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Downers
Grove, Illinois (August 21, 2005) - The Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada Professional
Cycling Team got on the gas early in today's USPRO Criterium Championships
and never let up, eventually placing Dan Schmatz 4th and Jackson Stewart
7th in the bunch finish.
Throughout the 100km race over 62 laps of a figure-eight course with a small
hill, Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada went aggressively after primes at the
start/finish and on the hill, with six team members snaring a total of ten,
highlighted by Glen Mitchell taking the $625 crowd prime with 2 laps to
go.
 |
| Dominique
Perras leads the early break |
But in the early going, it was Kodak Gallery/Sierra
Nevada's Dominique Perras that bridged up Tim Johnson (Jittery Joe's-Kalahari)
after just three laps and the pair stayed away for almost ten laps with
a gap of 10 seconds or so.
After Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada's Hayden Godfrey won a $100 prime with
50 laps to go, Seasilver's Curtis Gunn tried his hand at a solo break
that never really threatened the sprinters' teams.
Later on, however, a six-man break including Mitchell had enough power
that Jelly Belly-PoolGel was forced to chase and the group was caught
with 17 laps to go.
 |
| Ben Jacques-Maynes puts
in work |
Soon after that, however, came the day's most
significant breakaway - Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada's Ben Jacques-Maynes,
Navigators Insurance's Kirk O'Bee, and John Lieswyn of Health Net p.b.
Maxxis.
The trio's advantage hovered around 30 seconds well into the last ten
laps as Colavita-Sutter Home rode hard on the front to keep the break
within striking distance.
But as the laps ticked down, the breakaway's momentum stalled and they
were caught with three laps to go.
Jacques-Maynes explained, ñWe were all pulling through until 5 to go,
and then guys started thinking about pulling on that [national championship]
jersey. But we gave it a good effort and it definitely put some strong
teams on the defensive.î
Entering the final lap, Navigators appeared to have the most organized
leadout, and Schmatz shadowed it perfectly.
ñI was sweet on the Navigators leadout but then they just got swarmed,î
Schmatz said, ñso I had to pinball around to get back up near the front
on the final lap.î
 |
| Dan Schmatz lets it fly
on the podium |
With no team able to put together a cohesive
leadout, the race boiled down to a sprint for the last corner, and Health
Net-Maxxis' Greg Henderson delivered his young teammate Tyler Farrar to
the victory, just inches ahead of Dave McCook (Jelly Belly-PoolGel). Kyle
Wamsley (Snow Valley-SealOn) took third ahead of Schmatz and Mark McCormack
(Colavita-Sutter Home).
Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada's Jackson Stewart took seventh place behind
Marty Nothstein (Navigators Insurance).
ñEveryone raced hard and everyone played a role today,î Kodak Gallery/Sierra
Nevada Racing Manager Robin Zellner commented. ñTo be at the sharp end
of the race all day and put a rider on the podium is a good day for Kodak
Gallery/Sierra Nevada.î
Next weekend, Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada heads to the Chris Thater Memorial
in Binghamton, New York, followed by the Barclay's Global Investors Grand
Prix in San Francisco on September 4.
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