Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team 2007

Altoona, Penn. — Ivan Dominguez of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team sprinted to a fourth-place finish on Stage 2 of the International Tour de ‘Toona on a day when only 58 of the 164 riders in the race finished in the lead group.

Karl Menzies (Health Net presented by Maxxis) won the Stage 2, 48.6-mile (78.2 km) Waste Management Vitondale to Cairnbrook Road Race ahead of Sergey Lagutin (Navigators Insurance Cycling Team) and Charles Dionne (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light).

Toyota-United’s Chris Baldwin was part of a small group that made a bid to escape the peloton late in the race, but the breakaway was reeled in.

“As soon as they caught, the guys tried to set up Ivan (Dominguez) for the sprint,” Toyota-United Team Director Harm Jansen said. “Unfortunately, it had been a pretty hilly race with three good climbs in there and crosswinds at the end, so his legs weren’t quite as fresh.”

Seven of Toyota-United’s eight riders were among the 58 in the lead group. Dominguez moves up to fifth overall, while Chris Baldwin, Caleb Manion, Chris Wherry, Justin England, Burke Swindlehurst and Heath Blackgrove slot in spots six through 11th, respectively. All seven are 19 seconds behind Menzies, who takes the overall lead from his teammate, Nathan O’Neil, thanks to an eight-second time bonus for winning the stage.

Tuesday’s stage was filled with steep climbs and twisting descents made even trickier by some afternoon rain showers. Wednesday’s Stage 3, a 95.9-mile (154.3 km) road race from Johnstown to Altoona’s Logan Valley Mall, will be even more of a challenge, Jansen said, due to a long climb at the end.

“We have to be patient,” he said. “Tomorrow’s stage has a hard finish. There are two teams with some serious contenders for the overall and we have to race smart – very smart.”

Labels: Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Baldwin, Chris Wherry, Harm Jansen, heath blackgrove, Ivan Dominguez, Justin England

Dominguez (right) edges out Kirk O'Bee (Health Net presented by Maxxis) at the line.
Photo by Cascade Events Photography.

Bend, Ore. – A perfectly executed lead-out by the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team delivered Ivan Dominguez to victory Friday night at the Stage 4 Desert Orthopedics/Rebound Physical Therapy Downtown Criterium at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic.

In front of a huge crowd stacked two- and three-people deep around the course, Dominguez held off Kirk O’Bee (HealthNet presented by Maxxis) while Dan Schmatz (BMC Pro Cycling Team) was third in the 90-minute race that had no effect on the overall standings.

The victory was Dominguez’s ninth win of the season, his fifth in a National Race Calendar event and his first since a crash May 17 sidelined him for eight weeks. It was also Toyota-United’s 27th win of the season and marked the second consecutive year the team has won the Friday night downtown criterium stage at the five-day, six-stage National Race Calendar event (Juan Jose Haedo won in 2006).

“It feels good to be winning again,” Dominguez said. “There were so many people here tonight that you can see a lot of people love cycling here. It was cool.”

Heading into Saturday’s 92.4-mile (148.7 km) Pacific Power Cascade Lakes Road Race, Toyota-United remains first in the team classification on the strength of three riders in the top 10 in the individual standings. Chris Baldwin is second, 13 seconds behind race leader Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance Cycling Team), defending champion Chris Wherry is fourth (1:12 behind) and three-time former Cascade Classic stage winner Burke Swindlehurst is 10th, 2:43 behind.

“I think our strength is definitely our depth,” Baldwin said. “We have a 1-2 punch with Wherry and every other team it’s a one-man show. So we’re going to have to use each other to put them in trouble. It’s going to be a real tall order, though, because they have the perfect team to defend his lead. Ben Day, Glen Chadwick and Darren Lill are all very strong and very good climbers and these last two races are not hard to control.”

Baldwin briefly held the race lead after finishing second in the race’s first two stages. But in Friday morning’s 15-mile (24.1 km) Bend Research, Inc.-Skyliners Time Trial, he conceded 30 seconds to Zajicek, who beat his Navigators teammate, Ben Day, by one second. Baldwin’s third place on the stage dropped him to second overall behind Zajicek. In third place overall is Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling Team presented by Bissell), 44 seconds behind Zajicek.

“My position on the bike was probably the best I’ve felt in a time trial all year,” Baldwin said. “So that’s a positive. But I’m used to winning time trials and I haven’t been winning in a long time so that’s frustrating. But I honestly think these guys are going faster. I’m not going slower.”

The overall team strength of Toyota-United was showcased in Friday night’s criterium. A nearly race-long breakaway of Oregon residents Ryan Trebon (Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling) and Doug Ollerenshaw (Health Net presented by Maxxis) that threatened to spoil the night for the sprinters never gained more than a 35-second lead, but it was not reeled in until the final laps. Zajicek’s Navigators squad kept the margin in check, but it was ultimately left to Toyota-United to help pull the escapees back.

Doing the lion’s share of the work on the front was Toyota-United’s Jose Manual “Chepe” Garcia, who recovered from a mid-race crash. Working with teammate Stefano Barberi, Garcia helped bring the gap to the break down to single-digits. From there, 12-time New Zealand national champion Heath Blackgrove took over, burying himself on the front and stringing the entire peloton into a single-file line as the final two escapees were absorbed with about four laps to go.

