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USPRO Criterium Championships - 1.1
Chicago, USA, August 20-21, 2005
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Race 1 - August 20: Warm-up events
T-Mobile and Health Net continue criterium dominance
Kroepsch and Dominguez win warm-up races
By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor in Downers Grove, Il
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The US criterium nationals always begins with a Saturday night half-distance warm-up race for both the men and women, resulting in two near-certainties - teams try not to show too much and the winners have a hard time repeating the next day. So for Ivan Dominguez (Health Net-Maxxis) and Lara Kroepsch (T-Mobile), winners of their races, the odds for back-to-back wins are not in their favour. "Normally when you win this race you don't win tomorrow," said Dominguez. "But the way I felt today I knew I was going to win, so who knows what could happen."
Dominguez has been racing here for years, and knew he had to be in the right place for the final sprint. With multiple teams taking turns in the final laps setting the pace, it was Health Net-Maxxis who took over in the end to set-up Dominguez. "I went from the second-to-last turn all the way to the finish," the Cuban sprinter explained. Following behind was Navigators Insurace Siro Campanogara and Juan Jose Haedo (Colavita-Sutter Home.) "I was trying to help Gustavo [Artacho] but he was behind me so I had to just go on my own," said Haedo.
Ed Beamon, Navigators Insurance director, explained that his strategy is like many of the other teams. "There are so many good sprinters out here, but nobody wants to show their cards. We tried to put everybody on the front with five or six to go to keep them out of trouble, and then we pulled our sprinters off." Beamon told Cyclingnews that the team's strategy is to win the race, but that Americans Kirk O'Bee and Marty Nothstein are likely candidates for the end, with O'Bee winning a national championship here in 2001.
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In the women's open, the race saw multiple breaks ebb and flow before a final group of seven got away long enough to get to the end intact. Even with two Quark riders working together in the break, including the very fast Laura Van Gilder, it was T-Mobile's young Lara Kroepsch who got the best position in the crucial final turns to take the win. "I knew I had to be on Van Gilder's wheel for the race to the final two turns," said Kroepsch.
Van Gilder had to work to get into the break, bridging up after a strong effort by Sarah Tillotson (Athletes by Design) to make it seven. "Sarah made a huge move, doing the majority of the work," said Van Gilder. "Candice [Blikem] led it out early and I barely made it around [the crash]."
Kroepsch was not planning on extending herself this much in today's race, as she wasn't feeling one-hundred percent. "I usually do too much in this race and don't have enough the next day, so I wanted to conserve." But as they often do, plans change, and Kroepsch took full advantage of the opportunity presented to her.
Tomorrow's race will be different in that only US citizens can race, so teams will need to adjust their rosters - unlike the USPRO men.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Mark Zalewski/Cyclingnews.com
- U23 national champion Kyle Gritters (Seasilver) follows Gord Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis) through turn one.
- Marty Nothstein (Navigators Insurance) tries a solo attack.
- Jonny Sundt (Jittery Joe's-Kalahari) screams through one of the two right turns on the course.
- Please keep your hands inside the ride at all times.
- Nothstein stays out of trouble near the front.
- Colavita-Sutter Home worked for Gustavo Artacho today.
- Charles Dionne (Webcor) tries to bridge to the break, with Greg Henderson (Health Net-Maxxis) following.
- Vassili Davidenko (Navigators Insurance) spent a few laps alone on the front.
- The Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada team moves to the front.
- With the maximum of two hundred riders in the field, it was hard to find room to move around.
- Davidenko continues his solo attack.
- Todd Herriott (Colavita-Sutter Home) corners with Gord Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis) on the inside.
- John Lieswyn (Health Net-Maxxis) gives one of his famous pulls at the front, complete with grimace.
- Quark's Candace Blickem takes the corner...
- ...and a Ford-Basis rider follows.
- Sarah Tillotson (Athletes by Design) takes turn one.
