Theresa Cliff-Ryan wins Chris Thater; Irene forces cancellation of men's race

BINGHAMPTON, NY — After 40 laps of racing at the 28th Annual Chris Thater Memorial, Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo) won another USA CRITS event victory, her third of the five USA CRITS held so far this year. Erica Allar (RideClean p/b PatentIt.com) was able to finish on the podium for the fourth time (out of five tries) this year and remains in the orange USA CRITS Leader’s Jersey.

The men’s race, scheduled for Sunday, was canceled due to tropical storm Irene.

The women’s race was largely controlled from the very beginning by Team TIBCO/To The Top and Colavita/Forno d’Asolo, with both teams marking each other. An early solo break by Rachel Warner (MissingLinkCoachingSys) gained 15 seconds on the field, the most gained by any break on the day. Team TIBCO’s Sam Schneider, winner of the 2010 Chris Thater Memorial, and Colavita/Forno d’Asolo’s Rushlee Buchanan took to the chase and brought Warner back just a few laps later.

A mulititude of primes throughout the race kept the pace high, with Team TIBCO gobbling up most of the cash. At the mid-point, the prime bell was rung yet again for the USA CRITS mid-race points prime. A sneaky attack by Kathleen Billington (Danbury Audi) ensured her the maximum amount of points available, followed by second place in the USA CRITS Overall Kacey Manderfield (PureEnergy), USA CRITS Leader Allar, Jen Purcell (Danbury Audi), and Janel Holcomb (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo).

A small group of three at 14 laps to go that included Kristen Lassasso (Mellow Mushroom), a Colavita rider, and a TIBCO rider attempted to get away but were quickly brought back together in the next lap. A late crash with seven laps to go took out Schneider, who had unfortunately just missed the free lap cut off. For the first time in several years, the Chris Thater Memorial would be decided in a bunch sprint. With one lap to go, the Colavita/Forno d’Asolo train was lined up at the front and was able to deliver Cliff-Ryan to the line for the win. This is Cliff-Ryan’s second time winning the race, placing on the top spot in 2007. Second place was picked up by Joanne Kiesanowski (Team TIBCO/To the Top), while Erica Allar (RideClean p/b PatentIt.com) finished third.

Allar is leading the Series by 90 points ahead of Manderfield, while Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom) rounds out the top three. The men’s overall remains unchanged, with Luke Keough (Mountain Khakis p/b SmartStop) leading Clayton Barrows (Stan’s NoTubes/AXA Equitable) by 122 points with Christian Helmig (Elbowz Race) in third.

The next race is the USA CRITS Finals at the Capital Criterium presented by Events DC in Washington, DC on October 2. The CapCrit will be streamed live on YouTube Live and can found through www.usacrits.com.

Thater results

CURRENT USA CRITS STANDINGS

USA CRITS Overall presented by Champion System

Women
1. Erica Allar (RideClean p/b PatentIt.com), 1352 points
2. Kacey Manderfield (PureEnergy/ProAirHFA),1262 points
3. Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom), 1178 points

Men
1. Luke Keough (Mountain Khakis p/b SmartStop), 1350 points
2. Clayton Barrows (Stan’ NoTubes/AXA Equitable), 1228 points
3. Christian Helmig (Elbowz Racing), 1216 points

Maxxis Best Young Rider
Women
1. Sam Schneider (Team TIBCO/To the Top), 727 points
2. Colleen Hayduk (PureEnergy/ProAirHFA), 664 points
3. Kendall Ryan (Team TIBCO/To the Top), 473 points

Men
1. Luke Keough (Mountain Khakis p/b SmartStop), 1350 points
2. Clay Murfet (RideClean p/b PatentIt.com), 1030 points
3. Euris Vidal (CRCA/Foundation), 981 points.

Sportsbase Online Lap Leader presented by VeloNews
Women
1. Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo), 17 laps
2. Kacey Manderfield (PureEnergy/ProAirHFA), 15 laps
3. Erica Allar (RideClean p/b PatentIt.com), 9 laps

Men
1. Christian Helmig (Elbowz Racing), 39 laps
2. Clayton Barrows (Stan’ NoTubes/AXA Equitable), 36 laps
3. Carlos Alzate (Team Exergy), 23 laps

Team Leaders
Women – Colavita/Forno d’Asolo
Men – Mountain Khakis p/b Smart Stop