Justin England and Chris Baldwin each took turns on the front to keep the pace high, with Baldwin leading out Wherry three-quarters of the way around the course on the bell lap. From there, Wherry raised the tempo to its maximum, delivering Dominguez safely to the final corner for the block-and-a-half long sprint to the finish.

“You never know until you cross the finish line, but the way I was riding today, I knew it was mine to lose,” Dominguez said. “We had the last corner and I started giving chase. I passed him (O'Bee) very quickly.”

Baldwin’s last-lap turn at the front turned more than a few heads, who were startled at the sight of the rider in second place on general classification figuring so prominently into a stage where he was not destined to pull any time back.

“Usually how it works out is that guys who are going good are the guys who go to the front at the end who can turn up the heat the most,” Willett said. “The real only plan we had was that Wherry was going to be the last guy.”

Baldwin chuckled when asked about his turn at the front that caused huge gaps to open in the peloton as speeds reached more than 35 miles an hour.

“I used to win criteriums,” he said, smiling.

Labels: Chris Baldwin, Chris Wherry, Ivan Dominguez, Kirk Willett

Toyota-United's Chris Wherry gets ready to begin his race against the clock.
Bend, Ore. - Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team's Chris Baldwin didn't even
get to enjoy his time in the yellow jersey Friday at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Clasic.

The race's overall leader after Stage 2, Baldwin lost the jersey by finishing second to Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance Pro Cycling) in the first of two stages on the day, a 15-mile (24.1 km) time trial.

Because the yellow leader's jersey is not a skinsuit, Baldwin wore his conventional Toyota-United team "kit" for the race against the clock. Zajicek will be presented with his yellow jersey prior to Friday night's criterium in Downtown Bend.

Labels: Chris Baldwin, Kirk Willett

Bend, Ore. - Chris Baldwin of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team rode into the overall lead at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic Thursday by finishing second on Stage 2’s 79.5-mile (127.9 km) Meridian Realty McKenzie Pass Road Race.

Stage winner Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling Team presented by Bissell) out-sprinted Baldwin to the summit of McKenzie Pass. The previous race leader, Ricardo Escuela (Successfulliving.com presented by ParkPre), was third, 11 seconds behind Jacques-Maynes and eight seconds behind Baldwin.

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Photo by Cascade Events Photography.

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Baldwin heads into Friday’s double-stage day with a five-second lead over Escuela and a nine-second advantage over Jacques-Maynes. In all, nine riders are within a minute of Baldwin, including a pair of his Toyota-United teammates – Chris Wherry (sixth, 31 seconds behind) and Justin England (seventh, 51 seconds behind).

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Baldwin said following his second straight runner-up placing at the five-day, six-stage National Race Calendar event. “I kind of always find my form at this race. It’s nice to be up here in Bend.”

Friday morning is the Stage 3 Bend Research, Inc.-Skyliners Time Trial. At 15 miles (24.1 km), it is double the distance it was last year when Wherry won the race overall on tie-breaker criteria. Stage 4 is the 90-minute Desert Orthopedics/Rebound Physical Therapy Criterium through the streets of Downtown Bend.

Baldwin said he rode the time trial course Tuesday and found it to be “pretty straightforward” – uphill going out and downhill coming back.

“It’s about 7.5 miles out on a two- to three-percent grade, which makes it real fast on the way back,” the two-time former U.S. National Time Trial champion said. “I would say this has been the kind of time trial that has suited me in the past.”

Baldwin credited his Toyota-United teammates for riding another textbook race Thursday. After a two-man breakaway of Glenn Chadwick (Navigators Insurance Cycling Team) and Scott Zwizanski (Priority Health) gained six minutes, Toyota-United let Escuela’s Successful Living team do the chasing. When the gap came down to two minutes, Jose Manuel “Chepe” Garcia and Stefano Barberi of Toyota-United contributed to the pursuit of the pair.

“With Successful Living having to ride today it was phenomenal for saving our energy,” Baldwin said.

Three more racers – Matt Cooke (Navigators), Ryan Trebon (Kodakgallery.com-Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling) and David Vitoria (BMC Professional Cycling Team) – bridged to the pair as the final 35-mile (56 km) climb began but Zwizanski flatted and was dropped. The two Navigators riders increased the lead, but Toyota-United contributed again to the chase, adding Heath Blackgrove into the mix.

With five kilometers remaining, the four escapees had been reeled in and the attacks among a final leading group of 18 riders began.

“Burke (Swindlehurst) did a great job of containing things for us after Stefano and Heath were finished on the front,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said.

As the leading group dwindled, Baldwin sprinted away with a few hundred meters remaining, but Jacques-Maynes came around him for the stage win.

Toyota-United has high hopes of picking up a stage win of its own in Friday night’s criterium. The squad – which leads the team general classification – won the stage last year with sprinter J.J. Haedo. This year, Willett said Ivan Dominguez will be the man behind the lead-out train.

“We’re definitely going to ride for Dominguez,” Willett said. “This is one of those courses where you don’t save a lot of energy sitting 40 or 50 guys back. So the field is really going to be funneled out.”

Although he has not won a race in 2007, Baldwin has finished second overall at two stage races (Tour of the Gila and Tri-Peaks Challenge) and third overall at two others (Central Valley Classic and the Joe Martin Stage Race). This is the first time this season that he has worn a race leader’s jersey.

