Wamsley, Pic win Sandy Springs crit

• Results

By Daniel Carruthers

Colavita-Sutter Home teammates Kyle Wamsley and Tina Pic both needed the finish-line camera to confirm their respective victories in Sunday’s Global BMW Sandy Springs Criterium in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

The photo finish in the men’s USA CRITS Speed Week finale gave Wamsley the edge over Ken Hanson (Team Type 1) and Andrew Pinfold (OUCH-Maxxis), while Pic took the win from Kori Seehafer (Team Type 1) and Brooke Miller (Team Tibco).

It was so close at the line that a weary Wamsley didn’t even realize he had won until announcer Chad Andrews congratulated him on the victory.

“I was so tired from the race, I didn’t even know if I’d won or not; it was so close,” said Wamsley. “Yeah, it’s definitely redemption. I was second in Roswell and second last night in Anniston, so it’s about time I got the win. I’ve been knocking on the door, that’s for sure.”

Runner-up Hanson said he took a bad line for the final corner and lost ground on his rivals.

“With 50 meters to go, I was sprinting the fastest and just did not have enough to win. It’s always tough to lose by centimeters,” he said.

As for Pinfold, he said he had hoped to see one of his teammates in the winning break, but instead found himself in the move that stuck and just tried to make the most of it.

“It was my turn to cover a move, and it was by chance that it was the one that had good representation from other teams,” he said. “I had wished it was one of my teammates, since they were riding better than me today, as I was quite tired, but (I was ) just trying to cover the moves at the end, and felt good, but came up a little bit short at the end.”

Strong break, crash-filled chase

Wamsley, Hanson and Pinfold were part of an eight-man break that included Ryan Anderson (Kelly Benefit Strategies), Thomas Soladay (Team Mountain Khakis), Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell), Jonathan Cantwell (Fly V) and Nick Reistad (Jelly Belly).

With 18 laps to go, Sean Sullivan (Team Hotel San Jose) was driving the chase when Mark Hekman (Mtn. Khakis) tried to jump away and bridge across to the break. This slashed the break’s margin in half, from 30 seconds to 16, and prompted Andrew Dahlheim (Metro VW) to try to make the break himself. He found himself in no-man’s land for several laps before he was gobbled back up by the hungry peloton.

The gap went back out to around the 25-second mark before Frank Travieso (Champion Porsche) attacked, almost single-handedly bridging across to the break; he sat up when he realized that he had two passengers along for the ride.

Shortly afterward, Sullivan, who had just finished pulling hard for teammate Carlos Vargas, moved left, apparently planning to pull out of the race. Unfortunately, the hard-chasing peloton followed, pushing Sullivan into the barriers and triggering a massive pile-up.

The chase continued undaunted, however, and with seven laps to go the gap was only seven seconds. But another big crash near the back of the bunch disrupted the pursuit, and with four to go the field looked absolutely decimated.

After Wamsley took the win, the bunch sprinted in for eighth place, with Luca Damiani (Colavita-Sutter Home) winning the bunch kick over Hekman. But Damiani’s bike throw caused him to crash at the line, taking several others down as well.

Breaks, schmeaks — let’s sprint

In the women’s race, Jacqueline Crowell (Team Type 1) took a prime lap and kept going to establish an early 20-second lead.

Team Tibco and Colavita-Sutter Home tried to bring Crowell back, but she extended her lead to 30 seconds, and Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom Racing), Miller and Erica Allar (Colavita-Sutter) tried to bridge across. But Team Tibco set the tempo, and slowly but surely brought the race back together.

With 13 laps left, the field was blown up and splits were occurring all over the place. But it came back together again with the sprinters’ teams taking an iron grip on the front of the race to ensure a bunch gallop for the line.

Two laps out, Team Tibco took the front with Colavita-Sutter Home also in the hunt. Kelly Benjamin (Colavita-Sutter Home) was in the lead coming down the hill on the final lap and helped set up the win for Pic.

“We’re all really tired, and we got a beating all week and were outnumbered by Team Tibco. But our team was amazing day after day,” Pic said. “We were feeling dead in the van today, wondering how we were going to do it. So we are really happy. It was a hard-fought battle for the win today.”

