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TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship - 1.HC/1.1
USA, June 7, 2009
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Race 1 - June 7: Philadelphia International Championship, 251.0km/156mi
Greipel and Henderson scorch Philadelphia finale
Golden day for Columbia-Highroad on race's silver anniversary
By Peter Hymas with reporting from Kirsten Robbins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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André Greipel won the 25th Philadelphia International Championship on Sunday with an unmatched burst of speed over the final 200 metres of Benjamin Franklin Parkway to beat Columbia-Highroad teammate Greg Henderson and Bissell's Kirk O'Bee. It was the second win of the day for the American ProTour, who led out Ina-Yoko Teutenberg in the women's Liberty Classic.
Columbia-Highroad's pre-race plan was to deliver Germany's Greipel to the line in a field sprint. It executed the lead-out to perfection, despite confusion from a crash within the final kilometre, near Logan Circle.
"Every race we are at we are one of the best teams but that doesn't mean that we get the win easily," Greipel told Cyclingnews. "We always have to work hard and play our tactics correctly in order to win any race.
Henderson started his sprint with 400 metres to go and Greipel went on his own in the final 200 metres. The one-two finish was an unexpected bonus.
"I caught Kirk O'Bee and passed him," Henderson told Cyclingnews. "There was no one else there and I thought, 'Well heck, I have to keep going.' One guy passed me and it was Greipel so it doesn't get much better than that."
Bissell Pro Cycling made its bid for victory and hoped to elevate sprinter Kirk O'Bee one step higher on the podium following 2008's second place.
"Frank Pipp was in front of me and things started to swarm a little so I went early around," O'Bee told Cyclingnews. "I looked up and around, and I was already off the front a little bit with 300 metres to go and so I kept going.
"We were on the outside of the crash and thankfully my teammates put me out front and got me around all that. There are crashes all the time in the last part of the race because everyone is so tired. It's better to be at the front to avoid that."
Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategy) had his team's sprinter, Alex Candelario, on his wheel within the top 10 during a right-hand turn around Logan Circle. The duo was attempting to come around the lead-out train of Planet Energy when Mumford glanced back to make sure Candelario was on his wheel. At the same time, a Planet Energy rider moved over taking out Mumford's front wheel and sent Mumford and a handful of others to the asphalt.
A long day
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The longest one-day race in the United States opened nearly six and a half hours earlier with the surprising turbo-charged start line acceleration of USA National Team rider Daniel Holloway. The 22-year-old Californian, a multi-US national champion on the track in 2008, leapt off the start line as if the finish line was at the end of the opening one-mile parade lap, not the longest race of his career.
"I didn't plan to go in the first 200 metres, I went off the line like I normally would [in a criterium]," said Holloway. "I heard I had a gap so I started picking it up and then I went out for the long haul."
Another young American, 20-year-old Andrew Talansky (Amore & Vita), set off in pursuit of Holloway on the opening one-mile parade lap, but was unable to join until nearly 60 miles and three ascents of the Manayunk Wall were ridden alone by each rider.
Another aggressively-minded duo, David Guttenplan (Team Mountain Khakis) and John Ebsen (Danish National Team), escaped the peloton in pursuit of Holloway and Talansky at the end of the opening 14.4-mile large circuit. The peloton showed no sense of urgency in its pursuit of the four escapees.
The women's peloton racing concurrently in the 57.6-mile Liberty Classic chopped its five-minute starting deficit to the men's race. For the first time in race history, with approximately 21 miles left in the Liberty Classic, the women caught and passed the men's peloton, neutralising the men in the process until the women's event finished.
Probably the only man on course wishing to be neutralised was race leader Holloway, but his stint off the front was only further extended since the four leaders still had the green light to race.
"I could see that my gap was opening and that the women were so close to the men's field," said Holloway. "I didn't worry about it. I was hoping to get neutralised so I could relax and stretch but they neutralised the men's field and not me."
Holloway's lead ballooned to over 13 minutes in front of the neutralised men's peloton and the ample cushion enabled the young sprinter to weave his way up the Manayunk Wall at his leisure to the raucous applause of "USA! USA!" inspired by his US National Team kit. Elsewhere on the parcours, Holloway frequently unclipped from the pedals to stretch his legs, which were beginning to feel the effects of his lengthy sojourn in the race lead.
Holloway found some relief once Talansky finally made contact as they concluded their third lap. The duo completed another full circuit encompassing the out and back trip to Manayunk along Kelly Drive.
Once the peloton was un-neutralised, they quickly got down to the business of absorbing the two pairs of riders.
Phase two
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Phase two to the men's race unfolded as a powerful trio – Daniel Oss (Liquigas), Valeriy Kobzarenko (Team Type 1)and Tom Zirbel (Bissell Pro Cycling) – attacked just prior to Holloway being absorbed at nearly 81 miles remaining.