Before Thursday’s stage, race officials adjusted several riders’ finishing times from Wednesday’s Stage 1 road race, narrowing the margin between stage winner Escuela and Baldwin from 21 to three seconds. A transcription error was to blame, Willett said, after speaking with the officials.

Labels: Chris Baldwin, Chris Wherry, Ivan Dominguez, Jose Manuel-Garcia, Justin England, Kirk Willett, Stefano Barberi

Toyota-United's Heath Blackgrove spent more than 120 km in a seven-man breakaway.
Photos by Cascade Events Photography.
Bend, Ore. - Chris Baldwin’s second-place finish led four Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team riders in the top 12 on the Ironhorse-Brooks Resources Prineville Road Race on Stage 1 Wednesday at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic.

Baldwin was out-sprinted to the summit of Pilot Butte by Ricardo Escuela (Successfulliving.com presented by ParkPre), who won the stage in three hours, 38 minutes and 13 seconds. Baldwin finished 21 seconds behind, followed by Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance Cycling), 27 seconds behind Escuela.

Joining Baldwin in the top 12 was Toyota-United’s Chris Wherry (sixth, at 41 seconds), Justin England (seventh, at 45 seconds) and Burke Swindlehurst (11th, at 53 seconds). Only 15 riders finished within a minute of the leader.

“The plan for today’s stage was to do whatever we could to make sure those four guys didn’t have to do anything,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said. “We were going to be happy if it was an 80-rider bunch starting at the base of the final climb. With Heath (Blackgrove) covering the long break, it was sort of a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

By placing Blackgrove in a break of seven riders early on in the race, Toyota-United was afforded the luxury of sitting in the pack for much of the 91.2-mile (146.7 km) stage. Joining him in the escape were two riders from Successfulliving.com, plus Doug Ollerenshaw (Health Net presented by Maxxis), Ben Day (Navigators Insurance Cycling Team), Scott Zwizanski (Priority Health Cycling Team presented by Bissell) and Scott Nydam (BMC Professional Cycling Team).

Their lead reached a maximum gap of seven minutes and 45 seconds before the pack began chasing on the way up the stage’s other climb, which came about 30 miles (48 km) from the finish. Because not everyone in the break was fully committed to making it stick, Willett said Toyota-United chipped in to help bring it back.

“We put Chepe Garcia and Stefano Barberi on the front and Priority Health had two guys working and BMC put some guys in,” he said.

Navigator’s Day, who had been the primary driver of the break, began to fade with about 10 kilometers remaining – including the final ascent to Pilot Butte (elevation: 4,138 feet). Immediately, his Navigators team massed at the front to finally reel in the escapees about a third of the way up the final climb.

“Baldwin didn’t have the best position when he started the climb but he’s riding well and caught up to the leaders about halfway up the climb,” Willett said. “With about a kilometer or so, he started driving it to the line and only Zajicek and Escuela were there. Escuela came around him in the last 150 meters or so.”

Baldwin is looking for his first victory of the season while Wherry is the race’s defending champion. With Wednesday’s balanced placings, Toyota-United leads the team classification.

Thursday’s stage is the 79.5-mile (127.9 km) Meridian Realty McKenzie Pass Road Race, which travels through the Dechutes National Forest past jagged lava fields featuring spectacular mountain views. It finishes with a gradual, 35-mile ascent of McKenzie pass to one of Central Oregon's favorite attractions, the Dee Wright Observatory, which sits at an elevation of 5,187 feet.

Willett said without any time bonuses up for grabs, he expects Successfulliving.com will be motivated to keep the leader’s yellow jersey on the back of Escuela. That should help Toyota-United conserve its energy for Friday morning’s all-important 15-mile (24.1 km) Bend Research, Inc.–Skyliners Time Trial, he said.

“The last climb Thursday is never steeper than five percent but it’s hard enough that the non-climbers will be eliminated,” Willett said. “Still, for the top 10 to 15 riders, it is unlikely to be a decisive stage.”

Labels: Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Baldwin, Chris Wherry, heath blackgrove, Jose Manuel-Garcia, Justin England, Kirk Willett, Sean Tucker, Stefano Barberi

Toyota-United will put no fewer than four riders on the start line of this week's Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Classic stage race who have the ability to win the overall title.

The powerful lineup features:

■ Two-time (2002 and 2006) Cascade winner Chris Wherry (second from left), who won last year’s race on the final stage.

■ Chris Baldwin (right), who has a pair of runner-up finishes in National Race Calendar stage races (Tour of the Gila, Tri-Peaks Challenge) to his credit this season.

■ Burke Swindlehurst (second from right), a three-time stage winner (1998, 2002 and last year) at Cascade who won the mountainous High Uintas Classic stage race last month.

■ Justin England (far left), a climbing specialist who finished second on the difficult Oak Glenn stage earlier this year at the Redlands Classic.

So much talent on one team for one race is a nice problem to have, said Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett.

“Baldwin, Wherry and England are all riding to maintain their pos-itions on the National Race Calendar standings,” Willett. “So those guys will be protected. Burke is in a role where he’s had such incredible results at this race before that with the right strategy or breakaway, he’ll be right in there, too.”

Wherry (pictured winning a time bonus sprint that won him the race last year) has had a quiet season, though he has played an integral role in many of the team’s victories by powering its lead-out train.

“We’re hopeful this is the event where he comes out and is on form,” Willett said.

Baldwin is searching for his first victory of 2007 after compiling five second-place and five third-place finishes.

“With the time trial being twice as long as it was last year, he’s a big favorite,” Willett said.

