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By Pat Malach – Oregon Cycling Action

Monday, April 6, 2009

The complete Gorge Delights Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic wrap-up can now be found at VeloNews.com.

Cycling Action photo galleries from the 2009 Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic will be posted HERE soon. Due to the obvious time constraints of photographing and reporting three different groups in four races over three days, most galleries are limited to pro/1/2 men, pro/1/2/3 women and masters men. Saturday’s Cherry City Criterium also includes the men’s Cat. 3 field. Congratulations to Breakaway Promotions and Sorella Forte for an absolutely fantastic inaugural Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic. Hope to see you all there again next year!

By Pat Malach – Oregon Cycling Action

Sunday, April 5, 2009

THE DALLES — Adrian Hegyvary (Hagens Berman) soloed in ahead of Bissell’s Paul Mach to win stage four of the Cherry Blossom Classic. Land Rover-Orbea’s Evan Elken came across the line for third more than a minute later.

The course sent riders grinding up a long, exposed climb into the Columbia hills, then down a hair-raising descent into the town of Mosier that saw speeds in excess of 50 mph, followed by a technical descent through the Rowena Loops on the Historic Columbia River Highway. Temps pushed 80 and the winds subsided for the second day in a row.

Hegyvary’s second stage win — he also won the stage 2 time trial — wasn’t enough to unseat race leader Mach, who won the General Classification with a time of 7:46:35. Mach’s Bissell teammate Jeremy Vennell finished second overall four minutes and 38 seconds down. Hagens Berman’s Nick Clayville finished third 06:25 behind Mach.

WOMEN PRO/1/2/3
Patricia Bailey picked off her third win in four stages by out-sprinting a group of seven for the line, finishing in front of Heather Albert (Riverstone Women’s Racing Team) and Robin Secrist (Veloforma). Despite Bailey’s hat-trick weekend, Secrist’s winning time trial effort was the difference in the overall, propelling the Kirkland, Wash., rider into the GC lead where she remained for the rest of the race.

Zimbelman Caps Masters GC Crown With Final Stage Win

ZteaM’s Dave Zimbelman added some icing to the cake of his GC win by taking the final stage in a three-up sprint over break-away companions John Browning (Cyclepath) and Mike McManus (Finnegan’s Toys). The day’s effort helped lift Browning into second overall on GC, McManus finished third overall.

By Pat Malach – Oregon Cycling Action

Saturday, April 4, 2009

THE DALLES — Land Rover-Orbea tuned their team game to perfection in the men’s pro/1/2 race of the Cherry City Criterium, launching Roman Van Unden across the line ahead of the Hagens Berman’s lead-out train and Bissell’s pros. Steven Beardsley (Gentle Lovers) snuck into the mix for second. Joshua Liberales (Ten Speed Drive) outfoxed the field for third.

The third stage of the Cherry Blossom Classic featured a four-corner 1K crit in downtown The Dalles. Sunny skies and summer-like temps greeted riders, who had been challenged by bitter temps and sustained winds in Friday’s stage 1 road race. Saturday evening’s criterium was shortened from 50 minutes to 35 after the start was delayed by a crash on the last lap of the Women’s Pro/1/2/3 race that required medical attention for several riders.

With a shortened race on tap, the field showed little tolerance for escape attempts — not that it discouraged people from trying. But the inevitable field sprint of the shortened stage played out in an exciting finale.

Although they had two riders in the top-two spots overall, the boys from Bissell were outnumbered against the powerful (and well-stocked) Land Rover-Orbea and Hagens Berman lead outs.

“It was really a full team effort for the last few laps,” Van Unden said of his win. “Evan (Elken) was my last man out there. He took me through the last two corners and I came right off his wheel.”

Portland’s Gentle Lovers grabbed some limelight when Steven Beardsley worked his way to the front by jumping into the Hagens Berman train.

“I actually cut into their lead-out about the first guy through,” he said. “The Land Rover-Orbea guys came up beside them and I saw Roman (Van Unden) there. I knew he was their guy to sprint so I jumped on his wheel.”

Unfortunately for Beardsley his spot turned out to be just one wheel too far back in the bunch as Elken launched Van Unden across the line. Van Unden said his team put him in the right spot at the right time.

“Steven Beardsely was right there, but he had some issues taking the last corner too tight and skipped out his wheel,” Van Unden said. “Even he said afterward you had to be second wheel to win the race. And that’s where I was.”

