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U.S. National Criterium Championships - NE
Downers Grove, Illinois, USA, August 16-17, 2008
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Race 4 - August 17: USCF Men's National Criterium Championship,
Hanson upgrades wins with crit title
By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor in Downers Grove, Illinois
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Ken Hanson (California Giant Berry Farms) won the Saturday pro-am warm-up event last year racing as a professional, which usually means no result for the Sunday race. Hanson returned to Downers Grove this year as an amateur and traded last year's result for a win on Sunday, giving him the stars and stripes for the next year.
"Last year I won the pro-am in a breakaway and in the rain, and I prefer that... cold, technical courses," he said. "The heat is not my best weather for racing. But my team-mates Patrick Briggs and Steve Reaney were just phenomenal on the last two laps."
Hanson said the team strategy was to first try to get into the breaks, but failing that be patient and wait for the right time to make their move, and they played both of these to perfection. The first part was Andy Jacques-Maynes in a long break with Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse, both former professionals.
"Andy Jacques-Maynes did a great job staying out there and putting everyone on the defensive while we just kicked back and followed wheels."
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But the break ended up fizzling when Bergman realized he would not be able to beat the stronger Jacques-Maynes. "It was a nice move but we came here to try to win and I knew right away that Andy was way stronger than me. He was mad that I wasn't pulling through after a while and he should be. But we were racing for first and I couldn't figure out a way to beat him. I had to play the team card."
With the field all together again it would be down to a field sprint and this is when the patience strategy paid dividends. "We didn't want to take the front too early," said Hanson. "We have a lot of speed but not a lot of depth."
Seemingly on cue from previous years the Bianchi/Grand Performance team took to the front in the closing laps too early, looking impressive but posing no real threat. This was followed by a more significant but expected move my the well-manned Texas Roadhouse team for the final laps.
"We wanted to make sure not to get caught out on the front early, take our time and get to the other side of the figure-eight before we went. Steven Reaney took me from there to the last corner and made it easy for me to pick my own line." It made it easy for him to find the finish line too.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Mark Zalewski/Cyclingnews.com
- Ken Hanson (California Giant Berry Farms) is a little happy with his elite criterium national championship.
- Drinking and turning takes some skill.
- Scottie Weiss (Hincapie-Coca Cola) did another solo attack this year.
- Andy Jacques Maynes (California Giant Berry Farms) follows Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) through turn one.
- Believe it or not, but this rider did not crash after breaking the steerer tube.
- Andy Jacques Maynes (California Giant Berry Farms) gets a little salty with Bergman for playing the team card.
- Riders swing wide as the blood-thirsty crowd waits for a crash.
- Texas Roadhouse sets-up the lead-out.
- California Giant Berry Farms follows the lead-out, waiting to pounce.
- One lap to go and it's still Texas Roadhouse.
- Ken Hanson (California Giant Berry Farms) had plenty of time to celebrate his big win.
Results