Also in the lineup for Toyota-United will be Ivan Dominguez, who has his eyes on Friday night’s Stage 4 Desert Orthopedics/Rebound Physical Therapy Downtown Criterium. Dominguez will race Cascade for the first time and see his first action in a stage race since crashing out of the Tri-Peaks Challenge in mid-May.

“I really want to do this race,” Dominguez said. “I cannot keep training and training and training. I need to race to get faster.”

In addition to those five, the remainder of Toyota-United’s roster will be Stefano Barberi, Heath Blackgrove and either Sean Sullivan or Jose Manuel “Chepe” Garcia. Sullivan experienced some knee pain over the weekend, Willett said, keeping him out of the team’s lineup for the Cougar Mountain Classic.

Toyota-United lead-out specialist Henk Vogels is out for six to eight weeks with a broken collarbone suffered on the first day at Cougar Mountain while newly crowned “B” World Champion Ivan Stevic remains in Europe after racing in his country’s national championship.

Labels: Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Baldwin, Chris Wherry, Justin England, Kirk Willett

Cooper Spur Mountain Resort, Ore. – The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team took a gamble early on in Thursday’s 87-mile (140 km) Cooper Spur Circuit Race on Stage 3 at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.

The move eventually amounted to a six-man breakaway that included no fewer than four Toyota-United riders: Chris Baldwin, Stefano Barberi, Heath Blackgrove and Burke Swindlehurst.

Baldwin, who stood fourth on the overall classification heading into the stage, told Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett he wanted to “roll the dice” with a big move on a day when the race comprised four-and-a-half laps of a circuit that included 9,200 feet of climbing.

“We were hoping to try something different to try and win the race considering how well Nathan O’Neill (Health Net presented by Maxxis) is riding,” Willett said. “It was our one day to try and get some time on him and we gave it a try.”

In the end, no amount of time was gained, but Toyota-United’s best hopes for overall victory – Baldwin and Justin England – are still in good position with three stages remaining. England finished fifth Thursday, three seconds behind stage winner Glen Chadwick (Navigators Insurance Cycling Team) to move up to seventh overall, 44 seconds behind race leader Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling Team presented by Bissell). Baldwin was 23rd on the day, 22 seconds back, and stands 10th overall, 49 seconds out of the lead.

Friday’s stage will almost certainly be decisive for the overall contenders. The 18.5-mile (29.7 km) Scenic Gorge Time Trial features a two-mile climb that winds its way to the top of the Columbia River Plateau, followed by another climb up to the historic Mosier Tunnels.

“This time trial is unbelievably hard,” Willett said. “It’s probably the most challenging time trial these guys will see all year and quite possibly the hardest one on the domestic scene because of all the climbing and a headwind that’s expected to be 20 to 25 mph.”

Thursday, Toyota-United ignited the stage by attacking after the first of five ascents of the Category 2-rated Cooper Spur climb. With Baldwin, Barberi, Swindlehurst, Jeff Louder (Health Net) and Barry Wicks (Kona Lesgets Factory Team) in the break, the leaders quickly built a 75-second lead 25 miles into the stage.

Fewer than 10 miles later, Blackgrove bridged across to the group of five and helped push the lead up to a nearly two minutes with two 19-mile laps remaining.

“Heath attacked in the hopes that one of the Navigators guys would go with him, which would have put pressure on Health Net and Priority Health,” Willett said. “Unfortunately, nobody went with him.”

The chasing efforts of the Priority Health and Navigators teams eventually brought the margin down as the race closed in on the final lap. With the break about to be caught, Chadwick jumped out of the pack, marked by Toyota-United’s Bobby Lea. The pair worked together to build a nearly minute’s lead with only seven miles to go. But Chadwick eventually ventured off alone and held on to finish one second ahead of Jacques-Maynes, Zajicek and O’Neill.

One consolation for Toyota-United on the day was the effort of Barberi, who took the lead in the King of the Mountains competition. The Brazilian will wear the green-and-white jersey through Saturday, as Friday’s time trial does not figure into the climbing competition.

Labels: Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Baldwin, heath blackgrove, Stefano Barberi

Chris Baldwin (third from right) took fourth in the sprint.
The Dalles, Ore. - Chris Baldwin moved up to third overall at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic Wednesday morning without even climbing onto his bicycle.

Baldwin was listed as the fourth-place finisher in Tuesday’s Stage 1 Panorama Point Prologue time trial. But overnight, race officials determined the original stage winner, Devon Vigus (California Giant/Specialized), was credited with a time one minute faster than his actual finish. The revised results showed Baldwin in third, 11 seconds behind new leader and defending champion Nathan O’Neill (Health Net presented by Maxxis).

Hours later, Baldwin and his Toyota-United teammates were racing Thursday’s 110-mile (176.9 km) Columbia Hills Road Race, the longest stage of the six-day race. With the peloton averaging barely 20 mph for the first two hours, a three-man breakaway easily escaped up the road and built a 13-minute advantage.

It was left to O’Neill’s Health Net squad to do the chasing – and, with help from the Navigators Insurance Cycling Team – the leaders were caught within 15 miles of the finish.

“Guys were mostly suffering from the heat,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said. “We haven’t really done a 90-degree race in the sun all year. Guys started to wilt off the back when the pace picked up.”

Toyota-United’s Stefano Barberi and Justin England were among several riders who went on the attack in the closing miles, further pressuring the Health Net team.

