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Downtown Greenville Cycling Classic - NE
Greenville, SC, USA, October 9-10, 2004
- Race 1 - October 9: Pro 1/2 Men, 50 km; Women 1/2/3, 25 km
- Race 2 - October 10: Pro 1/2 Men, 40 km; Women 1/2/3, 25 km
Race 1 - October 9: Pro 1/2 Men, 50 km; Women 1/2/3, 25 km
George of the Jungle
By Jason Ward
Jonas Carney decided to end his stellar cycling career at the Greenville Cycling Classic (formerly Michelin Classic) in Greenville, SC. Flanked by teammate and Master of the Mutton Chops, Alex Candelario, Carney was set to go out in a blaze of glory. Several former teammates such as Health Net's John Lieswyn and Danny Pate were on hand to make his last race a memorable weekend.
The only thing standing in Carney's way from ending a 25+ year career was Tour de France veteran and Greenville, SC resident, George Hincapie. A bitter feud over who was better looking as juniors were set to erupt on a pleasant South Carolina Saturday evening.
After the racers had been called to the front of the line, Carney nodded to Hincapie as if to say, "Yea, you are better looking, but I can still beat you in the sprint."
Race promoter Rich Hincapie called his Hincapie Sports/Bianchi to the front as well the race was set to be fast from the gun. Junior time trial silver medalist Chris Monteleon, started the evening off by ripping a few laps and causing more than one rider to become a spectator rather than a racer. All things changed when big George Hincapie hit the front and stretched the 80+ field into a single line of severely stressed racers. It seemed inevitable that the field would split, the only question was when and with who?
Hincapie Sports/Bianchi rider Mike Kelly hit the front creating a gap that only riders like Hincapie, Candelario, and Lieswyn could follow. The peloton was not content as many other riders bridged across to the early break. As the break continued to swell with riders it became apparent that it would come back fairly soon. Almost as soon as the break was absorbed by hard chasing field, the winning move was made.
A group of four riders, USPS's George Hincapie, Jelly Belly's Alex Candelario, Colavita's Thad Dulin, and the only amateur, Hincapie Sports' Mike Kelly, quickly gained time on a ever thinning peloton. But the evilness of a masochistic announcer, ringing the bell lap after lap for primes, gave Ofoto's Scott Zwizanski and Health Net's Danny Pate a gap, and after they kept on going for a few laps, the two bridged across to the lead group of four. With the a fairly complacent field not doing any concentrated effort to bring the gap down, the lead group of six increased their advantage with almost every lap.
Jittery Joe's John Murphy made several attempts to bring the group back but was unable to organize his team to chase. Several other riders made individual bids to bridge the unbridgeable gap. Having the freedom to police the front of the field, John Lieswyn was able to win a handful of primes, but was unable to do so without making some really unattractive faces. As the race began to come down to the finish, Colavita's Thad Dulin tried to separate himself from the lead group. Jelly Belly's Alex Candelario was having none of those shenanigans and closed the gap insuring that the winner would have to win from a sprint.
Was it going to be Carney's heir apparent, Candelario, Tour de France veteran George Hincapie, or even unknown local boy Mike Kelly?
Having trained together on multiple occasions with George Hincapie, Mike Kelly had an ace up his sleeve that no other rider had. But as the riders rounded the last turn It was going to come down to a drag race between Hincapie and Candelario. As the crowd cheered like angry banshees, Hincapie was able to take the sprint in front of his hometown crowd. Jonas Carney ended his day by taking the field sprint. Carney's last official race would be on Sunday.
Race 2 - October 10: Pro 1/2 Men, 40 km; Women 1/2/3, 25 km
Thank you Jonas Carney!!!
By Jason Ward
The Pro-Am event got under way on an early Sunday afternoon on the shorter Greenville Cycling Classic course with all of the big hitters present, the exception being USPS's George Hincapie and TIAA-CREF rising star Craig "Fro" Lewis. Sunday's race was not without its new faces though, as McGuire sprinter Dave McCook got to the starting line. (McCook had flight problems and did not even have his bike until about an hour before the race.)
With a smaller prize list and many riders taking advantage of the after-race party at the Hincapie Sports World HQ in downtown Greenville, the motivation just was not there. Several of the riders did complain the constant banging and ringing from the Fall for Greenville Festival at the start, but quickly held their heads in embarrassment when told it was just the beer they drank. Their shame was quickly pushed aside as Dave McCook eager to make up for lost time shot out from the start line like a bullet.
