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Travieso wins US 100K Classic
Allar takes 10K sprint
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Longtime criterium stalwart Frank Travieso (Championship Porsche) scored the biggest victory of his career Monday in Marietta, Georgia, by winning the 2009 edition of the US 100K Classic.
The Cuban-born rider leapt out of the slipstream of Team Type 1’s Aldo Ino Ilesic at the tail end of a blistering 90 kph downhill sprint just in time to come around the Slovenian and take his first NRC title. Jake Keough (Kelly Benefit Strategies), who still holds the lead in the USA CRITS Series, was third.
“The first thing I have to say is thank you to Yosvany Falcon.” an elated Travieso told the crowd in attendance. “We’ve been looking for this big of a win the whole entire year. I’ve been doing this race for five years, so I feel really happy.”
Travieso was placed into an ideal striking position by Falcon, who had spent much of the latter part of the early morning event as part of a three-man breakaway along with Eric Murphy (Myogenesis) and Issac Howe (Team Mountain Khakis).
“I attacked with about four laps to go.” Falcon said. “(Frank) got in behind me and I brought him to the line as clean as I could. But a lot of people were pushing and he had to fight to get Aldo’s wheel.”
Due to the fact that the riders would be using significant portions of the metro Atlanta roadways, the race got under way while dawn was still breaking over the city. The peloton would do 10 laps of a hilly five-mile circuit before veering off for the final 1.5 miles of racing, which almost always results in a massive downhill sprint.
This year was no different, although at two points it did appear that two separate breakway trios might make their efforts stick.
The first to escape were Spencer Beamer (Team Mountain Khakis), Alan Tripp (Aerocat), and Geri Mewett (Hincapie Development). They took off about an hour into the race and stayed out for several laps, building a gap of a minute and 15 seconds. The hills began to take their toll, however, and just past midrace they were re-absorbed.
The counterattacks began almost immediately, and that was when Falcon, Murphy and Howe got away. Murphy, who in 2004 had been in one of the few successful breakaways at the US 100K classic (along with eventual winner George Hincapie), figured it was a good gamble.
“I saw Yosvany and Howe go and no one reacted.” Murphy said. “I knew if we could get a minute and a half or two minutes, no one would really get organized enough to catch us. Aerocat was at the front setting tempo, and once Yosvany went back, I thought Issac and I could hold them off.”
The Aerocat squad was furiously attempting to set up sprinter and previous 100K champion Emile Abraham, who, unlike many of the 132 starters, knew exactly how to negotiate the fast finish.
“I knew it was a dangerous breakaway.” Abraham said of his attempt to reprise his 2007 victory. “We really did a good chase, and the team worked excellent. Coming down into the sprint, I just got pushed out into the wind and didn’t get the draft that I normally would. Guys were switching left and right trying to position themselves, but that’s part of the game.”
Those nerves exhibited by the peloton resulted in at least one significant crash not too far before the final turn at Marietta’s famed “big chicken” billboard. But once the final turn was made it was a full-on effort to the line, with Ilesic jumping first and Travieso deftly grabbing his wheel.
“For me I was racing this for the first time and everyone said, ‘Wait for the chicken!’” Ilesic said about the setup for the final sprint. “When we went past the chicken, I knew it was still too far. I wanted to see what the other guys were doing, but suddenly I found myself in front and there was no more time to wait.
“Travieso got my wheel when I jumped and stayed behind me. But it was very fast. I had a 55 ring in the front and an 11 in the back and I could have used one more.”
For Travieso and Falcon the win was particularly sweet as both are freshly minted U.S. citizens, and were hoping to do well on their new home turf before the season expired and while contracts for 2010 were still being negotiated.
“It’s the best way to finish the (NRC) season, especially since Yosvany and I have been doing what we can to get to all of these big races.” Travieso said while celebrating his win. “We’re looking for a sponsor right now so it’s good to win in September. We’re talking with a couple of people in Miami (about supporting a program) but we have not finalized anything yet.”
Allez Allar
By contrast the women’s event was a short 10km dash that saw a relentless pace throughout.
Team Tibco, perennial favorites in the women’s peloton, was only able to field two riders, yet still managed to give the other riders a hard time. Lauren Tamayo and Emma Rickards made the racing as hard as two against 37 could, but the presence of Robin Farina (ValueAct Capital) ensured that their work would not be completely cut and dried. The jousting resulted in an opportunity for a well-stocked BMW-Bianchi team to place sprinter Erica Allar in contention.
“I watched a couple of big moves that looked like potential breakaways.” Allar said later. “Robin was coming into the downhill finish with Emma and my teammate Tonya Lail reeled in all the stray riders, and then I got on Lauren when she jumped on the left-hand side down the hill.”
Allar learned from her mistake of 2008, when she jumped too early during her bid for the win and missed out on the podium entirely. This year, her timing was perfect.
“This time I was a little more patient and waited until the right time to start coming around Lauren and it worked out really well. It’s a really long finish and it kind of kicks up at the end so you have to be a little more patient than you would expect.”
Local rider Dana Martin finished third to round out the women’s podium.
