- HOT TOPICS:
- The new VeloNews.com (BETA)
Haedo and Miller win in Minneapolis
- Article Extras
- Photos
- Results
- Race Index
Colavita’s Sebastien Haedo and Brooke Miller (TIBCO) delighted fans on the crowded streets of Uptown Minneapolis by uncorking powerful sprints to win Stage 3 of Minnesota’s Nature Valley Grand Prix on Friday evening.
The second criterium in a busy week of racing brought the racers back into the Twin Cities. This year, however, the race was moved to Uptown Minneapolis from the downtown course that has been used in years past. The pancake-flat, six-corner criterium was the perfect venue for fans to take in the action as the racers sped around Calhoun Square at twilight.
Overall race leaders Tom Zirbel (Bissel Pro Cycling) and Kristen Armstrong (Cervélo TestTeam) did what was necessary to ensure their continued hold on their top spots on the General Classifications in their respective races.
Colavita strikes again
For the second time this week, criterium-specialist Haedo capitalized on a perfect lead out from his Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light teammates. On Wednesday evening Haedo won the Downtown Saint Paul criterium in convincing fashion and he repeated the feat on Friday in the second criterium in the Twin Cities.
Once again, Colavita proved that it is the dominant team in the closing laps on a technical circuit. Three days in a row Colavita has delivered a sprinting ace to the line for the win - twice with Haedo and once with Alejandro Borrajo.
“This victory is awesome,” Haedo said. “It was a good day for me and it was a good day for Colavita. We all did our work today, and we were able to put together an important win for me.”
Completing the podium for the technical criterium were Bradley Huff (Jelly Belly) and Andrew Pinfold (Ouch). Beaten handily by Haedo, Huff and Pinfold gave huge efforts in the final meters to try and claim second place, with Huff narrowly edging Pinfold for the second step on the podium.
The race started out just like the day before: aggressive from the gun. However, the men from Bissell kept all the attackers at by with strong tempo riding at the front in defense of Zirbel’s race lead.
“I had an armchair ride the first 30 laps,” Zirbel said, referring to the tight grip Bissell held on the early portion of the 40-lap race.
Despite relentless attacks, no moves were ever able to gain significant ground on the Bissell-led peloton. However, Wheaties Sprint leader Thomas Soladay (Team Mountain Khakis p/b EP-NO) was able to use small escapes to build on his lead.
“I knew that Bissell didn’t want any of the sprint points. That was great for me,” explained Soladay. “When I went up, I had eight guys between me and the rest of the field who might challenge for the points.”
It was only in the final 15 minutes of racing that Bissell faded from their position at the fore of the race to let the sprinters’ teams take control of the proceedings. Ouch p/b Maxxis, Jelly Belly, and of course Colavita took turns on the front in an effort to keep their sprinters in a prime position for the gallop to the line.
In addition to a perfectly executed plan for the stage win, Colavita also set up an opportunity for a major GC shake-up ahead of tomorrow’s queen stage. Haedo has used the time bonuses available for the top three riders on each stage to move up to third place on GC, just 10 seconds off the lead of Zirbel and only three seconds behind second-placed defending champion Rory Sutherland (Ouch).
It’s Miller time
Miller repeated her victory in Minneapolis from a year ago despite the change in venue, sprinting to the win ahead of Shelley Olds (PROMAN Hit Squad) and Laura Van Gilder (Altarum Women’s Cycling Team).
“It was a very aggressive race. I had to throw a lot of elbows and do a lot of aggressive moving, but that’s what you do when your team is putting themselves on the line for you – you make sure you deliver,” said Miller, who claimed her first victory at the Nature Valley GP in 2006.
The win marked her fourth consecutive year making a trip to the top step of the podium at a stage in Minnesota’s only NRC race.
The theme of the racing remained the same as in the previous stages. TIBCO, Colavita, Webcor, and the other strong teams took one shot after another at race leader Kristin Armstrong (Cervélo TestTeam).
Once again the Olympic Champion showed her strength and racing savvy and successfully defended her race lead, despite being significantly outnumbered. Racing without teammates, Armstrong worked hard to mark the moves, but it almost appeared that she was holding back before Saturday’s decisive stage, the Mankato Road Race, which she won last year by more than half a minute.
Riders flew off the front, but without success, as none of the attacks resulted in significant gaps and were soon nullified by the high speeds in the pack. Adding to the excitement was a fierce competition between Olds and Kirtsy Broun (Riverstone CDA) for the Wheaties Sprint Jersey. Olds and Broun traded wins the first of the three sprints, but Olds secured her grip on the classification by taking the win in the final sprint. She now leads with 42 points to Broun’s 35 points.
“I’m just happy to be in the jersey for the day,” said Olds. “It’s not necessarily my priority. I’m just doing the best I can in all of the competitions. A stage win would be really nice, so, tomorrow’s a new goal.”
On Saturday the riders tackle the Queen stage of the 2009 Nature Valley GP. The Mankato Road Race is 92 miles long, and with rolling hills and heavy winds expected, the riders are sure to arrive on the finishing circuits in downtown Mankato with very little left in the tank. The race finishes on four laps of a short circuit, which features a steep, half-mile climb that will surely reveal who deserves the overall win.
