Metlushenko sprints to win in Univest Criterium of Doylestown

• Photos
• Results

Yuri Metlushenko (Amore e Vita-McDonalds) sprints to victory in the Univest Criterium of Doylestown.

Photo: Scott Schaffrick

Ukrainian Yuri Metlushenko (Amore e Vita-McDonalds) won his second North American sprint finish of 2008 on Sunday, pulling away from the field in the final 200 meters to take the Univest Criterium of Doylestown in Pennsylvania.

Jake Keough (Kelly Benefits Strategies-Medifast) took second with Yosvany Falcon (Toshiba-Santo) third, and Swede Frederik Ericcson (Cykelcity.se.-Klehr Harrison) claimed the overall omnium championship to provide a truly international finish to the 11th annual Univest Grand Prix.

“It was a fast, fast race,” Metlushenko said through an interpreter. “I thank Doylestown, I thank America, I thank God.”

The Amore e Vita-McDonalds team decided in a team meeting Sunday morning that it would chase any break and the strategy paid off, Metlushenko said.

That’s not to say there were no breaks in the 36-lap, 52.5 mile race. Time Pro Cycling and Team Tecos-Alderfer Auction kept the action hot and the pace fast throughout. However, none of the efforts succeeded and the field went into the final five laps together.

“It was a race that started out wide open,” said Keough. “You kept thinking things would break up but they never did. The course was so hard that all the strong riders were at the front. Anything that got away was dangerous.”

Ericsson, who finished second Saturday at the Univest Grand Prix, finished 12th in the criterium on Sunday. Saturday winner’s, Lucas Euser (Garmin-Chipotle) did not start on Sunday because his team was headed to the Tour of Missouri.

Ericsson, an amateur who works as a professional trainer in his home country, praised the race courses, organization and crowds.

Frederik Ericcson (Cykelcity) collected the omnium championship.

Photo: Scott Schaffrick

“I didn’t expect this many spectators in the United States,” he said with a grin. “We’re thrilled, of course. The team has been riding great the whole season. We didn’t know how the jetlag would affect us, but we did all right.”

The sunny, breezy weather for the Univest Criterium of Doylestown was the diametric opposite of Saturday’s conditions. The Univest Grand Prix was ridden in the rain and wind as the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna blew through eastern Pennsylvania, but the conditions made little difference to the racers.

“It was a fantastic, fantastic race,” said Johan Lindgren (Cykelcity.se.-Klehr Harrison), who won the Saab Lap Leader and Leidy’s Best Sprinter awards on Sunday.

Photo Gallery

Results

Univest Criterium of Doylestown
1. Yuri Metlushenko, Amore & Vita-McDonald’s, 1:49:43
2. Jake Keough, Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast, same time
3. Yosvany Falcon, Toshiba-Santo, s.t.
4. Fabio Calabria, Team Type 1, s.t.
5. Francois Parisien, Team Race Pro, s.t.
6. Gerardo Fernandez, Champion System Racing-Kraftg, s.t.
7. Matt Shriver, Jittery Joe’s, s.t.
8. Cheyne Hoag, CRCA-Sakonnet Technology, s.t.
9. Robbie King, Rite Aid Pro Cycling, s.t.
10. Nick Friesen, CRCA-Sakonnet Technology, s.t.
11. Lisbon Quintero, CRCA-Sakonnet Technology, s.t.
12. Frederik Ericsson, Cykelcity.se-klehr Harrison, s.t.
13. Nick Frey, Time Pro Cycling, s.t.
14. Johan Anders Lindgren, Cykelcity.se-klehr Harrison, s.t.
15. Rodney Santiago, Colavita, s.t.
16. James Driscoll, Fiordifrutta Cycling Team, s.t.
17. Mike Stoop, Time Pro Cycling, s.t.
18. Christopher Jones, Team Type 1, s.t.
19. Brian Butts, Battley Harley Davidson, s.t.
20. Matthew Johnson, CRCA-Empire Cycling, s.t.
21. Sean O’Rourke, Kenda-Raleigh, at 0:09
22. Freddy Parra, John Toshiba-Santo, s.t.
23. Carlos Oyarzun, Tecos-Aldefer Auction, s.t.
24. Chad Butts, Champion System Racing, s.t.
25. Eric Tremble, Kenda-Raleigh, s.t.
26. Bernardo Colex Tepez, Tecos-Aldefer Auction, s.t.
27. Keck Baker, Battley Harley Davidson, s.t.
28. Joshua Dillon, Fiordifrutta Cycling Team, s.t.
29. Clay Murfet, Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast, s.t.
30. Mike Norton, Calyon Pro Cycling Team, s.t.
31. Juan Pablo Magallanes Aranda, Tecos-Aldefer Auction, s.t.
32. Neil Shirley, Jittery Joe’s, s.t.
33. Nicholas Waite, Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast, s.t.
34. Peter Horn, Cycling Center-JBCA-Doylestown, s.t.
35. Rick Norton, Immediate Mortgage-Artemis, s.t.
36. Sean Barrie, Battley Harley Davidson, s.t.
37. Peter Morse, Jet Fuel Coffee, s.t.
38. Valeriy Kobzarenko, Team Type 1, s.t.
39. Charles Marzot, Fiordifrutta Cycling Team, s.t.
40. Stefan Cohnen, Team Sparkasse-Canon Capital, s.t.
41. Keir Plaice, Team Race Pro, s.t.
42. David Nelson, Cycling Center-JBCA-Doylestown, s.t.
43. Ian Macgregor, Team Type 1, s.t.
44. Colin Sandberg, Hershey Cancer Institute-GPOA-C, at 0:22
45. Sandell Calle-Henrik, Cykelcity.se-klehr Harrison, s.t.
46. Nick Keough, CRCA-Sakonnet Technology, s.t.
47. Nicholas Bennette, Fitness Together-Independent, s.t.
48. Omar Cervantes, Tecos-Aldefer Auction, s.t.
49. Luis Macias Hernandez, Tecos-Aldefer Auction, s.t.
50. Jonas Bjellmark, Cykelcity.se-klehr Harrison, s.t.
51. Kevin Miller, Team Race Pro, s.t.
52. Martin Gilbert, Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast, s.t.
53. Mark Warno, Immediate Mortgage-Artemis, s.t.
54. Fabio Gilioli, Amore & Vita-McDonald’s, at 0:28
55. Jackie Simes, Time Pro Cycling, s.t.
56. Tilo Schüler, Team Sparkasse-Canon Capital, at 0:33
57. Jose Medina, Champion System Racing, at 0:35
58. Bill Elliston, Rite Aid Pro Cycling, s.t.
59. Benjamin King, Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast, at 0:39
60. Phillip Cortes, Amore & Vita-Mcdonald’s, at 0:41
61. Frank Travieso, Toshiba-Santo, s.t.
62. Daniel Ramsey, Time Pro Cycling, at 0:50
63. Clayton Barrows, Rite Aid Pro Cycling, s.t.
64. Timothy Swain, Team Inferno Pro Cycling, s.t.
65. Christian Lademann, Team Sparkasse-Canon Capital, s.t.
66. Ramon Benitez Immediate Mortgage-Artemis, s.t.
67. Bryan McVey, JBC Cycling Center-JBCA, s.t.
68. Tom Soladay, Time Pro Cycling, at 3:53
69. Robert Kenneth Osterling, Cykelcity.se-klehr Harrison, s.t.
70. Jacob Mueller, Hershey Cancer Institute-GPOA-Cannondale, s.t.
71. Adam Farabaugh, Hershey Cancer Institute-GPOA-Cannondale, s.t.