Stevic Third On Stage 2 at Tri-Peaks
0 Comments Published by Unknown on Friday, May 18, 2007 at 6:37 PM.
Russellville, Ark. – Ivan Stevic of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team scored his sixth top five finish in his last nine races with a third place Friday on the Stage 2 Epic Road Race at the Tri-Peaks Challenge stage race.
Stevic’s placing was all the more remarkable considering he spent more than 45 miles riding in a four-man breakaway that was caught with 27 miles to go in the 102-mile (164.1 km) race from Dover to Hector, Ark. Brice Jones (Jelly Belly Cycling Team) won the stage with Karl Menzies (Health Net presented by Maxxis) finishing second.
“The guys were kind of looking after him (Stevic) coming into the finish,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said. “With about a kilometer-and-a-half to go, the road rolls up hill for almost a kilometer, then it flattens out the last 500 meters. We wanted to make sure the guys helped Ivan, Caleb (Manion) and Chris (Baldwin) being in position when the hill started.”
Baldwin, in third place overall, is Toyota-United’s best-placed rider on the overall classification. Manion is also in the top 10, less than a minute behind, after making the decisive breakaway in Thursday’s opening stage of the four-day, five-stage race.
Since the third stage of the Tour of the Gila stage race two weeks ago, Stevic has been on a tear – finishing third three times, second twice and fourth and fifth one time each. He placed second overall in last weekend’s Joe Martin Stage Race while never finishing worse than sixth place.
Friday’s stage featured more than 10,000 feet of climbing and a lot of chasing by the Health Net team. After Stevic and James Meadley (Jelly Belly) joined two other early escapees, the four built a lead of nearly three minutes. That sparked a reaction from Health Net – which had Karl Menzies in second place overall and two others in the top 10 overall.
“They (Health Net) went to the front and chased hard right away,” Willett said. “They basically rode the front the rest of the race and controlled it even after the four guys were caught.”
Toyota-United’s Justin England and Jose Manuel-Garcia each had a go of it in separate attacks inside the final three miles. But each time, they were reeled in, setting the stage for the bunch sprint.
Toyota-United’s designated sprinter, Ivan Dominguez, did not start Friday’s race after being injured in an unusual post-race crash after Stage 1. The Cuban native suddenly lost control of his bicycle about 200 meters past the finish line and flipped over his handlebars, landing on his back and right shoulder. X-rays and a CAT scan proved negative for broken bones.
Willett said it has been determined that there was nothing mechanically wrong with Dominguez’s bicycle. The crash will likely keep him out of action for at least a week.
“We’re just glad he wasn’t more seriously hurt,” Willett said.
Saturday features dual stages: a 55-minutes-plus-four-laps criterium in the morning, followed by a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) individual time trial in the afternoon.
Stevic’s placing was all the more remarkable considering he spent more than 45 miles riding in a four-man breakaway that was caught with 27 miles to go in the 102-mile (164.1 km) race from Dover to Hector, Ark. Brice Jones (Jelly Belly Cycling Team) won the stage with Karl Menzies (Health Net presented by Maxxis) finishing second.
“The guys were kind of looking after him (Stevic) coming into the finish,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said. “With about a kilometer-and-a-half to go, the road rolls up hill for almost a kilometer, then it flattens out the last 500 meters. We wanted to make sure the guys helped Ivan, Caleb (Manion) and Chris (Baldwin) being in position when the hill started.”
Baldwin, in third place overall, is Toyota-United’s best-placed rider on the overall classification. Manion is also in the top 10, less than a minute behind, after making the decisive breakaway in Thursday’s opening stage of the four-day, five-stage race.
Since the third stage of the Tour of the Gila stage race two weeks ago, Stevic has been on a tear – finishing third three times, second twice and fourth and fifth one time each. He placed second overall in last weekend’s Joe Martin Stage Race while never finishing worse than sixth place.
Friday’s stage featured more than 10,000 feet of climbing and a lot of chasing by the Health Net team. After Stevic and James Meadley (Jelly Belly) joined two other early escapees, the four built a lead of nearly three minutes. That sparked a reaction from Health Net – which had Karl Menzies in second place overall and two others in the top 10 overall.
“They (Health Net) went to the front and chased hard right away,” Willett said. “They basically rode the front the rest of the race and controlled it even after the four guys were caught.”
Toyota-United’s Justin England and Jose Manuel-Garcia each had a go of it in separate attacks inside the final three miles. But each time, they were reeled in, setting the stage for the bunch sprint.
Toyota-United’s designated sprinter, Ivan Dominguez, did not start Friday’s race after being injured in an unusual post-race crash after Stage 1. The Cuban native suddenly lost control of his bicycle about 200 meters past the finish line and flipped over his handlebars, landing on his back and right shoulder. X-rays and a CAT scan proved negative for broken bones.
Willett said it has been determined that there was nothing mechanically wrong with Dominguez’s bicycle. The crash will likely keep him out of action for at least a week.
“We’re just glad he wasn’t more seriously hurt,” Willett said.
Saturday features dual stages: a 55-minutes-plus-four-laps criterium in the morning, followed by a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) individual time trial in the afternoon.
0 Responses to “Stevic Third On Stage 2 at Tri-Peaks”
Post a Comment