1 Ken Hanson (California Giant / Specialized) 1.56.30 2 Marco Aledia (Team Inferno Pro Cycling) 3 Alex Boyd (Team Waste Management) 4 Daniel Schmatz (THF Racing) 5 Matt Winstead (Team Inferno Pro Cycling) 6 Eric Marcotte (Bianchi Grand Performance) 7 Chad Cagle (Mercy Cycling Team) 8 Paul Esposti (Team Legacy Eergy Ciclismo) 9 Andrew Dahlheim (Metro VW) 10 Philip Wikoff (Bicycle Sport Shop pb Girling) 11 Brent Hanlin (THF Racing/Ghisallo) 12 Erik Tomlinson (Bicycle Heaven) 13 Zach Watson (ABD Cycling Team) 14 Paul Martin (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team) 15 Jason Snow (Metra/ Wendys/ Victor Homes) 16 Cole House 17 Ben Raby (SRAM) 18 Jeff Hartman (Michelob Ultra - Big Shark) 19 Ryan Parnes (Metromint Cycling on Marin) 20 Daniel Chavez (Prefrred Alliance) 21 Ryan White (ABD/Geargrinder) 22 Pete Hanna (Bianchi / Grand Performance) 23 Steve Reaney (California Giant / Specialized) 24 Ryan Knapp (Alderfer Bergan) 25 Andy Jacques-Maynes (Cal Giant/Specialized) 26 Chad Burdzilauskus (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team) 27 Eric Schildge (Fiordifrutta) 28 Chris Demarchi (5 star WVO) 29 Drew Salcedo (Acqua al 2/SDBC) 30 Rolf Eisinger (Team Legacy Eergy Ciclismo) 31 Ben Renkema (Turin/Barker+Nestor) 32 Elliot Gaunt (Penn State Cancer Institute) 33 Kenneth Young (US Armed forces) 34 Michael Woell (Minneapolis Bicycle Racing) 35 Tom Burke (West MI coast Riders) 36 Isaac Neff (Alderfer Bergen) 37 Dan Campbell (RGF Solutions) 38 Nicholaus Schreiber (Landis/Trek) 39 James Badia (Webcor/Alto Velo) 40 Derek Laan (Turin/Barker+Nestor) 41 Kurt Fletcher (St.Louis Cyclones) 42 Rich Harper (Inferno Racing) 43 David Wenger (Bicycle Sport Shop pb Girling) 44 Karl Bordine (5 Star Waste Vegitable Oil) 45 Scottie Weiss (Hincapie/Coca-Cola/Barkley) 46 John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder) 47 Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team) 48 Sean Orourke (Kenda/Raleigh Cycling Team) 49 Scott Moro (Ohio Orthopedic/Moro) 50 David Bozak (Clean Currents p/b Don Beyer) 51 Kip Spanck (ISCorp/ Nova Cycle Sport) 52 Ryan Mckinney (Clean Currents p/b Don Beyer) 53 Dirk Pohlmann (Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team) 54 Jeff Schroetlin (ABD/Geargrinder) 55 Andrew Minier (Grandstay Hotels) 56 Greg Christian (Turin/Barker+Nestor) 57 Rob White (ABD/Geargrinder) 58 Nathan Coleman (Immediate Mortgage/Artemis) 59 Andy Moskal (RGF Solutions/Panther) 60 Paul Swinard (MetLite/peway/MS) 61 Robert Mcconville (Aero Cat Cycling) 62 Steve Spencer (ABD/Geargrinder) 63 John Delong (Hincapie/Coca-Cola/Barkley) 64 Scott Barnes (Mercy Cycling) 65 Ian Stanford (GrandStay) 66 Mike Telega (California Giant / Specialized) 67 Anthony Dust (Dogfish) 68 Mat Ankney (Mercy Cycling Team) 69 Andrew Lister (Dogfish) 70 Tyler Jewell (TxTough Hotel San Jose/RGM) 71 Jason Meidhof (Clean Currents p/b Don Beyer) 72 Rand Miller (Webcor/Alto Velo) 73 Randall Coxworth (Acqua al 2/SDBC) 74 Jonathan Jacob (MOB / Ubuildit) 75 Steven Scholzen (ISCorp/ Nova Cycle Sport) 76 Dale Sedgwick (Bianchi / Grand Performance) 77 Garrett White (Colavita New Mexico p/b JNF) 78 Justin Maciekowicz (Michelob Ultra-Big Shark) 79 Robert Kron (MACK) 80 Alex Sharon (ABD/Geargrinder) 81 Brett Stewart (ABD/Geargrinder) 82 Steven Wheeler (Bicycle Sport Shop pb Girling) 83 Derek Graham (Bissell Masters/Elite) 84 Bennett van der Genugten (Inferno) 85 Frankie Dierking (GDVC) 86 Joshua Johnson (Big Shark) 87 John Minturn (Empire - CRCA) 88 Karim Abdelkader (Nuvo/Cultural Trail) 89 Joshua Frick (Clean Currents p/b Don Beyer) 90 Chris Harkey (Hincapie/Coca-Cola/Barkley) 91 Kevin Kremke (Bike Barn Texas) 92 Blair Craig (Hincapie/Coca-Cola/Barkley) 93 Ian Dille (Bicycle Sport Shop pb Girling) 94 Thom Coupe (MetLife p/b Unlose.it) 95 Nathaniel Deibler (5 Star WVO) 96 Devon Vigus (California Giant / Specialized)