Hekman, Pic take titles

Hekman took the overall win for the 2009 USA CRITS Speed Week Series, with Ken Hanson in second, displacing Carlos Vargas to third position. The trio also holds the top three spots in the 2009 USA CRITS National Championship Series.

Pic’s win, meanwhile, gave her the overall Speed Week title with Van Gilder second and Seehafer third.

The series will resume next month in New York and Austin with the Harlem Skyscraper Classic and the AT&T Austin Criterium.

Race note

Sullivan was taken to an area hospital and treated for a dislocated shoulder, according to Team Hotel San Jose’s team director, Barry Lee. “This is another setback for him as he was making a great comeback from knee surgery and was getting stronger with each passing day,” Lee said. “We hope that the others that went down are all OK.”

Results

Men
1. Kyle Wamsley, Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light, 1:04:23.9
2. Ken Hanson, Team Type 1, 1:04:23.9
3. Andrew Pinfold, OUCH-Maxxis, 1:04:24.0
4. Jonathan Cantwell Fly V Australia, 1:04:24.1
5. Nick Reistad, Jelly Belly, 1:04:25.1
6. Ryan Anderson, Kelly Benefit Strategies, 1:04:25.3
7. Thomas Soladay, Mountain Khakis 1:04:25.5
8. Andy Jacques-Maynes, Bissell, 1:04:29.5
9. Luca Damiani, Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light, 1:04:31.0
10. Mark Hekman, Mountain Khakis, 1:04:31.0
11. Alejandro Borrajo, Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light, 1:04:31.1
12. Jake Keough, Kelly Benefit Strategies, 1:04:31.2
13. Aldo Ilesic, Team Type 1, 1:04:31.3
14. Carlos Vargas, Team Hotel San Jose, 1:04:31.5
15. Bernard Sulzberger, Fly V Australia, 1:04:31.7
16. Zack Bell, Kelly Benefit Strategies, 1:04:31.7
17. Joey Rosskopf, Jittery Joes U25, d B, 1:04:32.0
18. Andrew Dahlheim, Metro VW, 1:04:32.0
19. Peter Latham, Bissell, 1:04:32.1
20. Cesar Grajales, Rock Racing, 1:04:32.3
21. John Murphy, OUCH-Maxxis, 1:04:32.3
22. Chad Hartley, Team Geargrinder, 1:04:32.6
23. Benjamin Baumgartner, Metro VW, 1:04:32.9
24. Adam Bergman, Texas Roadhouse, 1:04:33.0
25. Andrew Crater, Team Wheel & Sprocket, 1:04:33.1
26. Marco Aledia, Kenda, 1:04:33.4
27. Jonathan Clarke, Jelly Belly, 1:04:33.8
28. David Guttenplan, Mountain Khakis 1:04:33.9
29. Brian Toone, Tria Market-Ivan Leonard, 1:04:34.0
30. Christian Helmig, Metro VW, 1:04:34.0
31. Thomas Brown, Jittery Joes U25, d B, 1:04:34.1
32. Morgan Schmitt, Bissell, 1:04:34.2
33. Ryan Sullivan, Myogenesis 1:04:34.5
34. Daniel Estevez, CRCA-Foundation, 1:04:34.7
35. Frank Travieso, Champion Porsche, 1:04:34.8
36. Adrian Hegyvary, Hagens Berman LLP Cycling T, 1:04:35.0
37. Ben Kersten, Fly V Australia, 1:04:35.0
38. Daniel Holt, Team Type 1, 1:04:35.0
39. Mat Stephens, Metro VW 1:04:35.2
40. Samuels O’Neil, Myogenesis 1:04:35.4
41. Evan Fader, Richmond Pro, 1:04:35.6
42. Matt Crane, Jelly Belly, 1:04:35.9
43. Craig Dodson, Richmond Pro, 1:04:36.0
44. Alder Martz, DLP Racing, 1:04:36.5
45. Scott Jackson, Richmond Pro, 1:04:36.8
46. Grant Potter, Champion Porsche, 1:04:37.0
47. Kevin Attkisson, Texas Roadhouse, 1:04:37.2
48. Karel Sumbal, Lindner Capital Advisor, 1:04:37.4
49. Dirk Pohlmann, Texas Roadhouse, 1:04:37.4
50. Rich Harper, Kenda, 1:04:37.7
51. Rob White, Team Geargrinder, 1:04:37.8
52. Jonny Sundt, Kelly Benefit Strategies, 1:04:38.3
53. Cody O’Reilly, Bissell, 1:04:39.3
54. Chafrles Marzot, Mountain Khakis 1:04:39.4
55. Isaac Howe, Mountain Khakis 1:04:46.0
56. Andy Bake,r Mountain Khakis 1:04:46.1
57. Robert Gunn, Fly V Australia, 1:04:46.4
58. Bobby Lea, OUCH-Maxxis, 1:04:47.0
59. Yosvany Falcon, Champion Porsche, , 1:04:47.8
60. Jesse Anthony, Team Type 1 1:04:54.3
61. Sean Weddell, Globalbike, 1:06:22.9
62. Eric Murphy, Myogenesis 1:06:47.0
63. Cleve Blackwell, Myogenesis 1:06:47.2
64. Adam Myerson, Mountain Khakis 1:08:45.7

