Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team 2007

Mogollon, N.M. – Toyota-United’s Chris Baldwin climbed into second place overall at the Tour of the Gila Thursday with a third-place finish on Stage’s 2 Silver City to Mogollon Road Race.

Baldwin is now one minute and 59 seconds behind overall leader Nathan O’Neil (Health Net presented by Maxxis), who finished second in Thursday’s 94.1-mile (152.3 km) road race that finished with a challenging climb. Hernan Monoz (P&S Halco Hermosillo) won the stage, finishing 10 seconds ahead of O’Neil and 35 seconds ahead of Baldwin.

With four riders finishing in the top 12 on Thursday, the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team moved into the overall lead on the team classification. Justin England finished sixth (53 seconds behind), Burke Swindlehurst was ninth (1:16 behind) and Stefano Barberi was 12th (1:49 behind). In the overall standings, Swindlehurst is eighth (3:45 behind), England is 10th (3:56 behind) and Barberi is 11th (4:03 behind).

Toyota-United’s Ivan Stevic (pictured above at left, with Baldwin) was part of a six-man breakaway group that escaped the field 10 kilometers after the start and built a maximum lead of six minutes. But upon reaching the initial portion of the final climb, the group splintered. When the remnants of the peloton caught up, only two of the original breakaway members – Stevic and Dave McCann (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) – could stay with the leaders.

With four teammates around him, Stevic provided to be a valuable asset on a crosswind section before the final steeper portion of the climb.

“When Stevic came back from the break, he got right on the front of the group and just drilled it,” Baldwin said. “It put everybody behind him in trouble while Burke and I pretty much got a free ride.”

Swindlehurst then attacked at the base of the final portion of the climb, further diminishing the lead group. That set the stage for the decisive attack, which was launched by O’Neil with less than 3 km to go. Only Baldwin and Munoz could follow, with Munoz eventually going to on win the stage.

“There was no hesitation on Burke’s part to step up and sacrifice himself for Baldwin, Barberi and England,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said of the three-time Tour of the Gila champion. “That’s what pleases me most about this team. The guys know what to do and when to do it.”

Baldwin said he hopes Stevic or Swindlehurst can be rewarded for their efforts in the days to come.

“Those guys were really the heroes for Toyota-United today,” the defending champion said. “The plan all along was to get as many guys as we could into the top 10. It gives you more options on the last day. Unfortunately, Burke had to sell out at the bottom for me, but he still managed a strong finish.”

Friday’s stage is the 80-mile (129.6 km) Inner Loop Road Race that starts and finishes at the Fort Bayard Medical Center, traveling in a clockwise loop through the town of Bayard, N.M.

“The climbs aren’t decisive, but it’s a stage where the wind can sometimes play a role,” Willett said. “Our sprinter here is Stevic, so if he didn’t burn too many matches today, we’ll look for him to be there tomorrow.”

Labels: Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Baldwin, Ivan Stevic, Stefano Barberi