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First Union Series
USA, June 4-9, 2002
First Union Invitational
First Union Classic
First Union Liberty Classic
First Union USPRO Championship
Photography
First Union USPRO Championships, Philadelphia, PA, June 9, 2002
Some nice, some quirky by Justin Balog
- Eddy Gragus - 1996 USPRO Champion
- The field were all together - the second time up the Manyunk Wall
- Making if off the set of the new Star Wars movie - two Tusken Raiders were in attendance
- O'Brien's famous watering hole - jammed to the rafters with a thirsty audience
- Owner of the famous Philly watering hole, Uncle Bill O'Brien - he's been here every year cooling off the riders with a few ales!
- The "voice of cycling" - Phil Liggett
- The 'Country Bumpkins' - provided music all race long
- George Hincapie - on the final climb up the Manyunk Wall, Hincapie is the definition of calm
These sensational photos provided by Ralph Rookey
- George Hincapie (US Postal Service) - heads his way up Manayunk Hill
- Last years winner Fred Rodriguez - looks comfortable early on going up Manayunk Hill
- Richard Fries - doing his bit. Just not sure how aerodynamic that suit will be.
- The peloton - heads up the Hill
These photos courtsey of Nick Atkins
- The crowd - had a whale of a time.
- It is hard - to imagine a nicer place to race. Crowds, greenery; what more do you want?
- The bunch - rounds the bend, and a sprint is on
Images by Todd M. Leister
- Emotions were running high for Mark Walters (Navigators Cycling Team) - after his feat really sunk in
- Mark Walters - receives a well-deserved hug
- An arduous 251km takes it toll on the best of riders - including Postal's Michael Barry
Images by Tim Maloney, cyclingnews.com European Editor
- Robin Morton and Alice Armstrong of Threshold Sports - celebrate the 18th First Union USPRO Championships
- The podium - Mark Walters (Navigators Cycling Team) wins the US Pro Championship, ahead of Chann McRae (US Postal Service) and Danny Pate (Prime Alliance) - and the forty grand cheque
- Newly-crowned US champion Chann McRae (US Postal Service) - with his wife and child on the podium
Images by Rob Karman/www.roadbikephotos.com
- Defending champion Fred Rodriguez (Domo-Farm Frites) signing on before the USPRO Championships in his regular jersey
- A nervous looking Chris Horner (Prime Alliance) before the sign on
- The Ofoto team signing on
- The Saeco team signing on before the USPRO Championships
- George Hincapie (US Postal) playing the waiting game early in the race
- The US Postal team strung out in pursuit of an early break
- Fred Rodriguez (Domo-Farm Frites) - didn't have the form today that carried him to victory one year prior
- Chann McRae and Alex Candelario - climb comfortably in the saddle
- 7Up / Nutra Fig rider Chuck Coyle - appears to ride through a shower of... well, 7Up
- George Hincapie (US Postal Service) and Eric Wohlberg (Saturn Cycling Team) - display their contrasting climbing styles
- Glenn d'Hollander (Lotto-Adecco) attacks by himself
- John Lieswyn (7Up / Nutra Fig) - grimaces on the Manyunk towards the latter stages of the race
- Michael Barry (US Postal) did a lot of work for Hincapie on the closing laps
- Danny Pate (Prime Alliance Cycling Team) - was particularly aggressive throughout the race
- Mark Walters (Navigators Cycling Team) - leads the final break of 12 with two laps to go
- Chann McRae (US Postal Service) - looks dangerous as the race nears its climax
- Henk Vogels (Mercury) - tries to escape from Mark Walters (Navigators Cycling Team) and George Hincapie (US Postal Service) in the final kilometres
- Mark Walters (Can, R) wins in front of Chann McRae (USPS, L) who is the USPRO Champion for 2002
- Michael Barry (US Postal Service) - feels the fatigue after a selfless effort
Images by Jonathan Devich/TheFastrack.com
- Chann McRae (US Postal Service) gives it all he's got - but Mark Walters (Navigators Cycling Team) was too strong in the sprint to the line
- Mark Walters (Navigators Cycling Team) gives a victory roar - ahead of Postie Chann McRae, who becomes the US Pro champion for 2002
- An ecstatic Mark Walters - is congratulated by his equally ecstatic coach
- The men's and women's podium - plenty of happy faces
Litespeed take a detour
Lotto Directeur-sportif Walter Planckaert and his Lotto-Adecco boys took a detour to Bicycle Therapy during their stay in Philly, where the 2003 Litespeed Vortex frame was unveiled.