“Navigators chipped in again to help bring them back,” Willett said. “Unfortunately, if a Navigators rider had been in that move, it might have changed things.”

The race was all back together as it entered the final 10 km (6.2 miles), which was a rolling downhill to the finish. Toyota-United’s Bobby Lea led Baldwin out for the bunch sprint in the hopes of helping his teammate earn one of three time bonuses on the line. Baldwin just missed out on another podium finish, placing fourth, as Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling Team presented by Bissell) took the win and moved into the overall lead.

All six of Toyota-United’s riders finished among the lead group of 54 and are in the top 25 in the overall classification heading into Thursday’s 87-mile (140 km) Cooper Spur Circuit Race. The racers will complete four-and-a-half laps of a circuit that comprises 9,200 feet of climbing.

“Basically, one half of the course is a climb, the other half is downhill,” Willett said. “In the past, it’s been smaller groups that have come into the finish – mostly the overall contenders and a few climbers – usually a group of less than 20.”

Willett said the stage might not decide the overall race winner, but it can certainly eliminate someone from contention.

“Tomorrow is going to be a hard day,” he said. “We’ll find out exactly how strong the Health Net guys are because we’ll be on the attack.”

Labels: Chris Baldwin, Justin England, Stefano Barberi

Hood River, Ore. – Chris Baldwin of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team finished fourth in the Panorama Point Prologue time trial Tuesday night at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.

Baldwin was 23 seconds behind the winning time of Devon Vigus (California Giant/Specialized), who clocked a time of five minutes and 50 seconds over the 3.0-mile (4.8 km) course. The race’s defending champion, Nathan O’Neill (Health Net presented by Maxxis), was second (12 seconds behind), while current National Race Calendar standings leader Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling Team presented by Bissell) was third at 20 seconds.

All six Toyota-United riders placed in the top 35 of the 146 starters on the opening day of the six-stage, six-day National Race Calendar event: Justin England (pictured at left) was 15th (37 seconds behind), Heath Blackgrove was 20th (39 seconds behind), Stefano Barberi was 25th (40 seconds behind), Bobby Lea was 30th and Burke Swindlehurst was 32nd (both 45 seconds behind).

Toyota-United lies fifth in the team standings, 14 seconds behind Health Net, after the opening day. California Giant/Specialized is second, Navigators Insurance Cycling Team is third and Priority Health is fourth.

Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said the quality of the field makes Wednesday’s 112-mile (180.2 km) Columbia Hills Road Race an interesting one, particularly with the race leader hailing from an amateur team.

“There are four teams here with solid leaders – us, Health Net, Priority Health and Navigators,” Willett said. “Navigators have seven guys, we have six, Health Net has six and Priority Health has five. So the race is definitely on a different level than it was last year.”

Labels: Bobby Lea, Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Baldwin, Justin England, Stefano Barberi

Russellville, Ark. – Chris Baldwin (pictured at right) came excruciatingly close to winning the Tri-Peaks Challenge Sunday.

The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team’s all-arounder chased hard to catch Andrew Bajadali (Jelly Belly Cycling Team) on the tortuous 18 percent grade of Mount Nebo. But when Baldwin crossed the finish line after nearly 11 hours of racing over four days, he found himself five seconds short.

“Of course I’m frustrated,” Baldwin said. “But the team orchestrated our plan perfectly. The guys led me into the final climb and put me in great position.”

Ivan Stevic, who won the Stage 3 criterium, was the final Toyota-United rider to drive the pace leading up to the final climb. His lung-searing effort dropped all but five riders: teammates Baldwin and Justin England, Bajadli, Predag Prokic (AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork) and Javier Zapata (Caico Cycling).

Overall race leader Karl Menzies (Health Net presented by Maxxis), who had a 27-second lead over Baldwin coming into the final stage, was one of those left behind in the final miles. Menzies wound up sixth in the final standings.

“We did everything that we planned and we didn’t make any mistakes today,” Stevic said. “But Bajadali was just stronger and had better legs in the end.”

England helped pace Baldwin until the closing miles, when Bajadali attacked. The difference in the end proved to be the 15-second time bonus Bajadali was awarded for the win. Baldwin received a 10-second bonus for second place to secure his fourth podium finish at a National Race Calendar event this season.

“I took a lot of time out of him (Bajadali) in the Stage 4 time trial and that was important,” Baldwin said. “Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the best legs today.”

Toyota-United put five riders in the top 20 in the final overall standings. Caleb Manion, who finished third to Stevic on Stage 3, was seventh overall, England was 10th, Stevic finished 14th and Burke Swindlehurst was 16th.

Stevic’s stage win was his second of the season and the team’s 16th overall. Teammate Sean Sullivan helped set up the
victory by spending nearly the entire race in a two-man breakaway.

“Health Net was chasing so hard that if you weren’t in the first 30 guys, you were off the back,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said. “The field was pretty much blown to bits.”

Another highlight of the race was the return of Heath Blackgrove, who had been out with a leg injury since the Amgen Tour of California.

Up next for Toyota-United is the six-day, six-stage Mt. Hood Cycling Classic in Hood River, Ore. It begins May 29.

Labels: Chris Baldwin

Chris Baldwin rode hard Sunday to help Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team
teammate Ivan Stevic try to climb into the overall lead in the final criterium.
Fayetteville, Ark. - Fayetteville, Ark. (May 13, 2007) – Ivan Stevic and Chris Baldwin delivered the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team second and third place overall finishes, respectively, Sunday at the 30th annual Joe Martin Stage Race.

