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Menzies takes Nature Valley stage; Henderson takes over lead
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On Thursday, KarlMenzies said Health Net’s win was a gift to the team’s director,who was celebrating his birthday.
On Saturday, it was Menzies's birthday and apparently, too, it was histurn to receive.
The birthday boy fought through four 1-kilometer climbs pitching at14 percent to roll through the finish of the fourth stage of Great RiverEnergy’s Nature Valley Grand Prix. Menzies gave all the credit to his teammateand new overall leader, GregHenderson.
“I think Hendie wrapped [the victory] up, put a bow on it and deliveredit to me,” the Tasmanian said after the 86-mile road race in Mankato, Minn.
Henderson, who for the first time in five tries did not win a road race,said he was all too pleased to see Menzies take the win. “I looked overmy shoulder and saw no one coming around,” he said.
“This is just as sweet,” Henderson continued. “He takes the stage, andI take the yellow jersey. It’s perfect.”
With a 15-second time bonus for first, and a 10-second time bonus forsecond, Henderson moved into first on GC, followed by Menzies four secondslater. Their teammate, NathanO’Neill, dropped to third overall, finishing in the lead group.
O’Neill, who was one of the main protagonists on the finishing circuits,said it was no loss to have the win go to Menzies and the jersey go toHenderson. “That was perfect,” he said.
As easy as the win looked for Health Net, with Menzies and Hendersonjust rolling through the finish, the day proved to be much harder. Whilea lead pack featuring both Health Net and Navigator’s Insurance formedearly, it was a chess match to see who would be willing to do the work.Winds played their part to split the peloton, but tactics played a biggerpart, and that kept the peloton intact longer than anticipated.
“Today was a lot about tactics,” Navigator’s BernardVan Ulden said. “Health Net wanted us to go into autopilot andstart working, and that was not going to happen.”
Navigator’s reluctance to play the game – along with teams in the breakmissing some key riders – shut down a break of about 24 riders that hadformed 18 miles into the race and built an advantage of 40 seconds. Withthe crosswinds in the farm country, the break would have stuck, but lackof teamwork among the various riders led to the chase catching back onnine miles later.
While Wheel & Sprocket’s Brandon Gavic tried a solo attack immediatelyafter, the next real attack did not occur until just before the feed atmile 33. Coming out of a corner into the crosswinds just before the feedzone, Health Net moved to the front and accelerated. It proved to be thebreak of the day, with Navigators, Toyota-United, Jelly Belly, and twoothers making the cut.
The break featured some of the strongest riders in the peloton: HealthNet’s O’Neill, Henderson, Menzies, TimJohnson, GordFraser and KirkO’Bee; Navigator’s Van Ulden, HiltonClarke, OlegGrichkine, and SiroCamponogara; Toyota-United’s IvanStevic, SterlingMagnell and JoshThornton; Jelly Belly’s BriceJones and MattRice; TargeTraining’s FrankPipp; and Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home’s JonathanPage.
Missing from the break was Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada, and thatkept the gap steady at around 90 seconds and the pressure on the break.
“That’s why everyone had to ride,” Menzies said the work in the break.“People were just burying themselves.”
A couple of times, the gap started to drop, but each time riders wouldfind some food, energy, and a little push from others in the break andmanaged to hold the gap.
Entering the circuit, the lead pack came through all together exceptfor one – Grichkine, who flatted just a few blocks from the circuit. Itwas the second road race in a row Navigators lost a member of the breakto a flat.
“Losing Oleg was huge,” said Navigator’s director sportif Ray Cipollini.“He’s such a motor.”
With Grichkine out, that left Health Net in the driver’s seat with sixmen in the break. Navigator’s only had four. “There’s only so much youcan do,” Cipollini said.
Most of the group stayed together the first lap, with Clarke takingthe King of the Hills points. As the group entered the climb the secondtime, things shattered. Pipp – who took the sprinter’s jersey with theday’s ride – accelerated with Menzies, and riders started falling out theback.
“I have to give credit to TargeTraining and Pipp,” Menzies said. “Hewas one of the strongest guys out there.”
Behind them, Henderson, O’Neill, Van Ulden, Milne, Clarke, Thornton,and Page started to settle into a rhythm. While Menzies and Pipp’s leadnever grew large, it was enough for them hold starting up the third time.Up the climb, Milne and Henderson joined.
Then O’Neill attacked. In his big ring, he sped away from the pack,taking only Thornton with him. Van Ulden was suffering and losing his gripon third place GC. Going through the start/finish line, it was Milne, Henderson,Menzies, O’Neill, Pipp, and Thornton.
Pipp and Milne were in no position to hurt Health Net, and a game ofcat-and-mouse began to see who would work. That allowed Van Ulden, Clarke,Stevic, and Page to catch back on.
“It was like a track ride out there,” Van Ulden said. “Today was a lotof tactics.”
On the last time up the climb, O’Neill accelerated again, taking Pipp,Milne, Henderson, and Stevic with. Van Ulden and Menzies looked to be poppedas the leaders rolled over the summit.
O’Neill said with Van Ulden back, he did not think Menzies would bein too much trouble for the finish. “I figured Van Ulden would try to getback on and pull Menzies with him.
Van Ulden said that was pretty much what happened. “I was the convenientguy in the right spot.”
It also helped Menzies that no one up front was challenging for thewin before the finishing straight.
“No one in the group had any acceleration at all,” O’Neill said. “Itmade my job easy.”
As Menzies and Van Ulden sped down the hill, Menzies saw his chanceto get back on and assume his duties pulling Henderson to the line. OnlyPipp gave any shot of breaking Health Net.
“I just thought I didn’t want to wait around and let it come down toa sprint,” he said. “Health Net was just going to take it to the line.So I gave it a little shot about 1.5 kilometers from the finish.”
But O’Neill, Menzies, and Henderson proved too strong and the coursetoo tight.
“It was just so short through the last two corners,” said Clarke, whonipped Stevic at the line for third place. “I don’t think any of us wereexpecting that.”
Despite having three Health Net riders in the top three, Cipollini saidthe race is not done, with Van Ulden sitting fourth 19 seconds back. “We’lldo what we can [in the last stage],” he said. “The game is not over.”
The Nature Valley Grand Prix concludes Sunday with a fifth stage criteriumin Stillwater, Minn., featuring a finishing climb pitching at 18 percent.
