Beltman takes Liberty Classic

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• Results

By Ben Delaney

Liberty Classic 2008 – Beltman wins alone.

Photo: Casey B. Gibson

High Road’s Chantal Beltman won the Commerce Bank Liberty Classic in a late-race solo move. After Beltman and her High Road teammates Mara Abbott and Kim Anderson went clear with Tibco’s Joanne Kiesanowski on the last of four trips up Manayunk Wall, America’s strongest women’s team played its numbers. With less than three miles to go, Abbott attacked, drawing out Kiesanowski. Beltman then countered and it was game over.

“It was just before Lemon Hill where I went, and I gave it all until the finish. I had nothing to lose with Ina [Teutenberg] in the bunch,” Beltman said, referring to High Road’s sprinting ace, who won the first two races of the Commerce Bank Triple Crown in Lehigh Valley and reading.

An elated Chantal Beltman (Team High Road) heads for the podium.

Photo: © 2008 Action Images

The trailing three were scooped up by the remnants of the front field group, but Beltman was long gone. With the temperature soaring into the 90s — radio and television news constantly repeated extreme weather warnings — Beltman drove it home.

Tibco’s Brooke Miller and Teutenberg duked it out in the sprint for second. Both riders threw their bikes at the line; Miller took it by a fraction.

“We had it very much under control today. It was awesome. It was really a team effort. I was really glad to win,” Beltman said. “At the end, no one had much left anymore. But I like the heat. It’s good for me. I saw that everybody was at their limits, so I thought I’d have one more go. And it worked out well.”

By winning in Lehigh Valley and Reading then taking third in Philadelphia, High Road’s Ina Teutenberg claimed the Triple Crown title — her third in as many years.

“It’s not a real Triple Crown, you know, but Big Brown didn’t win yesterday in his race, either,” Teutenberg joked after the Liberty Classic, referring to a complete sweep of all three races as well as the Belmont Stakes horse race, where the favorite took the opening two wins. “We wanted to win the race — that was the main goal for the day. We did, so it doesn’t really matter how.”

The podium (L-R) Ina Teutenberg (High Road), Chantal Beltman (High Road), and Brook Miller (Tibco).

Photo: © 2008 Action Images

Earlier in the day, former world time trial champion Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce) put in a dangerous solo move.

“Kristin rode well,” Teutenberg said. “She’s a world-class rider who had a tremendous spring in Europe, racing like we’ve never seen her race before in the road races. So when she gets three minutes, it takes a whole team to bring her back.”

Unfortunately for Armstrong, High Road brought bigger guns to the duel than Cervelo-Lifeforce. Beltman was just one of them.

“Chantal had a great day today, she was in every break, and she helped pull Kristin back,” Teutenberg said. “She deserved to win today. She was definitely the strongest out there.”