Toyota-United did take the top spot on the podium by winning the team classification at the three-day, four-stage National Race Calendar event to maintain its lead in the NRC team standings.

Rory Sutherland of Health Net was the overall winner of the stage race, finishing four seconds ahead of Stevic and 13 seconds ahead of Baldwin. Stevic also finished second at Joe Martin a year ago.

For Baldwin, it was his second straight podium finish at an NRC stage race. Last weekend, the two-time national time trial champion finished second overall at the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, N.M.

“I feel like I am on top of my game, but there are some great guys racing in the U.S. this year – guys like Rory Sutherland and Ben Jacques-Maynes. It's going to be a competitive year.”

Toyota-United Team Director Harm Jansen said the opportunity was there to overcome Sutherland’s six-second lead heading into the final stage, which was a challenging 85-minutes-plus-three-laps criterium held in oppressive heat.

“I know everybody felt we had a very good shot at it,” Jansen said. “But we could have used guys like Chris Wherry, Henk Vogels and Sean Sullivan today, too.”

Vogels and Wherry, who rode both the Amgen Tour of California and the Tour de Georgia for Toyota-United, did not start the stage race due to illnesses. Sullivan, who helped bring back a three-man breakaway that gained 11 minutes on Stage 1 on Friday, worked hard in Saturday morning’s road race to help reel in a three-man break, but finished outside the time cut.

Baldwin said Health Net did what it had to in order to win the race for the second consecutive time. Last year, Gord Fraser took top honors before retiring at the end of the season.

“I tried to break their composure, but they kept it together,” Baldwin said. “I give those guys (Health Net) a lot of respect. It was a course where it is much easier on the front, and it gets harder each guy you go back. They controlled the front.”

Health Net’s Karl Menzies won the criterium in a field sprint, with Stevic second and Sutherland third. Time bonuses of 10, seven and five seconds, respectively, to the top three finishers provided the final margin of victory.

Labels: Chris Baldwin, Harm Jansen, Ivan Stevic

Toyota-United Team Soigneur Reed McCalvin helps Ivan Dominguez get ready
for the podium ceremony after Dominguez won the 110-mile road race.
Fayetteville, Ark. – Ivan Dominguez of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team grabbed the first-day lead at the 30th annual Joe Martin Stage Race with an impressive victory Friday in the Stage 1 road race.

Dominguez used the lead-out of teammate Ivan Stevic to jump past Karl Menzies (Health Net presented by Maxxis) coming out of the final turn at the end of the 110-mile (177 km) race. Stevic held on to place second, while Toyota-United had three others finish in the top 10: Chris Baldwin (sixth), Caleb Manion (ninth) and Justin England (10th).

The win was Toyota-United’s 15th of the season and its fifth in a National Race Calendar event. It was the eighth victory of the season for Dominguez, but his first since April 1. He came into the three-day, four-stage race in fifth place in the NRC individual standings (after 12 events).

“I was a little worried how I would do because this is my first race since the Tour de Georgia,” Dominguez said. “But I felt good.”

For much of Friday’s race, it looked like three riders who escaped the pack after 12 miles (20 km) would battle it out for the stage win. The trio built an 11-minute lead before the combined efforts of Toyota-United, Health Net presented by Maxxis and the Jelly Belly Cycling Team started bringing the gap down. The last of the three was caught only 3.1 miles (5 km) from the finish.

“At one point, it looked like it was going to get a little tight, so everyone threw in an extra guy (to work),” Toyota-United Team Director Harm Jansen said.

As the finish drew closer, Toyota-United put several riders on the front to set up a lead-out train for Dominguez. Manion handled the initial lead-out, followed by Stevic, who said he liked the uphill finish that featured a six-percent grade in the final 350 meters.

“I didn’t want to put him (Dominguez) in a bad situation by attacking and taking someone with me,” Stevic said. “So it was perfect to stay together and get him the win while I gained a few seconds.”

Due to time bonuses awarded on the finish, Dominguez has a five-second lead over Stevic while third-place finisher on the stage, Alex Candelario (Jelly Belly) is 10 seconds back. Menzies is fourth at 15 seconds and is tied on time with seven other riders, including Baldwin, Manion and England.

Last year, only 21 seconds separated the top three overall finishers: Gord Fraser (first), Stevic (second) and Scott Moninger (third).

“Those eight seconds that separate 10th place with everyone else’s time are crucial. A few GC guys lost a few seconds,” Jansen said.

Toyota-United’s other three riders are among 103 riders who are 23 seconds back: Stefano Barberi (54th place), Jose Manuel-Garcia (55th place), and Sean Sullivan (108th place).

Friday’s race featured more than 5,400 feet of climbing, including a 9.2-mile section with an average grade of 2.7 percent. But Stevic said the tempo being set by the three teams to reel the breakaway back helped Dominguez save his strength.

“It wasn’t that hard so it was good for Ivan,” the Serbian national champion said. “We didn’t go hard on the climbs so he had good legs for the finish.”

Saturday, the 131 remaining professional men’s riders will compete in two stages: a 92-mile (148 km) road race in the morning and a 2.5-mile (4 km) uphill time trial in the afternoon. The road race features a 23-mile loop that includes more than 1,500 feet of climbing on each of the three laps the riders will complete. The individual time trial is a 680-foot climb out of Devil’s Den State Park. The average grade is 6.8 percent.

