David Salomon (P&S-Specialized) and Leda Cox (America's Dairyland) were crowned the champions of the 22nd Tucson Bicycle Classic after the third and final stage on Sunday. Brian Forbes (RideClean) and Clare Vlahopoulos (America's Dairyland) won their respective races during the finale, the Artisan Prosthetics Circuit race, run on a rolling, 5.6-mile loop with 300 feet of climbing per lap.
Barry Wicks’ transition from top-tier cyclocrosser to mountain bike strongman appears to be going well. The 26-year-old Kona rider, already a household name on the domestic ‘cross scene, took his first-ever NMBS victory at Sunday’s short-track in Fontana, California. Wicks out-sprinted breakaway companion Adam Craig (Giant) to take the STXC win and then followed up the victory with another win, again out sprinting Craig to take the Super D title.
If Jennie Reed couldn't quite believe her world title, then neither could the home crowd at the Manchester velodrome. Reed's jubilant gold medal in the women's keirin, the climactic event in five days of racing, was greeted with stunned silence by the British fans who had become drunk on the success that Team GB had claimed in the 2008 World Track Championships. "This is the first world championship of my career and I have got a gold medal so I am just elated," Reed said, as she came off the track.
Symmetrics’ Cameron Evans did what was necessary to overtake Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla on Sunday, taking the overall title at this weekend’s San Dimas Stage Race in California. Evans joined a winning break in the Cannondale Incycle Old Town Classic and, over the course of the 90-minute, six-corner criterium, grabbed just enough time to take the overall title by one second over the one-time Tour de France best young rider.
Spring Training on the Blue ridge Parkway
Real Men *Enjoy* Short Track (Fontana 2008)
The International Tour de Toona has been scaled down from a seven-day stage race to a one-day criterium this year, but hopes to return as multi-stage event in 2009, The Altoona Mirror reported Saturday. Race director Larry Bilotto said several issues contributed to the decision, including two ongoing lawsuits. The Altoona Bicycle Club, which runs the event, is currently involved
God has indeed saved the queen, judging by the number of times we heard the British national anthem during the world track championships in Manchester. I don’t know the lyrics, so I kept singing our domestic knockoff, “My country ’tis of thee. . . .” I was dying to hear the American national anthem.
Professional endurance competitor Rebecca Rusch has tackled her fair share of adventure races and 24-Hour mountain bike races throughout the years. Now, the Idahoan is in South Africa, competing alongside teammate Cristina Begy in the Absa Cape Epic, a nine-day endurance mountain bike stage race across the country’s scenic Western Cape. And we’re along for the ride. —Editor
Day three of the 2008 Absa Cape Epic produced a third stage winner in the men’s category, as Jakob Fuglsang and Roel Paulissen (Cannondale-Vredestein) took top honors. The two, runners-up in 2007, gapped race leaders Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander (Songo.info) on the grueling 137km journey from George to Calitzdorp. Stander and Sauser, however, retained their overall lead.
Sylvain Chavanel’s spectacular spring just keeps getting better. With the biggest victories of his career coming since February, the 28-year-old Frenchman attacked with about 20km to go to hold off the Belgian specialists in Sunday’s rain-soaked 48th Brabantse Pijl. Three riders – Ermanno Capelli (Saunier Duval), Wouter Mol (Batavus) and Raynold Smith (Collstrop) – attacked at 35km to build up a 5:35 lead before Cofidis took control of the chase.
American Jennie Reed ended Britain's gold rush when she overpowered Victoria Pendleton to win the keirin in the final event of the world track cycling championships on Sunday. Defending champion Pendleton, a gold winner in the team sprint and sprint, claimed the silver medal, with Germany's Christin Muche taking the bronze after a photo-finish decision.
Jens Voigt (Team CSC) won the Critérium International on Sunday in Charleville-Mezieres. The 36-year-old Voigt took the leader’s yellow jersey after finishing second in the morning’s stage 2, a 98.5km leg between Les Vieilles Forges and Monthermé won by Australian Simon Gerrans (Crédit Agricole) with Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) third. The third and final stage, a 8.3km time trial, was won by Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team High Road), seven seconds ahead of teammate Tony Martin and a further six in front of Gustav Larsson (Team CSC).