Women
1. Tina Pic, Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light, 59:31.5
2. Kori Seehafer, Team Type 1, 59:31.8
3. Brooke Miller, Team Tibco 59:31.9
4. Jennifer McRae, Team Type 1, 59:32.0
5. Laura Van Gilder, Mellow Mushroom, 59:32.3
6. Joanne Kiesanowski, Team Tibco 59:32.3
7. Samantha Schneider, Team Type 1 59:32.4
8. Lauren Tamayo, Team Tibco, 59:32.7
9. Melissa Sanborn, Vanderkitten Racing, 59:32.8
10. Rebecca Larson, Jittery Joe’s, 59:32.9
11. Sarah Caravella, Richmond Pro Cycling, 59:33.1
12. Carrie Cash, Team Revolution, 59:33.3
13. Kristen Lasasso, Kristen Lasasso, 59:33.9
14. Jennifer Rasmusson, Cyclelife p/b Specialized, 59:34.0
15. Tiffany Pezzulo, DFT p/b Treads, 59:35.7
16. Kate Veronneau, Altarum, 59:36.3
17. Linsey Bradshaw-Sandoval, DFT p/b Treads, 59:38.2
18. Elizabeth Morse Hill, Hub Racing, 59:40.7
19. Jackie Kurth, Team Kenda, 59:41.9
20. Leslie Jennings, Cyclelife p/b Specialized, 59:41.9
21. Mary Pat Jones, Blue Competition Cycles, 59:42.1
22. Sally Annis, Hub Racing, 59:42.2
23. Verónica Leal, Team Type 1 59:44.4
24. Whitney Schultz, Metro VW 59:45.2
25. Sonja Evers, Cyclelife p/b Specialized, 59:45.3
26. Christy Keely, Team Kenda, 59:47.1
27. Martina Patella, Value Act Capital, 59:47.7
28. Kathryn Clark, Team Kenda, 59:48.3
29. Jennifer Reither, Vanderkitten Racing, 59:48.4
30. Dale Tye, Altarum, 59:49.3
31. Jennifer Wilson, Vanderkitten Racing, 59:49.6
32. Leigh Hopkins, Vanderkitten Racing, 59:49.7
33. Alison Rosenthal, Team Tibco, 59:50.1
34. Jacquelyn Crowell, Team Type 1, 59:52.2
35. Emma Rickards, Team Tibco 1:00:10.9
36. Anna Mcloon, Altarum, 1:00:14.2
37. Erica Allar, Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light, 1:00:39.4
38. Kelly Benjamin, Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light, 1:00:51.4
39. Carmen McNellis, Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light, 1:01:00.1
40. Sheba Farrin, Hub Racing, 1:02:47.6
41. Chris Roettger, Team Revolution, 1:03:12.7
42. Amy McGuire, Hub Racing, 1:10:51.0
43. Christi-Anne Hansley, Med Plan, 1:10:59.2
44. Olivia Jaras, Rogue Racing Project, 1:15:40.2
45. Veronica Martinez, Hub Racing 1:20:25.4