“I hope to ride a good time trial because it’s going to make the different on the GC,” Stevic said. “But a lot of things can change on the last day because the criterium (on Sunday) is very technical and very hard.”

Labels: Caleb Manion, Chris Baldwin, Ivan Dominguez, Ivan Stevic, Jose Manuel-Garcia, Justin England, Stefano Barberi

Toyota-United's Chris Baldwin (left) was second
to Nathan O'Neil (center). Scott Moninger was third.
Silver City, N.M. - Chris Baldwin of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team didn’t successfully defend his title at 21st edition of the Ben D. Altamirano Tour of the Gila. But you wouldn’t have known it by the smile on his face after Sunday’s final stage.

“I lost to a far superior rider,” Baldwin said after finishing second overall to Nathan O'Neil (Health Net presented by Maxxis). “We took some shots at him, but he certainly earned the win. I'm pretty pleased, though. I feel like I haven't gotten many results this spring, so I'm happy with my result.”

Baldwin finished the five-stage, 339.1-mile (545.7 km) National Race Calendar event one minute and 42 seconds behind O’Neil’s winning time of 13 hours, 58 minutes and 43 seconds. Over five days of racing, Baldwin finished third in the opening time trial Wednesday, third in the Stage 2 Silver City to Mogollon Road Race and third in Sunday’s Stage 5 Gila Monster Road Race.

“It was pretty hard to make much happen today,” Baldwin said of the 105.7-mile (170.2 km) final stage that featured more than 9,000 feet of climbing. “It was a big blow not having Burke (Swindlehurst) today. He's really, really good at riding this stage.”

Swindlehurst, a three-time Tour of the Gila champion (1996, 1998 and 2005) did not start Saturday’s Stage 4 criterium after coming down with a 24-hour stomach flu after Friday’s Stage 3 Inner Loop Road Race.

“He (Burke) is doing better now, but we really felt his absence,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said. “It's hard when you're down to three climbers on a stage like this because all three have to have a good day.”

While Toyota-United successfully defending Baldwin’s second place overall, it was unable to hold onto its lead in the team classification. Justin England finished 10th Sunday and wound up eighth overall, 4:32 behind the winning time. But teammate Stefano Barberi, who was eighth overall heading into the final stage, had the misfortune of getting a flat tire midway through Sunday’s race.

“We got him back on and he fought real well to be our third guy on the road,” Willett said. “It’s too bad he had to overcome that flat tire, though. It took a little a bit of wind out of his sails.”

Barberi ended up crossing the finish line with a group that arrived more than eight minutes after stage winner Scott Moninger (BMC Pro Cycling Team). That dropped the Brazilian to 15th overall, 12:07 behind O’Neil.

Toyota-United’s other remaining riders, Ivan Stevic and Jose Manuel-Garcia, did not finish the final stage. Stevic spent more than 150 kilometers riding in breakaways on Stages 2 and 3 (finishing third on Stage 3) and placed fifth in Saturday’s Stage 4 Downtown Silver City Criterium.

“They both did a great job of supporting the other guys on the first half of Sunday’s stage,” Willett said. “Once you get dropped on a stage like this, you’re done unless you’re still in contention. Since both of those guys are doing the Joe Martin Stage Race next week, it’s wise that they saved their legs.”

Labels: Chris Baldwin, Justin England, Kirk Willett

Silver City, N.M. - Ivan Stevic’s bid for a stage win for the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team at the Tour of the Gila didn’t succeed Saturday. But it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

Twice, Stevic launched himself into viable breakaways during Stage 4’s 43.2-mile (69.7 km) Downtown Silver City Criterium. The first time, he bridged a 15-second gap to join teammate Jose Manuel-Garcia (pictured below), who was part of a five-man breakaway that formed halfway through the 34-lap race. With Stevic and Chad Hartley (BMC Pro Cycling) giving the escapees more power, their lead increased to 50 seconds.

“It was looking pretty good for us for awhile but then Jelly Belly and Health Net started riding tempo,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said.

Inside of 10 laps remaining, the gap between the breakaway and the field was down to less than 15 seconds. This triggered Stevic’s second attack, which only Nick Reistad (Jelly Belly) could follow. But with Reistad under orders not to work, the two-time Serbian national champion was forced to go it alone. His efforts kept the pair out front until they were caught with two laps to go.

Despite working so hard Saturday – and in two long breakaways Thursday and Friday – Stevic still managed a fifth-place finish as Bryce Jones (Jelly Belly) won the field sprint. With the overall standings unchanged, Toyota-United’s Chris Baldwin remains in second place overall, one minute and 59 seconds behind Nathan O’Neill (Health Net presented by Maxxis). O’Neill has worn the leader’s pink jersey since winning the race’s opening time trial on Wednesday.

With only Sunday’s Gila Monster Road Race remaining, Toyota-United holds the lead in the team classification, thanks to having three riders in the top 11: Baldwin in second, Stefano Barberi in eighth, 3:43 behind) and Justin England in 11th, 3:56 behind. A fourth Toyota-United rider, Burke Swindlehurst, who was in ninth overall after Friday’s stage, came down with a stomach virus and was unable to start Saturday’s race, Willett said.

“Unfortunately, we lost a really strong guy for tomorrow,” Willett said.

