Team Type 1’s Powers Keys Historic Day

Fayetteville, Ark. – Alison Powers was the star of the show on the most prolific day in the history of Team Type 1’s professional cycling programs.

The U.S. national time trial champion motored away from the field near the end of Sunday’s criterium at the Joe Martin Stage Race to score an impressive win that sealed her overall victory in the National Racing calendar event. Powers’ teammate, Jen McRae, won the field sprint to help Team Type 1 earn a runner-up finish to Webcor Builders in the team classification.

“Our plan was to race aggressively,” Team Type 1 women’s team director Jack Seehafer said. “Part of our goal initially for Alison and the team was to bring her on as a GC (general classification) rider. With the way this team is, we have been able to fine tune that, especially with our other riders filling other important roles.”

Powers’ stage win and overall title came just about two hours before Chris Jones of the Team Type 1 men’s squad scored a victory in that criterium. Among the crowd on hand for both accomplishments in Downtown Fayetteville, Ark., was Orbea’s Tony Karklins, managing director of Orbea's U.S. distributor, which has its headquarters in nearby Little Rock.

“Today was very satisfying,” Powers said. “I think the whole team is super psyched that we are doing so well.”

Powers’ wire-to-wire victory – her ninth of the season and the 24th overall for the Team Type 1 women – also means she retains her overall lead in the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series (WPCS). Teammate Kori Seehafer leads the WPCS sprint classification. Both will wear their leaders jerseys at next month’s Nature Valley Grand Prix, the third event of the WPCS.

It was Seehafer’s attack toward the end of Sunday’s criterium that provided the springboard for Powers to launch her race-winning move.

“Kori has won on this course before and she had some amazing attacks that just wore people down,” Powers said, “I knew after the last one she did, I would be ready to attack. I was just waiting for it to happen. Jack saw the lull and told me ‘attack now’ on the radio.”