The sun set and a crowd of thousands screamed at the moment Kirk O’Bee (Health Net-Maxxis) charged across the line in the final sprint of Friday’s downtown Minneapolis criterium to win his second stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Close on his wing, Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United) threw his bike across the line, but came up half a wheel short. Ricardo Escuela (Successful Living) captured third.

“I couldn’t find my gear,” said Stevic. “I was spinning on 12, I couldn’t get 11. So I just closed my eyes and threw my bike. It was a hell of a race. It was so fast and sketchy.”

The big winners on the day, though, were the men of Bissell, led by Ben Jacques-Maynes. Earlier Friday morning, the rangy Californian had shattered the GC with a scorching time trial in downtown St. Paul, alongside the muddy Mississippi.

It was a generally flat 10km course, but one that ended with a brutal 20 percent climb for 1000 meters to finish atop a picturesque bluff high above the city.

“I took a gamble and left it in the big ring,” said Jacques-Maynes. “It paid off.”

As a result of the TT, Jacques-Maynes ended up in the yellow jersey with a seven-second advantage over Health Net’s upstart John Murphy and 15 seconds ahead of teammate Edward King, both of whom had breakout performances in the time trial.

With Friday’s double header, Team Bissell stepped into the vacuum left by Toyota-United, which has not been able to defend Stevic’s win last year. For the first two-thirds of the evening criterium in downtown Minneapolis, Bissell controlled the race and protected Jacques-Maynes without ever cracking.

Nearing the finish, however, HealthNet grew impatient and took charge for the final 10 laps in a remarkable show of team power that rebuffed all challengers for the stage. It ended in a pure and clean sprint to the finish, with O’Bee winning on a perfectly timed jump. O’Bee got the honors for the stage, but Jacques-Maynes was delighted with his protected position.

“That was the easiest I’ve ever done this race,” he said. “Getting that couch ride is really great, I’m usually duking it out in the back.”

Heading into Saturday’s 90-mile road race in Mankato, the contest is tight at the top and could easily be tipped by finishing time bonuses. O’Bee and Stevic are in a deadlock at third and fourth place, 10 seconds out, while Murphy holds onto second, 7 seconds off of Jacques-Maynes.

The penultimate stage is notable for its mile-long 14-percent climb on the finishing circuit, which riders will ascend four times — twice for KOH points. But the 15, 10, and six-second time bonuses on the line will be the biggest prize of the day, so power-climbing riders like Jacques-Maynes and HealthNet’s Rory Sutherland will be working hard to get separation on the steep backside descent.

“I like our chances,” said Jacques-Maynes. “It’s a tough course that fits our strengths nicely.”

Armstrong blows up the women’s field

It was something of an understatement. The world TT champion and 2008 Olympian just needs a bike and a clock to win any given stage race, and Friday’s time trial in St. Paul was a case in point.

When Armstrong hit the final pitch within sight of the finish line, the crowd roared with excitement, giving the rider to a massive 44 second gap over Aaron’s Katherine Carroll and Cheerwine’s Anne Samplonius.

That put her into the yellow jersey decisively, and in the Friday Night criterium allowed her to worry about nothing but her health.

Of course, the healthiest place is at the head of the peloton, so Armstrong and teammate Emma Rickards once again took long and committed pulls at the front of the field in a canyon of screaming fans, but they backed off from contesting the final sprint.

Laura Van Gilder, the winner of this stage last year, attacked twice, but the course wasn’t amendable to breaks with its long straightaways and strong, flukey urban winds.

In the end, it was TIBCO’s Brooke Miller who won the stage, reversing two days of frustrating oh-so-close finishes.

“I’ve never had a better setup,” Miller said. “It doesn’t get much better than that. Lauren [Franges] led out the entire last lap, and she had a great line at the last corner, and that set me up for a great finish.”

Tina Pic (Colavita-Sutter Home) and Katherine Bates (Team Highroad) rounded out the stage podiums while Armstrong easily held on to the leader’s jersey.