After a year's absence, national-class stage racing has returned to
Colorado, as the Grand Prix de Rio Grande gave cycling fans in the Rocky
Mountain State three days of first-rate competition. Sponsored by Jose
Cuervo and the Rio Grande restaurant chain, as well as Saturn of Fort
Collins, Cannondale, and Briko, the event featured a $10,000 prize list,
as
well as two extremely tough courses that left competitors quite literally
breathless.
Following Friday evening's winner-take-all street sprints in downtown
Denver, the stage race began in earnest with the Mike Horgan Hill Climb
the
next morning. With the backbreaking climbs of Sugarloaf and El Dora included
in the 23-mile mass start event, it didn't take long for selections to
be
made. In the men's race, the trio of Chris Wherry, Scott Moninger (both
Mercury-Viatel), and Danny Pate (Prime Alliance) found themselves nearly
90
seconds up on a four-man chase going into the final few miles. The Mercury
duo then took turns attacking Pate; Pate countered the first few moves,
but
Wherry was finally able to get clear, finishing 25 seconds up on Moninger,
who outsprinted Pate for third. Navigators' Brendon Vesty took fourth
at
1:15, while Michael Barry (Saturn), led in three other chasers for fifth.
The women's hillclimb followed a similar pattern, as Collegiate National
Champion Sarah Konrad (Boise Cascade Office Products) found herself out
front and outnumbered by the Gatorade Energy Bar pair of Karen Bockel
and
Dede Demet-Barry. As the final climb began, the two Gatorade riders began
attacking Konrad, till Bockel- who only did her first bicycle race of
any
kind this past spring- made an attack that stuck, ultimately finishing
1:21
ahead of Demet-Barry and 4:26 ahead of Konrad. Rebecca McClintock (Gatorade
Energy Bar) was the best of the rest, taking fourth at 7:50, just ahead
of
Paragon's Kristy Kopasz.
If Saturday's hillclimb took a toll, then Sunday's road race in the Fort
Collins area was even worse, as the grueling 13.5-mile circuit combined
with
scorching temperatures to make it a death march for some. The men's 81-mile
event blew apart early, as a quartet of riders quickly gained an
unassailable 11-minute gap over the scattered chasers. However, the four
became two.....and then one, as 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist's Clark Sheehan
was
forced to withdraw, leaving Dane Soren Peterson (Saturn) to solo in for
the
victory over a decimated field. Hometown hero Jonathan Heidemann (Rio
Grande/Monsoon Racing) took second, just ahead of Peterson's Saturn mate
Tim
Johnson, while Wherry and Barry round out the top five.
The women's road race was basically a carryover of the hillclimb, with
Bockel, Demet-Barry, and Konrad quickly shedding themselves of the rest.
However, Konrad managed to turn the tables this time: taking advantage
of
Bockel's inexperience and Demet-Barry's lack of race mileage (the Grand
Prix
de Rio Grande was just her second event since announcing her retirement
from
world-class cycling last fall), Konrad beat them to the punch and attacked,
eventually soloing in ahead of the two Gatorade Energy Bar riders, while
McClintock led in the remnants of the field for fourth, just ahead of
Kopasz.
Overall, Wherry and Bockel held on to win the overall titles at the Grand
Prix de Rio Grande, which is already looking ahead to next year, despite
a
lighter-than-expected turnout for some of the other categories. "We
were a
little disappointed with the number of riders in the other races,"
says race
director Matthew Smith. "However, we intend for the Grand Prix de
Rio Grande
to be even bigger and better in 2002- new format and new stages!"
And if
that happens, stage racing in Colorado may be back to stay.
Overall Results
Men Pro/1/2
1. Chris Wherry (Mercury-Viatel), 33 points
2. Danny Pate (Prime Alliance), 22 points
3. Soren Petersen (Saturn), 21 points
4. Michael Barry (Saturn), 20 points
5. Scott Moninger (Mercury-Viatel), 19 points
6. Jonathan Heidemann (Rio Grande-Monsoon Racing), 19 points
7. Brendon Vesty (Navigators), 18 points
8. Tim Johnson (Saturn), 17 points
9. Michael Creed (Prime Alliance), 8 points
10. Andrew Bajadali (unattached), 5 points
Women Pro/1/2
1. Karen Bockel (Gatorade Energy Bar), 38 points
2. Sarah Konrad (Boise Cascade Office Products), 35 points
3. Dede Demet-Barry (Gatorade Energy Bar), 33 points
4. Rebecca McClintock (Gatorade Energy Bar), 26 points
5. Christy Kopasz (Paragon), 20 points
6. Gail Longenecker (Boise Cascade Office Products), 10 points
7. Kirsten Fisher (Gatorade Energy Bar), 9 points
8. Brenda Black (unattached), 7 points
9. Martha Meyer (Procter & Gamble), 4 points
10. Renee Eastman (Veritas), 3 points
|