Photo Gallery

Results

Commerce Bank Liberty Classic
Philadelphia, Pa
Women
1. Chantal Beltman, Team High Road, 57.6mi in 2:28:52 (23.22 Mph)
2. Brooke Miller, Team Tibco, at 0:06
3. Ina Teutenberg, Team High Road, s.t.
4. Jen McRae, Team Advil-Chapstick, s.t.
5. Regina Schleicher, Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung, s.t.
6. Tina Pic, Colavita-Sutter Home, s.t.
7. Joanne Kiesanowski, Team Tibco, s.t.
8. Shelley Olds, Proman Racing, s.t.
9. Steph Roorda, Juice Plus+, s.t.
10. Erica Allar, Aaron’s, s.t.
11. Carmen McNellis, Aaron’s, s.t.
12. Sarah Duster Cervelo Lifeforce, s.t.
13. Lauren Franges, Team Tibco, s.t.
14. Catherine Cheatley, Cheerwine Cycling, s.t.
15. Lorena Candrian, HPC-Altarum, s.t.
16. Stacy Marple, Cheerwine Cycling, s.t.
17. Laura Van Gilder, Cheerwine Cycling, s.t.
18. Melissa Sanborn, Vanderkitten Racing, s.t.
19. Leigh Valletti, Vanderkitten Racing, s.t.
20. Tiffany Cromwell, Colavita-Sutter Home, s.t.
21. Iona Wynter Parks, Colavita-Sutter Home, at 0:12
22. Katharine Carroll, Aaron’s, s.t.
23. Kristin Sanders, Aaron’s, s.t.
24. Mara Abbott, Team High Road, s.t.
25. Rebecca Larson, Aaron’s, s.t.
26. Sharon Allpress, Valueact Capital, s.t.
27. Melodie Metzger, Proman Racing, s.t.
28. Mode Vzesniauskaite, Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung, s.t.
29. Kim Anderson, Team High Road, at 0:23
30. Oenone Wood, Team High Road, at 0:27
31. Kacey Manderfield, Verduci Breakaway Racing, at 0:33
32. Flavia Oliveira, Vanderkitten Racing, s.t.
33. Meredith Miller, Aaron’s, at 0:37
34. Alison Powers, Colavita-Sutter Home, s.t.
35. Amity Elliot, Juice Plus+, at 0:41
36. Christine Thorburn, Webcor Builders Cyclng Team, s.t.
37. Gina Grain, Webcor Builders Cyclng Team, s.t.
38. Lauren Ellis, Jazz Apple, at 0:49
39. Rachel Lloyd, Proman Racing, at 0:52
40. Kelly Benjamin, Cheerwine Cycling, at 0:56
41. Erinne Willock, Webcor Builders Cyclng Team, at 1:21
42. Amber Rais, Team Tibco, s.t.
43. Priska Doppmann, Cervelo Lifeforce, at 1:58
44. Emma Rickards, Cervelo Lifeforce, at 3:25
45. Kristin Armstrong, Cervelo Lifeforce, s.t.
46. Marni Hambleton, Valueact Capital, s.t.
47. Suzanne De Goede, Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung, s.t.
48. Sarah Bamberger, Cheerwine Cycling, at 7:55
49. Holli Steelman, Juice Plus+, at 8:00
50. Jennifer Wilson, Vanderkitten Racing, s.t.
51. Pascale Schnider, Cervelo Lifeforce, s.t.
52. Virginia Perkins, Proman Racing, s.t.
53. Sonja Evers, C3-Sollay.com, s.t.
54. Arley Kemmerer, Hub Racing, s.t.
55. Kate Flore, HPC-Altarum, s.t.
56. Marjan Huizing, Team Kenda Tire, s.t.
57. Patricia Schwager, Cervelo Lifeforce, s.t.
58. Rachel Warner, Juice Plus+, s.t.
59. Andrea Myers, Team Kenda Tire, s.t.
60. Krist Scheffenacker, HPC-Altarum, s.t.
61. Marie Lindberg, Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung, s.t.
62. Robin Farina, Cheerwine Cycling, at 8:04
63. Emma Petersen, Jazz Apple, at 9:27
64. Tricia Carnila, Verduci Breakaway Racing, s.t.
65. Martina Patella, Valueact Capital, s.t.
66. Kathryn Clark, Team Kenda Tire, s.t.
67. Nichole Wangsgard, Colavita-Sutter Home, s.t.
68. Leeanne Manderson, Hub Racing, at 11:50
DNS: Theresa Cliff-Ryan, Verduci Breakaway Racing
DNS: Alex Wrubleski, Webcor Builders Cyclng Team
DNS: Belinda Goss, Jazz Apple
DNS: Susy Pryde, Jazz Apple
DNS: Laura McCaughey, Juice Plus+
DNS: Gina Voci, Juice Plus+
DNF: Kate Bates, Team High Road
DNF: Larissa Kleinmann, Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung
DNF: Jessie Maclean, Verduci Breakaway Racing
DNF: Kele Murdin, Verduci Breakaway Racing
DNF: Lisa Jellet, Verduci Breakaway Racing
DNF: Janel Holcomb, Webcor Builders Cyclng Team
DNF: Cora Olson, BMW-Bianchi
DNF: Nicole Bossie, BMW-Bianchi
DNF: Laura Weislo, BMW-Bianchi
DNF: Jennifer Petosa, BMW-Bianchi
DNF: Cara McCauley, BMW-Bianchi
DNF: Janet Olney, C3-Sollay.com
DNF: Lorraine Lipfert C3-Sollay.com
DNF: Beth Mason, C3-Sollay.com
DNF: Diane Castor-Grimm, C3-Sollay.com
DNF: Heid Von Teitenberg, C3-Sollay.com
DNF: Shontell Gauthier, Colavita-Sutter Home
DNF: Jenette Williams, HPC-Altarum
DNF: Jen Rasmussen, HPC-Altarum
DNF: Lesley Golenor, HPC-Altarum
DNF: Dale Tye, Hub Racing
DNF: Emma Giddens, Hub Racing
DNF: Sheba Farrin, Hub Racing
DNF: Liz Leyden, Hub Racing
DNF: Malindi Maclean, Jazz Apple
DNF: Helene Drumm, Proman Racing
DNF: Kristin Drumm, Proman Racing
DNF: Sue Palmer-Komar, Team Advil-Chapstick
DNF: Brenda Lyons, Team Advil-Chapstick
DNF: Natalie Klemko, Team Advil-Chapstick
DNF: Sarah Tillotson, Team Advil-Chapstick
DNF: Laura Bowles, Team Advil-Chapstick
DNF: Marni Harker, Team Kenda Tire
DNF: Jennifer Maxwell, Team Kenda Tire
DNF: Yukie Nakamura, Team Kenda Tire
DNF: Rachel Heal, Team Tibco
DNF: Helen Kelly, Team Tibco
DNF: Lara Kroepsch, Valueact Capital
DNF: Emily Zell, Valueact Capital
DNF: Christina Ruiter, Valueact Capital
DNF: Liz Hatch, Vanderkitten Racing
DNF: Jennifer Tilley, Vanderkitten Racing