Oss, Kobzarenko and Zirbel, sharing the work equally, found themselves 7:20 ahead of the field after the completion of the seventh of 10 large circuits, or 103.8 miles. The three riders would prove to be a challenge for the sprinters' teams to bring back, but the unrepresented ProTour squads stamped their authority on the race, capturing Oss, the last of the original trio, with six miles and two of the closing short laps to go.
"I think getting neutralised when we did just meant that we had to rethink our tactics a bit," said Henderson. "We wanted to make the group a little bit smaller at the finish so we went hard on the last time up the climb. There were too many other teams who missed the break, however. From then on it looked like it was going to be a sprint from two laps out. We just made sure that we had Greipel and myself up front."
Several other teams with sprinters – Liquigas, Fuji-Servetto, Colavita Sutter Home and Planet Energy – all attempted to counter the Columbia's effort on each of the remaining three-mile short laps, but the team's speed proved too much inside the final kilometre.
Bissell was one of the teams able to sit back in the during the chase thanks to Zirbel's presence in the break.
"Tom [Zirbel] being off the front took pressure off us," said O'Bee. "Columbia controlled the front at the end and my teammates helped try to keep me at the front behind them, but I just went a little too early."
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by
Jonathan Devich/
- Andre Greipel (Team Columbia - Highroad) wins the Philadelphia International Classic
- A men's peloton double feature on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
- Daniel Holloway (USA National Team) broke away from the gun.
- The men's peloton seeks relief from the heat on the Manayunk Wall.
- Tom Zirbel (Bissell) leads his breakaway companions Daniel Oss (Liquigas) and Valeriy Kobzarenko (Team Type 1).
- Valeriy Kobzarenko (Team Type 1), Daniel Oss (Liquigas) and Tom Zirbel (Bissell) spent 70 miles off the front.
- Team Columbia-Highroad at the front of the peloton along Kelly Drive.
- The men's peloton ascends Lemon Hill.
- The OUCH team gets ready for the long day ahead.
- Riders take to the line.
- Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter sends off the riders.
- The men's field mostly just talked for the first couple of laps.
- Riders pass under the Philly skyline.
- The men start to get strung out to to bring back the break.
- A statue along Kelley Drive seems as if it were excited at the race going past.
- Riders got a helping hand climbing up the wall.
- Kirk O'Bee (Bissell) plays domestique earlier in the race.
- Dan Holloway (USA National Team) gets cheered on during his long solo ride.
- Marco Pinotti (Columbia-Highroad) came straight over after his ride in the Giro D'Italia to race in Philly.
- It was a long steep road on "the wall".
- Riders make the right turn in downtown Manayunk.
- Daniel Oss (Liquigas) leads the 3 man break that seemed like it had a chance.
- The men's main field wasn't chasing seriously until after 2 big laps to go.
Images by Todd Leister/leister.smugmug.com
- A USA National Team rider readies himself by taking a quiet moment on the start line.
- Ivan Dominguez (Fuji-Servetto) ponders if he'll have the chance to unleash his sprint later today.
- Daniel Holloway (USA National Team) launched an attack right from the start. He would ultimately build his lead to over 11 minutes.
- After Daniel Holloway's (USA National Team) first lap attack, the field adopted a somewhat predestination pace which would cause concern later as the women's race, which started after the men's, would catch and pass them.
- With one of their riders soloing off the front, the rest of the USA National Team could conserve for later.
- Kelly Benefit Strategies brought a full entourage of team sponsors to the event but failed to capture a place on the podium.
- After Daniel Holloway (USA National Team) solo effort was absorbed by the field with eight laps to go, a break of three goes clear and looked promising.
- By mid race, the field rebounded from their lackluster start and started to push the pace.
- After being caught, all expected Daniel Holloway (USA National Team) to go out back of the peloton rather quickly. Instead, he refueled and stuck it out.
- The pace and temperatures started to take a toll on the riders.
- I hope that these guys applied the sun lotion before the paint, so to avoid some unusual tans tomorrow.
- With three riders 9 minutes up the road, Team Ouch goes into action.
- USA National Team rider Caleb Fairly follows his teammate's heroics, and attempts to bridge up to the leaders.
- The peloton squeezes up and around Lemon Hill.
- Edvaid Boasson Hagen (Columbia-Highroad) and David Vitoria (Rock Racing) go off in search of the three riders who are up the road.
- Kirk O'Bee sits comfortably in the field while he awaits an eventual place on the podium.
- Team Columbia-Highroad decides that it's time to collect everyone who may be up the road and could possibly spoil their hopes for victory.
- Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) developed left inner-quad cramps, forcing him to stop in the feed zone for a moment and wait for it to release. He would rejoin the race.