With many of the pro's already having stopped training hard core, they were more than willing to let some of the local guys have their moments in the sun. Most attacks were short lived as they were brought back almost as quickly as it started. South Carolina state criterium champion and Low Country VW rider David Hall made an early attack, but was shut down. Hall said that he wanted to "do better than I did last night and I will be happy".
With twenty laps into the race, Saturday night hero, Hincapie Sports/Bianchi rider Mike Kelly, broke away from the field. Proving that the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy guys right, that the clothes do make the man, Kelly stayed away solo for about six laps. Kelly's attempt for a solo win was quickly brought back as Health Net riders Danny Pate and John Lieswyn went to the front and drilled it for two laps.
Carney, in the meantime, was taking the opportunity to thank the riders still left for allowing him the opportunity to beat them well over a hundred times.
A precarious split in the field that seemed too big to succeed, succeeded in staying away till the end. With rider after rider bridging up to the group it was inevitable that the winner was going to come from the lead group of eighteen. Jittery Joes, who missed the winning break on Saturday, managed to put their entire team in the break in hopes of leading out super sprinter Jeff Hopkins.
But with the king of the criterium sprint Carney also in the lead group, there was little doubt who would win. Ofoto's Scott Zwizanski took the honor of starting the lead-out for Carney at the start of the last lap. As the lead group rounded the last turn, Jelly Belly teammates Jonas Carney and Alex Candelario had about a fifty meter gap from the field. Carney threw his hands in the air for the last time, closing out a remarkable career that spanned over three decades. By closing out with a win, Jonas Carney will go down as the all-time, most feared and respected sprinter America has seen. Thank you Jonas Carney!!!
Results
Race 1 - October 9: Pro 1/2 Men, 50 km; Women 1/2/3, 25 km
Pro 1/2 Men, 50 km 1 George Hincapie (US Postal Service) 2 Alex Candelario (Unattached) 3 Scott Zwizanski (Unattached) 4 Thad Dulin (Colavita Olive Oil) 5 Dan Pate (Health Net p/b Maxxis) 6 Mike Kelly (Hincapie Sports/Bianchi) 7 Jonas Carney (Jelly Belly) 8 Emile Abraham (Team Monex) 9 Radisha Cubric (Unattached) 10 Scott Edge (Essex brass) 11 Aaron Frahm (Unattached) 12 Jeff Hopkins (Jittery Joes) 13 Gary Coltman (Outdoor Lighting.com) 14 Gregory Wolf (Stelvio Teamwear - Orbis Properties) 15 Oscar Pineda (Stelvio Teamwear - Orbis Properties) 16 Creed Sewell (Unattached) 17 Geri Mewett (Cane Creek) 18 Shane Weaver (Team Gusto) 19 Craig Lewis (TIAA/CREF/US National Team) 20 Jacob Stephens (Team Snow Valley) 21 Russ Griebel (Kalahari) 22 Mark Griffin (Greensboro Velo Club) 23 Hoyt Halvorson (North Chattanooga/River City Bicycles) 24 Brandon McKeever (Hincapie Sports/Bianchi) 25 David Hall (Lowcountry VW) 26 Blair Craig (Unattached) 27 Thomas Kolodziejski (Unattached) 28 Ben Faulk (Just Fresh-Clif Bar Cycling Team) 29 Randy Dreyer (Crit Racing) 30 Steve Schwaeber (OLP Racing) 31 John Murphy (Jittery Joes) 32 Phil Wikoff (Cane Creek Cycling Components) 33 Joseph Coddington (Asheville Bicycle Racing Club) 34 Chad Gibson (Outdoor Lighting Persp/Queen C) 35 Benjamin Early (Bianchi\Hincapie Sports) 36 Torston Wambold (Unattached) 37 Jason Chapman (all3sports.com) 38 Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joes) 