Stage 3
1. Roman Van Unden (Land Rover-Orbea)
2. Steven Beardsley (Gentle Lovers)
3. Joshua Liberales (Ten-Speed Drive)

Men Pro/1/2 Overall
1. Paul Mach (Bissell) 4:01:49
2. Jeremy Vennell (Bissell) +1:44
3. Nick Clayville (Hagens Berman) +3:31

Women Pro/1/2/3

Stage One winner Patricia Bailey (Wines of Washington) was first through the last corner of the Women’s Pro/1/2/3 race and held her advantage to the line over the fast-charging Heather Albert (Riverstone Women’s Racing Team). Overall race leader Robin Secrist (Veloforma) was third.

The race was marred by a terrifying last-corner crash that sent four riders to the local hospital. Early reports indicate everyone is OK.

In a race typified by short-lived attacks that were quickly swallowed up by the motivated field, Bailey knew she’d need to be first out of the last corner to win a field sprint.

“In the earlier races, no one changed position coming out of the last corner,” Bailey said. “So I decided to (attack) on the back side of the course into the wind. Team Group Health girls did a great job of keeping the pace up, and that was really, really helpful.”

Stage 3
1. Patricia Bailey (Wines of washington)
2. Heather Albert (Riverstone Women’s Racing)
3. Robin Secrist (Veloforma)

Women Pro/1/2/3 Overall
1. Secrist 3:47:59
2. Albert +:31
3. Bailey +59

MASTERS 40+50+

Hood River speedster Karsten Hagen’s love of wine propelled him to a win in the Masters 40+50+ race. The ZteaM rider got a gap while winning a bottle of wine in a prime with about eight minutes to go and decided to take it all the way to the line. The field finished nipping at his heels, led by Wines of Washington riders Joe Baratto and Mark Hinman.

Hagen (pictured in ZteaM blue) seemed determined to make something happen in the race, initiating the fist move of the day with ZteaM comrade Clint Chase, and then jumping into just about every attack for the rest of the day. But it was his love of wine that motivated what turned out to be the winning move.

“I tried to win a bottle of wine and just kept going,” Hagen said. “I saw I had a gap and just opened it up and gave it everything I had.”

Hagen, who finished third in the combined field at February’s Jack Frost Time Trial, put his skills to use staying away from the field.

“I kept looking back because I was fairly sure they were going to catch me, and they finally did right at the line there,” he said. “I’m a good time-trialer, and that helped, because I did not want to be in a field sprint.”

Stage 3:
1. Karsten Hagen (ZteaM)
2. Joe Baratto (Wines of Washington)
3. Mark Hinman (Wines of Washington)

Masters 40+50+ Overall
1. David Zimbelman (ZteaM) 3:33:21
2. Todd Gallaher (Counterbalance) +:08
3. Mike McManus (Finnegans Toys/Discover Chiropractic) +:11

By Pat Malach – Oregon Cycling Action

THE DALLES — Washington’s Hagens Berman team came out swinging Saturday morning, claiming two of the top three spots in the time trial after falling prey to a Bissell one-two punch during Friday’s opening stage.

Hagens Berman rider Adrian Hegyvary set the best time of the day, covering the 8-mile out-and-back course in 17 minutes, 4 seconds. Hegyvary’s Hagens Berman teammate Patrick Stanko finished third on the day, with a time of 0:17:44. Bissell’s Jeremy Vennell, (second on stage 1) was sandwiched in between the Washington duo.

Despite Hagens Berman’s stage 2 success, the four-man Bissell squad’s efforts Friday in the road race, taking the top two spots and putting several minutes into the competition, was enough to keep overall race leader Paul Mach (Bissell) on top of GC. Mach finished seventh in the time trail, setting a time of 0:17:54.

WOMEN PRO/1/2

Veloforma’s Robin Secrist used her winning time trial to take the GC lead in the women’s race. Secrist’s time of 0:19:44 gave her the win over Riverstone Racing’s Heather Albert, who finished with a time of 0:20:15. Friday’s winner, Patrcia Bailey (Wines of Washington), finished third at 0:20:43. Albert now sits second overall, with Bailey in third.

Gallaher Sets Pace For Masters Field In Stage Two, Takes GC Lead

Counterbalance’s Todd Gallaher set the pace for the Masters 40+ field with a time of 0:18:17. Gallaher’s winning ride was also enough to propel him into the GC lead after two stages. Mike McManus (Finnegan’s Toy’s) finished second with a time trial mark of 0:18:20. ZteaM’s Clint Chase finished third at 0:18:22.