Toyota-United’s Attacks Fail To Unseat Race Leader
0 Comments Published by Unknown on Sunday, July 29, 2007 at 4:08 AM.
Altoona, Penn. — The expected fireworks went off on Stage 6 at the International Tour de ‘Toona Saturday but the end result was more like a dud than a spectacular show, thanks to a less-than-decisive set of climbs on the “Queen Stage” of the race.
“It was a war zone out there today,” Toyota-United Team Director Harm Jansen said of the 98.5-mile (158.5 km) Verizon/Debartolo Altoona Blair County Road Race. “Our guys did what they set out to day. They attacked on the climb. But it wasn’t as hard as last year.”
Indeed, three of Toyota-United’s climbing specialists – Justin England, Chris Baldwin and Chris Wherry – were among a 13-man break that got over the top of the first of three King of the Mountain climbs with a 25-second lead. But with a significant portion of the stage still to come, the front-runners were reeled back in by the chasing efforts of race leader Karl Menzies’ Health Net presented by Maxxis team.
“They had 25 seconds over the top but they really need 50 seconds,” Jansen said.
In the end, 43 riders sprinted to the finish together with Menzies taking third place on the day to pick up a two-second bonus and pad his lead to 26 seconds over Baldwin, Wherry, England and teammate Burke Swindlehurst. The four lie third, fourth, five and sixth, respectively, in the overall standings.
Taylor Tolleson gave Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle its second stage win of the seven-day, seven-stage race as Charles Dionne (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) finished second.
With only Sunday’s 30-lap, 30-mile Atlantic Broadband Altoona Criterium remaining, Jansen said the lone disappointment of the final stage will be that Toyota-United’s Ivan Dominguez will not be participating. The Cuban sprint sensation retired from the race Saturday.
“It was a war zone out there today,” Toyota-United Team Director Harm Jansen said of the 98.5-mile (158.5 km) Verizon/Debartolo Altoona Blair County Road Race. “Our guys did what they set out to day. They attacked on the climb. But it wasn’t as hard as last year.”
Indeed, three of Toyota-United’s climbing specialists – Justin England, Chris Baldwin and Chris Wherry – were among a 13-man break that got over the top of the first of three King of the Mountain climbs with a 25-second lead. But with a significant portion of the stage still to come, the front-runners were reeled back in by the chasing efforts of race leader Karl Menzies’ Health Net presented by Maxxis team.
“They had 25 seconds over the top but they really need 50 seconds,” Jansen said.
In the end, 43 riders sprinted to the finish together with Menzies taking third place on the day to pick up a two-second bonus and pad his lead to 26 seconds over Baldwin, Wherry, England and teammate Burke Swindlehurst. The four lie third, fourth, five and sixth, respectively, in the overall standings.
Taylor Tolleson gave Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle its second stage win of the seven-day, seven-stage race as Charles Dionne (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) finished second.
With only Sunday’s 30-lap, 30-mile Atlantic Broadband Altoona Criterium remaining, Jansen said the lone disappointment of the final stage will be that Toyota-United’s Ivan Dominguez will not be participating. The Cuban sprint sensation retired from the race Saturday.
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