As temperatures reached the upper 80's, the sun shone brightly upon a very enthusiastic crowd that filled downtown Reading for an exciting day of racing.
The "I" in Team High Road
Its difficult to say whether Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Team High Road) would rather be racing with her teammates up in Montreal or in Pennsylvania defending her Commerce Bank Triple Crown Championship this week. Through two-thirds of the Triple Crown events, she has managed to win the first two without a single teammate in the field.
On Tuesday, the 33-year old certainly could have benefitted from a few friendly faces at the Commerce Bank Lehigh Valley Classic. She made it particularly difficult on herself by having to bridge up to the lead group in the final laps before taking the sprint finale in downtown Allentown.
In Reading, however, her teammates would have been reduced to spectators as she made the final selection and out-kicked her four breakaway companions to take the Commerce Bank Reading Classic.
After a few unsuccessful breakaway attempts, it was the solo effort by Team TIBCO's Amber Rais that would draw out the heavy favorites in the field. At the approximate midpoint of the 14 lap, 25 mile women's race, Rais started to channel her inner Jens and created a considerable gap between herself and the peloton.
The reaction of the peloton was swift and unmerciless once they decided to give chase. The 90 strong women's field quickly splintered into four distinct groups in their attempt to capture Rais.
Once Amber was caught, former US National and World Champion Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce) would take over the pace making as she countered and took a flyer of her own.
Only a very select group of four, including Teutenberg, Rais' teammate Joanne Kiesanowski, Alison Powers (Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light), and Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine), could go with Armstrong.
Each took their turn to make sure the break stuck, but it was the rider from Team High Road who took command in the final three laps of the race. In the penultimate straightaway and in the final turns, each of Teutenberg's breakaway companions had a go at unseating her. First it was Armstrong and then Powers, but it was all Teutenberg once they hit the long final uphill straightaway.
Joanne Kiesanowski would take second, and Laura Van Gilder would round out the podium coming from behind to edge out Powers and a quickly fading Armstrong.
With a full complement of teammates at the Liberty Classic, the rider from Mettmann, Germany is well on her way to winning the three events that make up the Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling two years in a row.
Results
1 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Team High Road)
2 Joanne Kiesanowski (Team TIBCO)
3 Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine)
4 Alison Powers (Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light)
5 Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce)
6 Kelly Benjamin (Cheerwine)
7 Amber Rais (Team TIBCO)
8 Shontell Gautheir (Colavita/Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light)
9 Kacey Manderfield (Verducci/Breakaway)
10 Lara Kroepsch (Value Act Capital)
Sevilla Rocks Reading
Rock Racing scored its biggest victory of the season Thursday when Oscar Sevilla soloed to victory in the Commerce Bank Reading Classic.
The 11 lap men's professional race started a bit inauspiciously as an early crash caused race officials to slow the race down to a crawl in the first lap. But once the reigns were removed, the peloton got quickly up to speed and stretched out single file.
With multiple breakaway attempts by various riders, it would be the final break that would ultimately succeed.
On the final lap, the group of Sevilla, Bernardo Colex (Tecos de la Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara), Moises Aldape (Team Type 1), and Team Type 1 teammate Valeriy Kobzarenko would be the first to see the climb up Mount Penn one final time.
The Spaniard attacked the trio of breakaway companions in the final six miles of the 74-mile (119 km) race that finished with three ascents of the challenging switchback climb of Mount Penn. The attack was so vicious that none of Sevilla's breakaway companions would finish in the top fifty.
Sevilla crossed the finish line six seconds ahead of Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team High Road) while Bernhard Eisel (Team High Road) won the field sprint for third three seconds later.
“I am on good form after the Vuelta a Colombia, which was very mountainous,” Sevilla said. “The race was hard but my team was very good today. This is a fantastic moment for Rock Racing.”
The victory was Sevilla’s third of the year and the 18th overall by Rock Racing this season. Sevilla also scored wins at the San Dimas Stage Race (Stage 1) and the Vuelta a Colombia (Stage 9) in May.
Results
1 Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing)
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team High Road)
3 Bernhard Eisel (Team High Road)
4 Frank Pipp (Health Net p/b Maxxis)
5 Brad Huff (Jelly Belly)
6 Eric Baumann (Team Sparkasse)
7 Anibal Andres Borrajo (Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light)
8 Francois Parisien (Team R.A.C.E.)
9 Antonio Cruz (BMC)
10 Alex Candelario (Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast)
Photos: Leonard Basobas
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