Philadelphia – Alison Powers’ sixth-place finish led Team Type 1 Sunday at the 14th edition of the TD Bank Liberty Classic.The reigning United States time trial champion was among a group of a dozen riders who slipped the field on the final of four laps around the 14.4-mile course through the streets of Philadelphia. As they rounded the finishing straight onto Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Powers started her sprint from 300 meters out.
“I thought I better go now or else the sprinters will gap me,” she said. “I pretty much led out the people that were on my wheel. I’m a little disappointed that I was thinking too much, but I’ve never been in a situation like that.”
Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Columbia-Highroad) was first to the finish line of the 56-mile (91 km) race to win it for the third time. Joanne Kiesanowski (Team TIBCO) was second and Shelley Olds (PROMAN Hit Squad) was third.
Powers did increase her lead in the National Racing Calendar (NRC) standings by earning 54 points for her top 10 finish. The second and third-place riders in the NRC standings – Katheryn Mattis (Webcor Builders) and third-place Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce) did not score points. (Armstrong wasn’t in the race, while Mattis finished 41st.)
All five Team Type 1 riders finished the race: Jen McRae was 15th, Veronica Leal 33rd, Kori Seehafer 36th and Jacquelyn Crowell finished 52nd.
Seehafer, who has ridden nearly every edition of the race since 1999, said it was one of the most aggressive that she could recall. At one point, the women’s field passed the men’s race that was traveling on the same course. The men started their 156-mile (250 km) race about 10 minutes ahead of the women.
“There was the potential for a break to go every time we went up the climb (of the Manayunk Wall),” Seehafer said. “I couldn’t accelerate hard today so I blew myself up the last time up the climb to get Allie (Powers) and Jen (McRae) in position.”
Photos: Courtesy of Casey B. Gibson (www.cbgphoto.com)
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