Alison Powers and Ian MacGregor each scored victories and Ken Hanson and Chris Jones added podium finishes at criteriums in California to cap a successful weekend for Team Type 1.
MacGregor took Saturday’s opening stage of the Dead Dog Classic Memorial Stage Race in Albany, Wyo., on the way to a fourth-place overall in the two-day, three-stage race that featured the largest field in its 21-year history.
MacGregor out-climbed the rest of the field on two ascents of Snowy Range Pass to solo in ahead of Bradley White (OUCH presented by Maxxis) and Ian Gray (Ciclismo Racing). White went on to win the overall crown.
Powers beat Eszter Horanyi (Waltworks/Fuentes Design) by nearly three minutes in Cross Country Super Loop, the second race of Colorado’s Winter Park Mountain Bike Race Series. The 17.2-mile (27.7 km) race featured 2,626 feet of climbing. The reigning U.S. time trial champion used it as a tune-up for next month’s USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships in Granby, Colo.
In Southern California, the odds weren’t in his favor, but Hanson said he had to take a chance when he hit the front of the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix with the finish line in sight.
“It was too early for me, but at that point we knew that was our best opportunity to win,” Hanson said, replaying the final 150 meters of the 80-minute criterium that is run in the shadow of the Pacific Ocean.
The reigning national criterium champion nearly made it to the line first, getting passed only by Rock Racing’s Rahsaan Bahati – who won the National Racing Calendar event for the third straight year – and Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light).
Team Type 1 Assistant Director Gord Fraser said Joe Eldridge and Matt Wilson did yeoman’s work covering and killing moves while keeping Hanson and Aldo Ino Ilesic close to the front in anticipation of a field sprint.
Hanson’s last-lap gamble was set up when Team Type 1’s four riders found themselves caught in traffic as the pace slowed.
“Matt got us to the base of the little riser on the course with 500 or 600 meters to go,” Hanson said. “Then Aldo started sprinting and we passed more than 20 guys before we came to the Rock Racing train.”
In Northern California Sunday, Jones finished third at the Fidelity Investments Burlingame (Calif.) Criterium behind Scott Zwizanski (Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Chad Gerlach (Amore & Vita McDonald's Pro Cycling Team). The result was the 50th podium finish of the season for the Team Type 1 men’s professional team.
Photos: Courtesy Cassandra Jones (bottom; Chris Jones (second from right) earned a runner-up finish behind Scott Zwizanski (center) at the Fidelity Investments Burlingame Criterium Sunday)
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