am Cycling Team)            
17 Torsten Wambold (Giordana-Clif Bar Cycling Team)          
18 Jason Snow                                                
19 Eric Bennett (Successfulliving.com)                       
20 Christopher Monteleone (TIME Factory Development Team)    
21 Ryan DeWald (Rite Aid Pro Cycling)                        
22 Curtis Winsor (Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV)              
23 Stephen De Lisle                                          
24 Michael Stoop (Seigler / Axley Cycling Team)              
25 Ryan Mele                                                 
26 Peter Whitlock (Seigler / Axley Cycling Team)             
27 Nick Friessen (Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV)              
28 David Wenger (HealthCoach Mens Elite)                     
29 Joshua Taylor (Rite Aid Pro Cycling)                      
30 Ian Ayers (Rite Aid Pro Cycling)                          
31 Kris Stein (Team Endurance Magazine)                      
32 Terry Huss (Raleigh Allstars)                             
33 Justin Beard (Capri Foundation/CSH)                       
34 Robert Sweeting (AEG-TOSHIBA-JetNetwork)         
35 Charlie Brown (Carolina Masters)                                            
36 Mitchell Luck                                             
37 Jonathan Swain (Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV)             
38 Benjamin King (US National Team)                          
39 Jered Gruber (TIME Factory Development Team)              
40 Travis Livermon (Capri Foundation/CSH)                    
41 Matthew Howe                                              
42 R Blair Craig (Hincapie Sportswear Bianchi)               
43 Paul Mica (National Capital Velo Club)               
44 Mason Haymes (Seigler / Axley Cycling Team)               
45 Anthony Hall (Seigler / Axley Cycling Team)               
46 Phil Wikoff (HealthCoach Mens Elite)                  3.14
47 Richard Creed (Smith Barney)                          3.17
48 Barney Baxter (Raleigh All-Stars)                                            
49 David LeDuc (Mercy Cycling)                           3.22
50 Charles Pendry (Inland Construction)                      
51 Patrick Raines (Time Developmental Team)              3.30
52 Daniel Larson                                             
53 Boyd Johnson (Team Alliance Environmental)                
54 Joseph Coddington (Manulife Financial Cycling Team)       
55 Ben Faulk (Giordana-Clif Bar Cycling Team)                
56 Andrew Applegate (A&F Pro Development Cycling Team)        
57 Bradley Viera (Rite Aid Pro Cycling)                      
58 Cody Stevenson (Jittery Joe's Cycling Team)           3.45
59 Yosvany Falcon (AEG-TOSHIBA-JetNetwork)          

Women

1 Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine)               54.27
2 Kelly Benjamin (Cheerwine)                      
3 Nichole Wangsgard (Vitesse Cycling)             
4 Sarah Caravella (Aaron's/L5 Flyers)             
5 Brenda Lyons (TEAm Lipton)                      
6 Holli Steelman (Juice Plus)                     
7 Shontelle Gauthier (Team Ultralink)             
8 Laura Yoisten (Webcor Builders Cycling Team)    
9 Rebecca Larson (Aaron's/L5 Flyers)              
10 Christina DeKraay (HT Naturals)                
11 Laura Bowles (Team Advil/ChapStick)            
12 Jenny Trew (Vitesse Cycling)                   
13 Rachel Heal (Webcor Builders Cycling Team)     
14 Erica Allar                                    
15 Kimberly Sawyer (BMW-Bianchi)                  
16 Catherine Powers (Aaron's/L5 Flyers)           
17 Kim Foland (BMW-Bianchi)                       
18 Hadley Trotter (HT Naturals)                   
19 Andrea Myers (TARGETRAINING)                   
20 Natalie Klemko (Team Advil/ChapStick)          
21 Kele Murdin (Team Ultalink)                  
22 Kathleen Billington (TARGETRAINING)            
23 Marianne Holt (Outdoorlights.com)              
24 Anna Milkowski (Targetraining)                 
25 Leigh Valletti (TARGETRAINING)                 
26 Elizabeth Hatch (Vanderkitten)                 
27 Kelly McLaughlin (BMW-Bianchi)                 
28 Nina Santiago (TARGETRAINING)                  
29 Melissa Petty (BMW-Bianchi)                    
30 Annie Lux (HT Naturals)                        
31 Cora Olson (BMW-Bianchi)                       
32 Mandy Lozano (TARGETRAINING)               1.21
33 Janet Edgerton (BMW-Bianchi)               2.11

Past winners

2006 Sarah Caravella (Lipton)               Martin Gilbert (Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada)
2005 Nicole Freedman (Isr) Ford-Basis       Garrett Peltonen (USA) Advantage Benefits Group/Endeavor