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Fitchburg,
Mass. (July 1, 2005) – After Ben Jacques-Maynes’ win yesterday
in the opening time trial at the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic, the Kodak
Gallery/Sierra Nevada Professional Cycling Team did today what a race
leader’s team is supposed to do: mark dangerous riders, allow a
non-threatening breakaway some rope, and bring everything back together
for the finish.
“Our tactics were perfect today and everything played out just like
we'd planned, “ Jacques-Maynes said afterwards. ”But since
we had seven strong guys riding on the front, that should come as no surprise."
Today’s stage was a 78-mile circuit race contested on a difficult
3.1-mile circuit with a long false-flat followed by a fast descent into
a treacherous corner at the bottom of a short, steep hill up to the finish
line.
Early in the race, Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada’s main G.C. riders
– Jacques-Maynes, Glen Mitchell, and Dominique Perras – kept
their eyes on rivals like Colavita-Sutter Home’s Mark McCormack
and Davide Frattini before Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada allowed a three-man
breakaway to slip away.
As the team rode tempo on the front of the field for the last hour and
a half of racing, the gap to the leaders stabilized, then slowly came
down until the final few meters, where two of the three breakaway members
managed to hang on in front of the closing pack.
In the end, Colavita-Sutter Home’s Juan Jose Haedo took the win,
followed by Fiordifrutta's Mike Dietrich and Jonathan Page (Colavita-Sutter
Home), who took third place at the front of the field ahead of Jacques-Maynes
and McCormack.
The overall standings, with Jacques-Maynes leading Ryan Blickem (Targetraining),
McCormack, and Mitchell, remain unchanged.
Saturday's 104-mile road race, finishing at the summit of Mt. Wachusett,
will likely determine the final overall standings.
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