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Jutras, Decanio take Sea Otter road race

Jeanson, O’Neill clinch overall

Published: Apr. 12, 2003
Jutras kept her eye on Jeanson on the final climb
Jutras kept her eye on Jeanson on the final climb
Photo: Casey B. Gibson

In a day marked with cold, wet and windy weather, Matt Decanio of Prime Alliance and Saturn's Manon Jutras took big wins in the Sea Otter Classic's Stage 4 road race on Saturday.

In the men's race, an initial break consisting of Danny Pate (Prime Alliance) and Jacob Erker (Schroeder Iron) dangled in front of the field for almost the entire day, reaching a maximum gap of 1:45 — with Saturn’s trio of GC leaders controlling the front off the field — before it was brought in at the base of the final climb. Once there, the peloton spread thin as racers, tired from nearly three weeks of continuous California stage racing, made the long haul up to the Laguna Seca raceway for a final two laps around the race circuit.

Nathan O'Neill held on to take the overall
Nathan O'Neill held on to take the overall
Photo: Casey B. Gibson

Atop the climb, a small group remained containing all the key GC contenders, but once upon the wet, slippery raceway, Decanio simply slipped away.

“I don’t think any of my teammates even saw him go,” said Dave Zabriskie, fourth on GC.

Following Decanio’s attack, a crash ensued taking down a few riders including Saturn’s Tom Danielson, who was sitting second overall. “I got pretty tangled up in a few other guys,” said Danielson, who emerged with a gashed knee. “The first thing I thought was ‘There goes my podium spot.’”

But Danielson recovered and soon rejoined a chase that was slowed by a shrewd Prime Alliance team.

“After the crash,” said Decanio’s teammate Michael Creed, “Everyone was pretty nervous, so we just went to the front and went real slow.”

Like Creed’s circuit race victory Friday, it was Decanio’s first UCI-sanctioned win.

“Sometimes I find myself questioning why I’m racing,” Decanio said during ceremonies. “This is such a hard sport. But a win like this makes all those long hard training rides worthwhile.”

In the women’s race, Jutras took the stage win after breaking away with Amber Neben (T-Mobile), teammate Lyne Bessette and race leader Genevieve Jeanson on the final climb.

Coming onto the raceway, Jutras rode hard off the front and finished just ahead of the group. “I was just setting up to lead out Lyne,” said Jutras, whose performance moved her from fifth overall into third. “The girls were riding cautiously because it was wet, and coming into the last corner, I accelerated really hard and rode off the front.”

“It was a good day for Saturn,” Bessette said. “We got the stage win and moved Manon onto the podium.”

For T-Mobile’s Kimberly Bruckner, it was a disappointing day, as she watched her third-place podium position disappear on the final climb.

“It was just a bad day,” Bruckner said, adding, “bad, and cold.”

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