- Current national champion Tina Pic (Quark) spends her final day in the stars and stripes.
- Riders had to stay attentive in this fast race.
- Show me your game face!
- Sarah Tillotson (Athletes by Design) tows Laura Van Gilder (Quark) to the break.
- Candace Blickem (Quark) leads the break with Lara Kroepsch (T-Mobile) behind.
- Kori Seehafer (T-Mobile) leads the pack.
- Tina Pic (Quark) stays safe near the front.
- One lap to go and it's Laura Van Gilder and Lara Kroepsch marking each other.
- Last year's fourth place Kim Cunningham (Morgan Stanley) saves herself for tomorrow's championship.
- A crash in the final turn didn't affect Kroepsch or Van Gilver.
- Lara Kroepsch (T-Mobile) takes the sprint ahead of Laura Van Gilder (Quark).
- Ivan Dominguez (Health Net) wins but sasys he still feels good for the USPRO Criterium Champs tomorrow
Images by Matthew Moses/www.moses-images.com
- 15 year old Sam Schneider (Endeavour/Advantage Benefits) wins the Women's 3-4 race.
- The Men Category 3 winner Ben Renkema (Whole Foods) celebrates his win.
- Robbie Ventura (Vision Quest) retired last year but joined the Men's 30+ field with a video camera strapped, they used the camera for an upcoming criterium training dvd.
- Pete Hanna (Bianchi/Grand Performance) celebrates the win in the USCF Men's 30+ race.
- USCF Men's 40+ action
- Tina Pic (Quark) starts the her final race before her title goes up for grabs on Sunday's championship.
- Victory Brewing's Brenda Lyon looking strong, but had bad luck going down in turn 8 right before the final dash to the line.
- Meredith Miller (Team Lipton) leads the break up the small climb out of corner 3.
- Kori Seehafer (T-Mobile) works to make the small break stick.
- Lara Kroepsch (T-Mobile) celebrates her win the Women's Open Race.
- A calm looking Ivan Dominquez (Health Net/Maxxis) before the start of the Pro-Am.
- The 200+ Pro-Am field makes its way towards the pit.
- Marty Nothstein (Navigator's Insurance) eyes a competitor as they head through turn 2.
- John Lieswyn (Health Net/Maxxis) back in action after an injury takes a flyer off the front of the pack.
- Charles Dionne (Webcor) attempted a late race break away.
- The Navigator's and Health Net teams amass at the front of the field with just a few laps remaining.
- Ivan Dominguez (Health Net/Maxxis) out of the saddle sprinting for the line.
- The Men's Pro-Am Podium L-to-R: Siro Camponogara (Navigator's Insurance), Ivan Dominguez (Health Net/Maxxis), Juan Jose Haedo (Colavita-Sutter Home)
Images by Mike Spilker/MSPhotography
- Ivan Dominguez (Health net) smiles like a man with a winning plan
- Chris Wherry (Health Net) in the USPRO road race champion's jersey
- A four-man break attacks
- Greg Henderson (Health Net) attacks hard
- Siro Camponogara (Navigators Insurance) gets away
- Ivan Dominguez (Health net) takes the win
- The Men's podium L-to-R: Siro Camponogara (Navigators Insurance), Ivan Dominguez (Health Net/Maxxis), Juan Jose Haedo (Colavita-Sutter Home)
- The bunch corners with T-Mobile rider Lara Kroepsch to the fore
- Laura Van Gilder (Quark) in the hard-charging bunch
- Lara Kroepsch (T-Mobile) takes the win
- A Victory Brewing rider demonstrates how light her bike is.
Results
Women's brief results 1 Lara Kroepsch (T-Mobile) 2 Laura Van Gilder (Quark) Men's brief results 1 Ivan Dominguez (Health Net p/b Maxxis) 2 Siro Campanogara (Navigators) 3 Juan Jose Haedo (Colavita Sutter Homes)
