Samplonius victorious in Aspen criterium; Armstrong takes pro women’s stage race overall

Published August 24, 2011 07:10PM

ASPEN, Colo. (VN) — With the excitement of the incoming 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge as a backdrop, Olympic champion Kristin Armstrong of the Peanut Butter & Co.-Twenty12 team rode to overall victory in the inaugural 2011 Aspen/Snowmass Women’s Pro Stage Race Wednesday before tens of thousands of cycling fans on the streets of downtown Aspen.

The stage, a one-hour criterium, was won by Anne Samplonius of NOW Cycling, with Armstrong just behind for second place. Lauren Hall of Colavita/Forno D’Asolo came across the finish line third three seconds later, followed by Armstrong’s teammate Kristin McGrath, the winner of the opening time trial stage.

“The girls raced really hard today. Luckily, I had my teammates working for me,” Armstrong told the throngs of cycling fans at the finish line. “All I could see was all these people all the way around the course, all 11 turns.”

Armstrong won the overall competition, run as an omnium, with 83 points. Samplonius was second overall with 73 points and McGrath third with 72 points. Armstrong had garnered 28 points on Monday by placing second to McGrath in the race’s opening stage, a 7.8 mile uphill time trial up Maroon Bells road. She took the leader’s jersey with another 35 points by winning Tuesday’s 35 mile road race around Snowmass Village.

Challenging course

Wednesday’s figure-eight-shaped criterium course, perhaps the most challenging course on the women’s national circuit, involved 11 turns and 49 feet of elevation gain on every lap, along with an uphill finish. Throw in the altitude at Aspen, 8,200 feet above sea level, and the final stage promised be a true test, if for just an hour.

The criterium carried 25, 20, 18, 16 and 14 points for the first five places down to two points for 15th through 20th place. With such a tight race for the top three overall — and Samplonius and Kelly Crowley of Metromint Cycling breathing down their necks in fourth and fifth places and 48 and 44 points, respectively — these pro women were sure to have another aggressive day at the office.

Armstrong, McGrath and their teammates worked hard to control the race, but that wasn’t easy as Janel Holcomb and Lauren Hall of the Colavita/Forno D’Asolo team were determined to break things up, attacking relentlessly on the climb to the finishing straight. The tactic succeeded in whittling the main field down to about 20 riders.

‘A great time’

“The team’s strategy was to put on a good show and have a great time,” Hall told VeloNews. “Most of all, we wanted to animate the race.”

But it was NOW Cycling that ultimately came away with the stage win, with national road race champion Robin Farina working hard to keep Samplonius in contention for the final lap.

“We decided to be patient. We expected Colavita to make a lot of attacks, and when Kristin Sanders attacked with a lap to go, it forced a chase big chase by Armstrong and McGrath,” Farina said. “Anne was able to go with them, then she railed it before that bottom turn before the finish. We’re super happy.”

Racer/organizer

The three-day event was developed by Aspen’s own pro cyclist, Jessica Phillips, who raced all three stages, as well. Phillips — who placed ninth in the time trial, 26th in the road race and 20th in the crit on her way to 14th place overall — grew up in Aspen before becoming the 2002 U.S. road champion and the 2009 U.S. time trial champion.
With the help of Team Ajax Incorporated, a local nonprofit organization formed to support women’s cycling and athletic pursuits, Phillips was able to attract 39 of the world’s top female professional riders competing for a prize purse of $9,000.

More importantly, the three-day race offered the opportunity for pro women to compete during the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, when the spotlight on Colorado cycling. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is said to be the largest spectator event in Colorado history and one of the largest sporting events ever to take place in the United States. Proceeds from the women’s race will be used to support young women’s athletic programs in the Aspen-Snowmass area.

“It’s been interesting. I love doing this mainly because I love Aspen; and I love helping the girls and exposing the sport to young athletes. That’s my passion,” Phillips said. “I started to think about how supportive Aspen is as a cycling town for both men and women, and the next thing I knew, this idea of hosting a top-quality women’s race leading into the USA Pro Cycling Challenge became a reality”

Appropriately, Phillips’ fiancé, HTC-Highroad’s Tejay Van Garderen, took the lead of the men’s race on Wednesday, after placing second in the stage finishing in downtown Aspen.

Steve Wood is an AP Award-winner freelance journalist and media consultant living in Vail, Colo., as well as a former European correspondent for VeloNews. He can be reached at slwoodyink.com.

Stage 3 – Criterium in Aspen