39 Boyd Johnson (ESSM/GPOA Cycling Team) 40 Darby Harris (Cane Creek Cycling Components) 41 Colin Barry (Cycles de Oro - Northstate Che) 42 Ben Abney (Bianchi/ Hincapie Sports) 43 Chad Leigh (Just Fresh Clif Bar) 44 Steven Carrell (H.A.R.T.) 45 Evan Elken (Jittery Joes) Women 1/2/3, 25 km 1 Christina DeKraay (Team Fuji) 2 Grace Fleury (Genesis Scuba) 3 Patty Schoaf (Spin Cycle Duke Sports Med) 4 Mandy Lozano (Spin Cycle/Duke Sports Med) 5 Nancy Daigler (Team Prestige Subaru) 6 Alexis Brown (Genesis Scuba /FFCC) 7 Lee Anne Blanchard (Unattached) 8 Joanne Fusco (Unattached) 9 Gina Voci (T.E.A.M. Fuji/Diet Cheerwine) 10 Kathryn Clark (low country velo) 11 Allison Carter (Unattached) 12 Nicole Bossie (The Sports Team/Team Fuji) 13 Leigh Valletti (Genesis Scuba/FFCC) 14 Ann Koehler (T.E.A.M. Fuji/Diet Cheerwine) 15 Bromley Metz (Cycleworks) 16 Giselle Weekes (Team Fuji) 17 Janet Edgerton (Team Spincycle) 18 Elizabeth Tyrell (Somerset Wheelmen) 19 Kim Foland (Genesis Scuba/FFCC) 20 Daniele Staskal (SC-Fat Sound Guitars/SC-Duke S) 21 Lauren Trull (Genesis Scuba/FFCC) 22 Kari Bradley (Unattached)
Race 2 - October 10: Pro 1/2 Men, 40 km; Women 1/2/3, 25 km
Pro 1/2 Men, 40 km 1 Jonas Carney (Jelly Belly) 2 Alex Candelario (Unattached) 3 Emile Abraham (Team Monex) 4 Radisha Cubric (Unattached) 5 Dave Mccook (Mcguire) 6 Oscar Pineda (Stelvio Teamwear - Orbis Properties) 7 Scott Zwizanski (Unattached) 8 Evan Elken (Jittery Joes) 9 Gregory Wolf (Stelvio Teamwear - Orbis Properties) 10 Jeff Hopkins (Jittery Joes) 11 Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joes) 12 Thad Dulin (Colavita Olive Oil) 13 Benjamin Early (Bianchi\Hincapie Sports) 14 John Murphy (Jittery Joes) 15 Joseph Coddington (Asheville Bicycle Racing Club) 16 Hoyt Halvorson (North Chattanooga/River City Bicycles) 17 John Lieswyn (Health Net Maxxis) 18 Shane Weaver (Team Gusto) 19 Phil Wikoff (Cane Creek Cycling Components) 20 Randy Dreyer (Crit Racing) 21 Travis Hagner (NEO VELO) 22 Aaron Frahm (Unattached) 23 Boyd Johnson (ESSM/GPOA Cycling Team) 24 Jacob Stephens (Team Snow Valley) 25 Torston Wambold (Unattached) 26 Geri Mewett (Cane Creek) 27 David Hall (Lowcountry VW) 28 Charles Rossignol (Atlanta Cycling-Northstar) 29 Ben Abney (Bianchi/ Hincapie Sports) 30 Steve Schwaeber (OLP Racing) 31 Abraham McNutt (Team Dayton Bicycling) 32 Christopher Monteleone (Hincapie Sports/Bianchi) 33 Jason Chapman (all3sports.com) 34 Lucas Livermon (Unattached) 35 Bryan Schoeffler (Colavita-Bolla Racing) 36 Danzer Martin (Team Cube) 37 Tom Arsenault (Cycles de Oro/GVC) 38 Ben Carter (Unattached) 39 Creed Sewell (Unattached) 40 Darby Harris (Cane Creek Cycling Components) 41 Mac Canon (GSBRT) 42 Mike Kelly (Hincapie Sports/Bianchi) 43 Alan Rigby (Unattached) 44 Curtis Staples (Greensboro Velo Club) 45 Dan Pate (Health Net p/b Maxxis) Women 1/2/3, 25 km 1 Patty Schoaf (Spin Cycle Duke Sports Med) 2 Nancy Daigler (Team Prestige Subaru) 3 Mandy Lozano (Spin Cycle/Duke Sports Med) 4 Lauren Trull (Genesis Scuba/FFCC) 5 Ann Koehler (T.E.A.M. Fuji/Diet Cheerwine) 6 Krystal Lacy (Team Dayton Bicycling) 7 Joanne Fusco (Unattached) 8 Kathryn Clark (low country velo) 9 Elizabeth Tyrell (Somerset Wheelmen) 10 Nicole Bossie (The Sports Team/Team FUJI) 11 Janet Edgerton (Team Spincycle) 12 Kari Bradley (Unattached) 13 Daniele Staskal (SC-Fat Sound Guitars/SC-Duke S) 14 Kelly Slom (Low Country VW) 15 Marilyn Powell (Team Mack Paper Co.) 16 Zahra Hajiaghamohseni (LowCountry Volkswagen) 17 Jayne Claire Gillespie (East Alabama Cycling Club)
