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Photo ©: Schaaf

 UCI codes explained

Tri-Peaks Challenge - NE

USA, May 20-22, 2005

Main Page    Results   Overall standings    Next Stage

Stage 1 - May 20: Arkansas tech criterium

Franges & Henderson take hot opening stage

Stage 1 of Tri Peaks Stage race started with an evening criterium held at dusk in the Arkansas Tech University campus. The temperatures climbed into the 90's acting as a prelude of the hot weather to come for the weekend.

From the first lap it looked to be an exciting race with attack after attack. Team Ford/Basis launched a couple of attacks that where quickly covered by Lynne Gaggioli and Team Victory Brewing. Shortly after a $50.00 prime Lauren Franges (Victory Brewing) counter attacked and immediately got a 20 second gap on the field.

With 8 laps remaining, it looked promising for the stage win. Franges grew the gap to 50 seconds and took the first place.

In the men's race Greg Henderson (Health Net pb Maxxis) won a three-up sprint to take the stage.

The three-man break went away fairly early in the 60-minute criterium, which was run over a 2 Km course in warm, windy conditions. The break started innocuously enough, when Henderson's teammate, Mike Jones, marked an attack by a member of the Advantage Benefits/Endeavour squad. Sensing an opportunity, Henderson, the former track world champion, hit the gas and bridged to the duo. Working together, the three riders quickly opened a gap of 20 seconds.

With two riders up the road, Health Net was content to sit in and leave the chase to everyone else. Jelly Belly/PoolGel, Aerospace Engineering and Monex all tried to organize, but with little success. In the meantime, the break extended its gap to 40 seconds, and the three-man move was beginning to look like it would stick.

Finally, almost three-quarters of the way through the race, a small chase group got away from the peloton in pursuit of the leaders. But again, Health Net was very well represented, with four riders in this group, including John Lieswyn, Gord Fraser, Mike Sayers and Scott Moninger.

The chase group made some headway, but with the four members of Health Net doing as little work as possible, the chasers were only able to get within 30 seconds of the leaders by the race's end.

In the field, Jelly Belly made one more attempt to bring back both groups, but they left it too late. Coming into the finish, Jones set up Henderson for the sprint, and the winner of this year's sprint jersey at the Tour de Georgia showed his sprinting power once again. Jones finished third after leading out Henderson.

Results

Women
 
1 Lauren Franges (Victory Brewing)
 
Men
 
1 Greg Henderson (Health Net pb maxxis)