- HOT TOPICS:
- An American start for the Giro? •
- 2010 Routes: Giro | California | TdF •
- LA doc guilty on all counts
Vega, Forsman win Bisbee kickoff
- Article Extras
- Results
If Friday’s prologue time trial is any indicator of what the weekend has in store, La Vuelta de Bisbee will come down to Team Tecos vs. the rest of the field.
Tecos riders posted seven of the top 10 times in the 2.8-mile hill climb, which began on Main Street in Old Bisbee and ascended through Tombstone Canyon to the top of the Mule Pass Tunnel.
The Guadalajara-based team brought nine riders to the 30th installment of the three-day race.
Gregorio Vega had the fastest time, crossing the finish line in 9:36. Carlos Lopez of P&S Specialized, another Mexican team, finished second, 15 seconds back. Slots three through six were all Tecos.
Kiel Reijnen (Team Waste Management) and Mark Aasmundstad (RideClean) were the only Americans to make the top 10, finishing seventh and 10th, respectively.
The lone returning champion in this year’s field, 40-year-old Drew Miller (Landis-Trek), who won here in 2003, was not at all pleased with his time of 10:35, good for 11th. But teammate Dave Reid is hoping for better things down the road.
“We’ve got a couple, three guys who can go pretty good. Obviously, Drew’s our top guy, but Ryan (Blicken) and Steve Slabodnick are exceptional climbers,” Reid said. “Some of the Mexican teams here are tough, but that’s why you race. It’s not always the best team that wins.”
Landis-Trek has been a steady power in La Vuelta since its return in 2000. But age may be catching up with them.
“I’ve been on the team since the late ’90s and my first year, we had an all-star team,” Reid said. “That, I think was our pinnacle. But we’re all starting to get old. Brian (Lemke) is 45, I’m 43, and Drew is 40.”
RideClean may have the best bet at challenging Tecos with Aasmundstad sitting 57 seconds back and Kyle Colavito and Dan Vasichek in the top 20.
In the women’s race, Chloe Forsman (Luna) leads after the prologue with a time of 12:36. Maria Monica and Kelly McDonald of Touchstone Climbing sit second and third.
Saturday is a double-stage day, beginning with the 79.3-mile Sulphur Springs Road Race in the morning and ending with the 8.3-mile Warren Time Trial in the afternoon.
