Stage Two: Women's Race Results

Leap of Faith Lands Kirsty Broun on Top of Podium;Armstrong Controls The Race to Maintain Lead

by Cynthia Lou

“Then I’ll have to win the race,” joked Kirsty Broun (Riverfront CDA) to the announcer. Win she did, with an early jump into the last corner of the fast 40 lap criterium – she secured a win at stage two of the Nature Valley Grand Prix – the Saint Paul Downtown Criterium. The race was deemed a success all around, with fans pouring out to enjoy the nice weather and very fast racing. Most of the race was single-file, strung out from the beginning by a blistering pace set by Kirstin Armstrong (Cervélo Test).

“I knew [Kristin Armstrong] was going to drive the race and try to get away, and we had a really strong team so we just stayed near her,” explains Kirsty. “I stuck to Webcor and Colavita. We all tried to work together to keep Kristin under wraps. I just tested my legs out in a couple of the intermediate sprints, and...I knew I had to go before the last corner.”

“The strategy was to be patient and to try to suck some final air before the final sprint,” Kirsty notes.

Armstrong executed to her plan to stay near the front, not only to stay out of harm’s way but also to keep the pace high and use her excellent time trialing abilities to keep herself at the front for many laps, though she was not able to break away.

In fact, no one was able to break away, save for two small groups who dangled off the front for less than one lap each.

The top contenders kept each other in check: Armstrong and Allison Powers (Team Type 1), only 13 seconds behind, stayed close to each other, while Tibco, Webcor and Colavita/Sutter Home alternately held the front.

“It was my job to work for every time bonus sprint to keep them from the other teams,” said Gina Grain (Webcor), who took third in the Wednesday night race and won one sprint bonus. “We had riders in the top 10 of the GC,” she explained, “and we knew others’ teams would be going for those time bonuses too. I tested out my legs [in the time bonus sprints], and felt good. When I saw people jumping around our lead-out between the second and third corner I knew I had to go for it.”



Top three finishers of Stage 2 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix - the Saint Paul Downtown Criterium - were: first place, Kirsty Broun (CDA), Joanne Kiesanowski (Tibco) in second and, Gina Grain (Webcor) third. (photo courtesy of Steve Pottenger)

The final women’s podium in stage two was Kirsty Broun (CDA), Joanne Kiesanowski (Tibco) and, Gina Grain (Webcor), taking first, second and third, respectively. There was no change in the General Classification after Stage 2: Kristin Armstrong will continue wearing the yellow leader’s jersey, with second place Allison Powers just under 13 seconds back, and Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders) in third place and 48 seconds back.

The Wheaties Sprint Jersey shifted from Allison Powers to Kirsty Broun, who now also holds the Freewheel Most Aggressive Rider Jersey.

Alexis Rhodes (Webcor Builders) will wear the APC Best Young Rider Jersey, while Kate Veronneau (Altarum Women’s Cycling) will wear the Nature Valley Top Amateur Jersey.

Tomorrow’s course is the Cannon Falls Road Race, which is 62 miles leading through some of the most beautiful scenery in Minnesota and finishing with a circuit through downtown Cannon Falls.

Catch the excitement via our Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/MNBikeFestival or through live broadcast available at http://www.MinnBikeFestival.com

Stage Two: Men's Race Results

Colavita Strikes in Last Lap for Stage Win; Bissell Protects Leaders Jersey in Nature Valley Grand Prix

By James Lockwood

Riding what could be called a textbook race, Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home delivered its sprint ace Sebastian Haedo to victory in the second stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

But it was Team Mountain Khakis Thomas Soladay who really put on the show for the fans in the Downtown St. Paul Criterium on Wednesday, June 10.

Soladay, an amateur looking to make the jump in his cycling career, set out to redeem himself from a flat he incurred in the morning time trial in the first stage of the six-stage race. Representing one of the smaller teams in the grand prix, Soladay attacked six laps into the 45-lap race and ended up staying out in front the rest of the race, only losing to Haedo in the closing meters of the race.

“This is my bread-and-butter,” Soladay said after finishing second to Haedo after the nearly hour-long effort. “In the last meters, I was just pedaling out of pure anger. I wanted this in a bad way.”

For Colavita and Haedo, sprinting is their bread-and-butter, and while Colavita had Tyler Wren in the break that Soladay initiated, when the team realized the break would be caught, they made the decision to line up its lead out for Haedo.

“The team worked good all day,” Haedo said. “With three laps to go, we decided to do the lead out.”

“We wanted to have a guy on the team win,” said team director Sebastien Alexandre. “As soon as we got within 10 seconds of the break, we decided to go.

“We always race for the best. This is a team,” said Alexandre, explaining the decision to go with Haedo rather than count on Wren for the win.

With Jelly Belly Cycling’s Will Routley in the break with Wren and Soladay, it was doubtful that the break would stick. Routley came into the stage only 33 seconds back of the overall lead, and with 45 seconds in bonuses available on the stage, there was a possibility he could take the leader’s jersey.

But the three riders, along with Texas Roadhouse’s Adam Bergman, made a win from the break look probable. Halfway through the race, the quartet had built a 24-second gap, and it was not until about 10 laps to go did the gap start to fall, with OUCH-Maxxis’ Floyd Landis setting tempo at the front of the peleton.

Bissell Pro Cycling’s Tom Zirbel, who wore the yellow leader’s jersey after winning the morning time trial, said the team was never in doubt of losing the jersey to Wren in the break, and allowing OUCH-Maxxis to bring the break back worked out for his team. Bissell’s sprinting ace, Kirk O’Bee, had crashed earlier in the race, and while he rejoined, the team decided the stage win was not in its best interest.

“OUCH had to bring the break back,” he said. “In order to get the jersey today, they had to work for the time bonuses.”

“They needed to win more than we did,” said Bissell’s director Eric Wohlberg. “Had our sprinter not hit the deck, we would have been up there contending for the win.”

OUCH-Maxxis’ Rory Sutherland, who went into the stage sitting 13 seconds back of Zirbel and finished fifth in the race, said riding up front was more out of necessity than desire to win the race. “It keeps us safe. The last laps were dangerous. There were guys crashing and gaps forming. I kind of gassed myself trying to bridge back from one of those gaps,” he said.

Wohlberg said despite the appearance that OUCH and Colavita did much of the work, his team did not get a free ride in the 60-minute criterium, and the riders don’t intend on letting other teams dictate Bissell’s fate.

“We’ve got a lot of guys up on GC,” he said. “We intend to fight until the bitter end.”

The Nature Valley Grand Prix continues Thursday with the third stage Cannon Falls Road Race, a 62-mile race through the rolling hills and farms of east central Minnesota.

Stage Two: Downtown St. Paul Criterium

The Minnesota Bicycle Festival continues in downtown Saint Paul’s Lowertown district with the second stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

This is a wide-open course with a gentle incline to the finish line and is likely to end in a big pack sprint. With the time trial earlier in the day the winner may not claim the Nature Valley Grand Prix yellow leader’s jersey, but they should be able to don the Wheaties Sprint leader's jersey.

The Downtown Saint Paul Criterium will favor powerful sprinters. Sprinters often struggle in the time trial and hilly weekend races, so this will be a stage for the sprinters to shine.

Event Schedule:

4:00 PM – Expo opens & Stunt Rider Shows
6:00 PM – Women's Pro/Elite Race - 60 minutes
7:15 PM – Shimano/Hoigaard Tour de Kids fun race
7:40 PM – Men's Pro/Elite Race - 60 minutes
9:00 PM – Expo closes