- With one lap to go, the entire Team Columbia-Highroad comes to the front and sets a blistering pace.
- Colavita joins Columbia-Highroad and forms a second train.
- Andre Greipel (Team Columbia-Highroad) gets across the line first.
- The men's podium (L to R): Greg Henderson (Columbia-Highroad), Andre Greipel (Columbia-Highroad) and Kirk O'bee (Bissell).
Results
1 Andre Greipel (Ger) Team Columbia - Highroad 6.24.04 (39.227km/h) 2 Greg Henderson (NZl) Team Columbia - Highroad 3 Kirk O'bee (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling 0.01 4 Harald Starzengruber (Aut) Elk Haus 5 David Vitoria (Swi) Rock Racing 6 Keven Lacombe (Can) Planet Energy 7 Alejandro Borrajo (Arg) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 8 Christofer Stevenson (Swe) Swedish National Team 9 Lucas Haedo (Arg) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 10 Andrew Pinfold (Can) OUCH p/b Maxxis 11 Alex Candelario (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 12 Soren Petersen (Den) Danish National Team 13 Tony Cruz (USA) BMC Racing Team 14 Johnathon Cantwell (Aus) Fly V Australia 15 Evan Elken (USA) Land Rover-ORBEA 0.02 16 Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Racing Team 17 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Rock Racing 18 David Tanner (Aus) Rock Racing 19 Hagen Boasson (Nor) Team Columbia - Highroad 20 Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team Columbia - Highroad 0.03 21 Wil Routley (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 22 Vicente Reynes (Spa) Team Columbia - Highroad 23 Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Fly V Australia 24 Chad Beyer (USA) BMC Racing Team 0.04 25 Frank Pipp (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling 26 Floyd Landis (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis 0.05 27 Kenneth Hanson (USA) Team Type 1 28 Jonathan Garcia (USA) BMC Racing Team 0.07 29 Chris Jones (USA) Team Type 1 30 Karl Menzies (Aus) OUCH p/b Maxxis 31 Brian Vandborg DNK Liquigas 32 Charlas Dionne (Can) Fly V Australia 33 Peter Salon (USA) USA National Team 0.08 34 Peter Latham (NZl) Bissell Pro Cycling 35 Bruno Langlois (Can) Planet Energy 0.10 36 Andreas Stillfors (Swe) Swedish National Team 37 Moises Aldape (Mex) Team Type 1 0.11 38 Nic Sanderson (Aus) Rock Racing 39 Steve Bovay (Swi) BMC Racing Team 40 Matthew Winstead (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy 41 Valeriy Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1 42 Neil Shirley (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 43 Martin Gilbert (Can) Planet Energy 0.16 44 John Murphy (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis 0.18 45 Allesandro Bazzanna (Ita) Fly V Australia 46 Georg Lauscha (Aut) Elk Haus 0.24 47 Scottie Weiss (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy 0.25 48 Stefan Rucker (Aut) Elk Haus 49 Alex Howes (USA) USA National Team 50 Jose Benitez (Spa) Fuji-Servetto 51 James Camut (USA) Land Rover-ORBEA 0.26 52 Tom Soladay (USA) Team Mountain Khakis 0.28 53 Matt Wilson (Aus) Team Type 1 0.34 54 Philipp Mamos (Ger) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness 0.35 55 Darren Lill (RSA) Team Type 1 0.38 56 Yuriy Metlushenko (Ukr) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness 0.43 57 Daniel Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 0.44 58 Matthew Rice (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 0.45 59 Rory Sutherland (Aus) OUCH p/b Maxxis 0.46 60 Ryan Roth (Can) Planet Energy 0.48 61 Ermanno Capelli (Ita) Fuji-Servetto 0.49 62 Francois Parisien (Can) Planet Energy 0.53 63 Davide Vigano (Ita) Fuji-Servetto 64 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Columbia - Highroad 1.03 65 Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team 66 Cladio Corioni (Ita) Liquigas 1.05 67 Richard England (Aus) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness 1.10 68 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas 1.11 69 Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Liquigas 1.12 70 Gert Dockx (Bel) Team Columbia - Highroad 1.18 71 Jacob Erker (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies 1.19 72 Jonathan Clarke (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 1.26 73 Ben Maynes (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling 1.29 74 Bernard Van Ulden (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 1.55 75 Jonathan Mccarty (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis 2.00 76 Hilton Clarke (Aus) Fuji-Servetto 2.15 77 Reid Mumford (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies 2.34 78 Davide Frattini (Ita) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 2.41 79 Steffen Radochla (Ger) Elk Haus 2.50 80 Paolo Bailetti (Ita) Fuji-Servetto 2.53 81 Ricardo Serrano (Spa) Fuji-Servetto 3.03 82 Anibal Borrajo (Arg) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 3.22 83 Daniel Summerhill (USA) USA National Team 9.35 84 Bobby Sweeting (USA) Land Rover-ORBEA 85 Tomas Lofgren (Swe) Swedish