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Pic, Holloway snag national crit titles
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Tina Pic (Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home) collected her fifth national title in six years while Daniel Holloway (VMG Racing) picked up his first on Sunday at the USA Cycling Professional Criterium Championship in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
As in Saturday’s Pro-Am Challenge, rain played a starring role — particularly in the 80km elite men’s race, which saw crashes in each of the last four corners and perhaps half the 163 starters finish.
The field mostly stayed together during the 50km elite women’s race, until trackie Anna Lang (Karl Strauss-SDBC) took a dig with four laps remaining, opening a 40-meter gap.
Jen McRae (Advil Chapstick) went after her, with Pic on her wheel, and that was the order going into the final left-hand turn. Pic timed it perfectly, coming around the other two for the win, with McRae second and Lang — who spent the last few laps racing in the 52x12, thanks to a broken derailleur cable — finishing third.
“I had to chase down Anna’s move,” said McRae. “When I came through the turn I thought I was in perfect position, but Tina has so much speed, she just got me.”
In the wet and wild elite men’s race, the apparently immortal Steve Tilford (HRRC-Trek) took the lead going into that final corner, with Holloway on his wheel.
The 20-year-old from Morgan Hill, California, who just came off a big block of racing in Europe with the U.S. national team, apparently brought an extra gear home with him — he came around the 48-year-old Tilford to collect what he called the biggest win of his six-year career ahead of Josh Carter (Athletes by Design) and Tom Saladay (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast). Tilly hung on for fourth.
Stay tuned for a full report from senior writer Neal Rogers.
USA Cycling Professional Criterium Championship
Elite women
1. Tina Pic, Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home
2. Jen McRae, Advil Chapstick
3. Anna Lang, Karl Strauss-SDB)
Elite men
1. Daniel Holloway, VMG Racing
2. Josh Carter, Athletes by Design
3. Tom Saladay, Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast
4. Steve Tilford, HRRC-Trek
5. Kirk Albers, Texas Roadhouse
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