Sunday’s 105.7-mile (170.2 km) race traditionally shakes up the overall standings, thanks to its challenging terrain, the altitude and overall distance.

“With O’Neill riding so well it will be hard to challenge him,” Willett said. “But he could find himself riding without any teammates in the last 20 miles. Then we’ll see what happens. It will definitely be a hard day.”

Labels: Chris Baldwin, Ivan Stevic, Jose Manuel-Garcia, Justin England, Kirk Willett

Bayard, N.M. – The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team garnered its third consecutive podium finish at the Tour of the Gila when Ivan Stevic finished third on the Inner Loop Road Race Friday.

Stevic was part of a four-man breakaway that escaped a shattered peloton approximately halfway through the 80-mile (129.6 km) race. A concerted attack from the gun by Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle decimated the field down to 18 riders, from which Stevic, Tom Peterson (Team Slipstream), Nick Resitad (Jelly Belly Cycling Team) and David Salomon (P&S-Halcones) eventually powered away to build a maximum lead of three minutes.

That advantage evaporated quickly in the closing miles, though, but the quartet managed to hold off the fast-charging field. Peterson took the win on a flat tire, ahead of Resitad and Stevic (pictured at far left), respectively.

Toyota-United’s other finishers in the lead group were Chris Baldwin (third-place finisher on Stages 1 and 2), who was eighth, Justin England (13th), Burke Swindlehurst (17th) and Stefano Barberi (26th).

For Stevic, it was the second consecutive day he found himself part of a long breakaway.

“I’d say he has spent close to 240 km (150 miles) riding on the front,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett. “He’s got a nose for getting into breaks. He’s always good at finding himself in the right one. He’s got the punch to jump across when it looks like it’s going to work.”

Feeling the exhaustion afterwards, Stevic was a man of few words.

“I wasn’t necessarily going to be in a break, but it was good for the team,” the Serbian national champion said. “They didn’t have to work at all.”

With the overall standings remaining relatively unchanged, Toyota-United maintained its lead in the team classification. In the individual classification, Baldwin is second, 1:59 behind of overall leader Nathan O’Neil (Health Net presented by Maxxis). Three other Toyota-United riders are in the top 11 overall: Stefano Barberi (8th, 3:43 behind), Burke Swindlehurst (9th, 3:45 behind) and Justin England (11th, 3:56 behind). Prior to Friday’s stage, race officials corrected Barberi’s placing on Stage 2, which moved him up from 12th place to eighth overall.

The penultimate stage of the five-day, five-stage event is Saturday’s Downtown Silver City Criterium, a 43.2-mile (69.7 km) race around a 1.08-mile (1.73 km) relatively flat rectangle.

Labels: Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Baldwin, Ivan Stevic, Justin England, Kirk Willett

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

Baldwin averaged 27.9 mph in the 16.15-mile time trial.
Tyrone, N.M. - Led by Chris Baldwin’s third-place finish in Wednesday’s Dan Potts Memorial Tyrone Time Trial, five Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team riders placed in the top 25 on the opening stage of the 21st annual Ben D. Altamirano Tour of the Gila.

Baldwin finished one minute and 29 seconds behind Nathan O’Neil (Health Net presented by Maxxis), who won the 16.15-mile (26 km) race against the clock in 33 minutes and 13 seconds. Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling Team) finished second, 1:15 behind O’Neil. Baldwin is the race’s defending champion.

The revelation of the opening day of the five-day, five-stage, 339.1-mile (545.7 km) race was Toyota-United’s Stefano Barberi. Starting his second National Race Calendar stage race of the season, the 5-foot-9 Brazilian finished 10th, 2:14 behind.

The third-year pro (pictured at right), who makes his home in Boulder, Colo., already has one win to his credit this season. He captured the Stazio Criterium in Boulder on March 25 and rode to a pair of runner-up finishes in challenging mountain road races in Colorado in mid-April.

“It’s good to see him come out and have a good ride like that,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said.

Toyota-United’s other placers Wednesday were: Burke Swindlehurst, 13th, 2:29 behind; Ivan Stevic, 17th, 2:48 behind; Justin England, 23rd, 3:03 behind; and Jose Manuel-Garcia, 38th, 3:49 behind. In the team standings, Toyota-United is second behind Health Net.

Willett said the cancellation of the Tour of Utah – originally scheduled for a late June start – has bolstered the quality of competition in the 121-rider field.

“This is probably one of the deepest fields that have ever come here,” Willett said. “O’Neil will be very well-supported by his team and he’s been on form since the Tour de Georgia. But this race has so much climbing and wind that anything can happen. We’re optimistic that our guys can climb well and go after stage wins, which would move them up the general classification.”

Two Toyota-United riders who were penciled in on the team’s original eight-man roster for the race did not start Wednesday. New Zealander Heath Blackgrove continues to recover from a leg injury sustained in the Amgen Tour of California while American Chris Wherry was bothered by stomach problems earlier this week, Willett said.

Thursday’s stage is the 94.1-mile (152.3 km) Silver City to Mogollon Road Race, a race that finishes with a grueling 2,100-foot climb.

“The last five kilometers are really steep all the way to the line,” Willett said. “The course itself pretty much goes one direction (northwest). What we don’t know is which way the wind will be blowing. The forecast is for it to be rather windy, so the race could be really wide open early.”

Labels: Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Baldwin, Justin England, Stefano Barberi