Tour of Korea - 2.5

Korea, June 12-20, 2004

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Prologue - June 12: Seoul ITT, 1.4 km

Alejandro Acton wins Tour of Korea prologue

ACT-UPMC team report

32 year-old Alejandro Acton of the ACT-UPMC cycling team won the prologue of today's Tour of Korea to assume the overall race lead. Acton's teammate Gerardo Castro finished third, and Joe Papp finished 9th in what was a dominant performance by the ACT-UPMC squad. The victory was especially poignant for Acton, who one year ago to the day shattered his wrist in a terrible crash and was almost forced to retire. "This is a special win for me," explained an exuberant Acton, "since we have again shown that our team is very strong, and that I am fully recovered from last year's fall."

Acton was the third rider to start, and credited his fast time with exact preparation and an intense warm-up. "I was able to complete a full warm-up protocol and also ride at race pace on the circuit only minutes before I had to start," noted Acton.

The 1.4km course inside the Korea Armed Forces Sports Center included five corners and a steep 100m climb that came less than 300m from the finish. It was highly technical and demanded stellar bike handling skills in addition to gobs of anaerobic capacity. Acton proved he had both, and will set off for tomorrow's 160km resplendent in his tour leader's jersey.

The ACT-UPMC elite cycling team includes senior, under-23 and junior riders. It is organized through the America's Cycling Team program, which is dedicated to providing racing opportunities for riders of all ages and abilities. ACT places a special emphasis on developing America's next class of professional cyclists, and while the team's top riders may belong to a variety of affiliate clubs, all compete under the America's Cycling Team-UPMC name.

Results

1 Alejandro Acton (Arg) ACT-UPMC
...
3 Gerardo Castro (Uru) ACT-UPMC
9 Joe Papp (USA) ACT-UPMC