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Ben on the climb |
Greenville, SC (September 3, 2006) - Only a select group of riders were left standing after the fourth ascent of Paris Mountain in today's USA Cycling Professional Championships road race, and Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada's Ben Jacques-Maynes was among the nine still in contention.
The 120-mile race covered five 22-mile laps including the 1000-foot climb, followed by three 3-mile finishing circuits in downtown Greenville, and it was clear from the start that only a fraction of the field would be any sort of factor in the final outcome.
"The strongest guys were at the front, it was a race of attrition, and everyone else was going out the back really quick," said Jacques-Maynes after the race.
Coming into the final climb, the Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada rider was in the company of eventual race winner George Hincapie (Discovery Channel), Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner), Andy Bajadali (Jelly Belly), Danny Pate and Blake Caldwell (TIAA-CREF), Phil Zajicek and Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators Insurance), and defending USPRO champion Chris Wherry (Toyota-United).
Having begun cramping on the previous lap, Jacques-Maynes rode his own pace on the last climb as Leipheimer forced the pace and broke the group apart.
After rain began to fall during the finishing circuits, Jacques-Maynes came to the line with Zajicek and Caldwell and took the sprint for seventh behind Hincapie, Leipheimer, Pate, Swindlehurst, Wherry, and Bajadali.
"It was definitely a 'put-it-all-out-there' kind of day so I can't be upset with how I did," added Jacques-Maynes.
Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Racing Manager Jonas Carney noted, "Ben was cramping a long way from the finish but he really sucked it up. I'm proud of him. It was an impressive effort."
Bright and early tomorrow morning, Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada will take the start on in the US 100K Classic in Atlanta.
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