- Hans De Clercq and Glenn D'Hollander - check out the 2003 Litespeed Vortex frame
- DS Walter Planckaert and Niko Eeckhout - with Bicycle Therapy owner Lee Rogers
- Gorik Gardeyn - signs a Litespeed cap for a customer
- The "First Union" Lotto-Adecco Team - with owners Lee and Carlos Rogers in front of Bicycle Therapy
First Union Liberty Classic, Philadelphia, PA, June 9, 2002
Some nice, some quirky by Justin Balog
- Plenty of die-hard Saturn supporters - lined the course
- Petra Rossner (Saturn Cycling Team) - gritting her teeth on the Manyunk Wall
These sensational photos provided by Ralph Rookey
- Jani Verstraeten - (Trek Plus) works her way up the Hill
- Petra Rossner - looking very composed as she works her way up Manayunk Hill
- Sarah Uhl - moves her way along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
- A mass of cyclists - as the peloton heads up Manayunk Hill
These photos courtsey of Nick Atkins
- Petra - seemed to forget her bike. But the crowd didn't mind.
Images by Tim Maloney, cyclingnews.com European Editor
- Petra Rossner (Saturn Cycling Team) - on the Liberty Classic podium for the seventh time
- The podium - Petra Rossner (Saturn Cycling Team) wins the Liberty Classic, ahead of Laura Van Gilder (Trek Plus) and Dede Demet Barry (Talgo America)
Images by Gerry McManus, cyclingnews.com correspondent
- Petra Rossner's (Saturn) - initial pre-race confidence proved to be well-founded
- Kim Anderson (Team T Mobile) and Valen Polkhanova (Itera) - duke it out for fourth and fifth place respectively
Images by Rob Karman/www.roadbikephotos.com
- A relaxed Petra Rossner (Saturn Cycling Team) - plays silly buggers before the start
- Kristy Scrymgeour (Saturn Cycling Team) - played the role of domestique extremely well for her captain Petra Rossner, with Dede Demet-Barry in close guard
- Petra Rossner - looking particularly focused as she sweeps through a corner
- Dede Demet Barry (Talgo America) - had a great ride to finish third, but couldn't break the might of Team Saturn
- Petra Rossner (Saturn) crosses the line to win her sixth Liberty Classic in a row, and her seventh in total
Images by Jonathan Devich/TheFastrack.com
- Petra Rossner (Saturn) - signals her sixth consecutive Liberty Classic victory to the crowd
- The men's and women's podium - plenty of happy faces
First Union Classic, Trenton, New Jersey, June 6, 2002
Images by Rob Karman/www.roadbikephotos.com
- US Postal's David Clingerand George Hincapie share a joke on the start line
- U23 TT World Champ Danny Pate (Prime Alliance) - pushes the pace on lap 1
- Fast Freddie Rodriguez (Domo-Farm Frites) - got stuck behind in the hard tempo set by Prime Alliance early on and was out of contention
- George Hincapie (USPS) - used his awesome handling skills to lead through the trickiest corner on a very wet course
- Belgian Tom Boonen (USPS) - relished the miserable conditions, making him feel right at home
- Chris Horner (Prime Alliance) - attacked with two and a half laps to go but was swallowed up shortly thereafter
- Gord Fraser (Mercury) launches an attack with one lap to go
- Gord Fraser (Mercury) leads George Hincapie (US Postal) round a water-filled corner
- Gord Fraser (Mercury) edges out Wesley Van Speybrock (Lotto-Adecco) and Oleg Grishkine (Navigators) in conditions more suited to racing canoes than bikes.
Images by Jonathan Devich/TheFastrack.com
- George Hincapie (US Postal) strings out the field
- Danny Pate (Prime Alliance) spends a little time solo in the rain.
- Prime Alliance comes to the front with 2 laps to go.
First Union Invitational, Lancaster, PA, June 4, 2002
Images by Rob Karman/www.roadbikephotos.com
- Chris Horner (Mercury) attempts a solo attack
- Reigning USPRO champion Freddie Rodriguez (Domo) tests his legs with an attack.
- Chris Wherry (Mercury) and David Clinger (US Postal) pass through the feed zone on their last-ditch break.
- David Clinger rides in the bunch before his bold breakaway
- David Clinger leads his breakaway companions. He was soon to prove too strong, shedding them all in the last lap and a half.
- David Clinger salutes the huge crowd in downtown Lancaster as he crosses the line
- Eric Wohlberg (Saturn) and Chris Horner (Prime Alliance) lead the break through the woods
- Mercury chasing the break at the base of the feed zone climb on lap 5
- John Lieswyn (7UP) gets on the front and gives chase to claw himself back into the race
- The First Union Series is a major outing for Australia's publically-supported iTeamNova.com squad
