Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team 2007

Downers Grove, Ill. — The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team took a cautious approach to Saturday night’s Suzuki Pro-Am Challenge at Downers Grove, Ill.

Rain slickened the one-mile (0.6 km) course, making even the straightaways treacherous. Toyota-United’s Ryan Miller was one of the victims of the numerous crashes. He slid out and bruised his left thigh and left calf late in the 60-minute race.

Only two of Toyota-United’s nine racers finished the race. Chris Wherry (pictured) finished 42nd and Sean Sullivan was 74th. Saturday’s race carried no points for the National Race Calendar standings and has no bearing on Sunday’s USPRO Criterium Championships, which will be run on the same course.

“This was one of the craziest races I have been in,” Wherry said. “There were a lot of crashes and a lot of people taking chances the whole time.”

The rain that was a heavy downpour during the International women’s race stopped minutes before the field took the start line. But the course did not fully dry out, which allowed a group of six riders to break from the field and gain a maximum lead of about 30 seconds.

From the breakaway, Ken Hanson (BMC Professional Cycling Team) won a four-up sprint, ahead of Dominique Rollin (Kodak Gallery.com-Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling) and Darren Lill (Navigators Insurance Cycling Team).

Sunday’s USPRO Criterium National Championship race is 100 km (62 miles) and begins at 3 p.m. The first American to cross the finish line will earn the right to wear the stars-and-stripes jersey in criteriums for the next year.