National Team 86 Chad Gerlach (USA) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness 87 Lucas Persson (Swe) Swedish National Team 88 Tom Zirbel (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling 89 Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas 90 Roman Uden (NZl) Land Rover-ORBEA 91 Russell Stevenson (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy 92 Bennet Genugten (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy 93 Tim Henry (USA) DLP Racing 94 Andrew Guptill (USA) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 95 Adam Myerson (USA) Team Mountain Khakis 96 Scott Tietzel (USA) DLP Racing 12.38 97 Taylor Tolleson (USA) BMC Racing Team 98 Scott Davis (Aus) Fly V Australia 99 Ben Day (Aus) Fly V Australia 100 Anthony Colby (USA) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 101 Aaron Tuckerman (NZl) Land Rover-ORBEA 102 Alexander Wetterall (Swe) Swedish National Team 103 Caleb Fairly (USA) USA National Team 104 Bradley White (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis 105 Charles Huff (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 106 Nicholas Reistad (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 107 Tyler Stanfield (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy DNF Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Fuji-Servetto DNF Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas DNF Jackson Stewart (USA) BMC Racing Team DNF Wolfgang Murer (Aut) Elk Haus DNF Jochen Summer (Aut) Elk Haus DNF Volodymyr Starchyk (Ukr) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness DNF Andrew Talansky (USA) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness DNF Andy Maynes (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling DNF Cody O'reilly (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling DNF Jeremy Vennell (NZl) Bissell Pro Cycling DNF Luca Damiani (Ita) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light DNF Daniel Vaillancourt (USA) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light DNF Steven Gordon (USA) DLP Racing DNF Boyd Johnson (USA) DLP Racing DNF Phillip Martz (USA) DLP Racing DNF Andrew Olson (USA) DLP Racing DNF Tiagao Depaula (Bra) DLP Racing DNF Curtis Gunn (USA) Fly V Australia DNF David Kemp (Aus) Fly V Australia DNF Matthew Crane (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team DNF Kiel Reijnen (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team DNF Andrew Bajadali (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies DNF Zach Bell (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies DNF Scott Zwizanski (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies DNF Chad Burdzilauskas (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy DNF Jaime Gandara (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy DNF Jonathan Parrish (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy DNF Josh Bartlett (USA) Land Rover-ORBEA DNF Logan Hunn (NZl) Land Rover-ORBEA DNF Mike Northey (NZl) Land Rover-ORBEA DNF Tim Johnson (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis DNF Mark Batty (Can) Planet Energy DNF Eric Boily (Can) Planet Energy DNF Andrew Randell (Can) Planet Energy DNF Jamey Driscoll (USA) Rock Racing DNF Spencer Beamer (USA) Team Mountain Khakis DNF David Guttenplan (USA) Team Mountain Khakis DNF Mark Hekman (USA) Team Mountain Khakis DNF Will Hoffarth (USA) Team Mountain Khakis DNF Charles Marzot (USA) Team Mountain Khakis DNF Dan Ramsey (USA) Team Mountain Khakis DNF Shawn Milne (USA) Team Type 1 DNF Rasmus Damm (Den) Danish National Team DNF John Ebsen (Den) Danish National Team DNF Kasper Malmkjaer (Den) Danish National Team DNF Anders Sibast (Den) Danish National Team DNF Martin Halvarsson (Swe) Swedish National Team DNF Daniel Holloway (USA) USA National Team DNF Walker Savidge (USA) USA National Team DNF Taylor Shelden (USA) USA National Team King of the Mountain 1 Valeriy Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1 38 pts 2 Tom Zirbel (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling 34 3 Vicente Reynes (Spa) Team Columbia - Highroad 14 4 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Columbia - Highroad 10 5 Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team Columbia - Highroad 2 6 Matthew Rice (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 2 7 Matthew Rice (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team 1 Teams 1 Team Columbia - Highroad 19.12.14 2 Rock Racing 0.03 3 BMC Racing Team 0.05 4 Fly V Australia 0.09 5 Bissell Pro Cycling 0.11 6 OUCH p/b Maxxis 7 Team Type 1 0.21 8 Planet Energy 0.25 9 Elk Haus 0.48 10 Kelly Benefit Strategies 0.54 11 Fuji-Servetto 2.05 12 Jelly Belly Cycling Team 2.12 13 Liquigas 2.21 14 Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness 2.26 15 Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light 2.41 16 Swedish National Team 9.44 17 Land Rover-ORBEA 10.01 18 USA National Team 10.06 19 Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy 10.09
