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

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

Burke Swindlehurst (left) joins Justin England (right) and
stage winner Darren Lill (Navigators Insurance Cycling Team).
Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area, Oregon – Intent on making sure Stefano Barberi remained in the King of the Mountains jersey at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett devised a plan Saturday that would pay even bigger dividends.

Facing the toughest stage of the race, Willett instructed Barberi and teammate Burke Swindlehurst to initiate a break early on in Stage 5’s 89-mile (143.2 km) Wy’East Road Race. The result was an eight-man group that stayed in front nearly the entire stage, with Swindlehurst finishing second, followed by teammate Justin England in third.

“We had a plan set up for today and everyone executed the plan exactly as we discussed,” Willett said. “We came out of that with second and third on the day and the KOM jersey. That’s a pretty darn good day.”

Darren Lill (Navigators Insurance Cycling Team) rode away from Swindlehurst and Barberi in the final kilometers to win the stage by 21 seconds. England jumped out of the peloton with 3.1 miles (5 km) to go and finished seven seconds behind Swindlehurst. The result moved England up to sixth place overall, two minutes and 55 seconds behind race leader Nathan O’Neill (Health Net presented by Maxxis).

“This race has been really tough, with good courses,” England said. “But I think our team has represented itself well. We’ve been active in the breakaways – both today and yesterday – but we really would have liked to have come away with a stage win.”

Barberi said he envisioned the early breakaway being able to stay away on the course that featured 9,200 feet of climbing. At one point, the escapees had a four-minute lead.

“It was a good group of guys and everyone was working well together,” Barberi said. “There was no looking back. We were either going to win the stage or destroy the rest of the field. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the win.”

With only Sunday’s 60-minute Downtown Criterium remaining in the six-day race, Barberi needs only to finish to win the first-ever special classification of his three-year professional career.

Toyota-United also moved into third place Saturday in the team classification behind Navigators Insurance Cycling Team and Health Net presented by Maxxis.

Labels: Burke Swindlehurst, Justin England, 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

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

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

Richmond, Va. - Henk Vogel’s 12th place finish led the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team Saturday at the Inaugural U.S. Open Cycling Championships in Richmond, Va.

Canadian Svein Tuft (Symmetrics Cycling) soloed away from breakaway companion Pat McCarty (Team Slipstream Presented by Chipotle) in the final three miles to earn the victory in the 113-mile race from Williamsburg to Richmond. McCarty held off Alejandro Borrajo (Rite Aid) for second.

Besides Vogels, five other Toyota-United riders were among the 54 finishers: Sean Sullivan (18th), Ivan Stevic (27th), Ivan Dominguez (28th), Caleb Manion (29th) and Justin England (44th).

Vogels and Dominguez each found themselves in breakaways at some point during the race. Vogels was part of a group that never gained more than 30 seconds’ lead on the road to Richmond. Later, the Australian integrated himself into a three-man move that was off the front with five laps to go. But again, the gap never reached more than 30 seconds and Vogels’ escape ended with a flat tire.

Dominguez was part of a seven-rider group that tried to close the gap on McCarty when the Slipstream rider attacked with three laps to go. Instead, Tuft bridged across to McCarty and the pair quickly built a 39-second gap with two laps to go. Dominguez’s group was caught by the remnants of the pack with 5.5 miles to go, but Tuft and McCarty were already more than a minute up the road.

The dynamic I was worried about going into this race was that we would be in a position as the team to beat,” Toyota-United Team Director Harm Jansen said. “So having the numbers at the end kind of put us at a disadvantage. Everyone else looked to us to do the chasing.”

Toyota-United’s Justin England said Stevic, Sullivan and Manion did what they could to close the gap and get Vogels and Dominguez in a position to win.

“We came up empty in the end, but we gave it a go,” he said.

The more-than-150 riders who started the race endured driving snow at the start that gave way to sunshine, only to have it start snowing again. Winds gusting to nearly 30 miles an hour buffeted the peloton, which stayed in intact until it reached the first of eight laps along a 5.5-mile circuit finish in Richmond. The race finished under sunny skies, with temperatures in the upper 30s.

“With the cold and the wind and the morning start, it made the race a lot harder,” Jansen said. “Had we had sunshine and warmer temperatures, it would have been much less harder.”

Labels: Caleb Manion, Henk Vogels, Ivan Dominguez, Ivan Stevic, Jose Manuel-Garcia, Justin England, Sean Sullivan