TRIA Orthopaedic Center Your Cycling Blog

Minneapolis – The daily excitement and thrilling conclusion to this year’s Nature Valley Grand Prix will be chronicled on Sunday, July 3, at 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT on Versus, immediately following the network’s rebroadcast of Tour de France Stage 2.

The 13th annual edition of the top event on USA Cycling’s National Racing Calendar featured a surprising outcome to a women’s race that included reigning world road champion Giorgia Bronzini, Olympic time trial champion and four-time Nature Valley Grand Prix winner Kristin Armstrong and past world time trial champion Amber Neben.

“Even for fans who attended the races in person or followed the live streams on the internet, this program is a chance to put all of the pieces together,” Nature Valley Grand Prix Executive Director David LaPorte said. “For everyone else, this is an opportunity for them to see some of the best professional cycling in the United States showcased in a half-hour broadcast.”

The Nature Valley Grand Prix is part of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival, a 10-day celebration of bicycling that includes amateur and professional racing and community events. The Festival is a volunteer-run event with all profits donated to the pediatric hospice at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. For more information, visit www.naturevalleybicyclefestival.com.

About Nature Valley
Nature Valley, the brand that created the granola bar category in 1975, brings variety to healthy, active consumers looking for wholesome and great-tasting snacks. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Nature Valley is part of General Mills, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. For more information, visit www.NatureValley.com.

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by Fiona Lockhart, USA Cycling Coach
www.fionalockhart.com

Now that we have a 2011 NVGP champion, it’s time to focus on our training again as we build for our next race. Many of the blog posts leading up to the Nature Valley Gran Fondo focused on specific issues, such as nutrition, specific bike riding skills, bike fit, testing, etc.  These are all important issues as you get ready for a specific event such as the Gran Fondo.  But today, I want to talk about the bigger picture:  how do you work on improving your overall fitness month after month, year after year, while still keeping yourself motivated and excited about riding your bike?

One of the big concepts we use in exercise physiology is “periodization.”  Periodization is the idea that an individual needs to vary his or her training throughout the year in order to maximize the physiological benefits of training.  As a general rule, for cyclists that means that some time should be spent on “base” or “foundation” training (i.e. somewhat easy, steady efforts), some time should be spent on lactate threshold training (i.e. longer, medium to medium-hard intensity efforts), some time should be spent on VO2 max training (i.e. maximal efforts), and some time should be spent on specific bike skills (cadence, bike handling, etc.).  

The key with training any of the above systems is that you need to train each system enough that you give your body enough stimulus to make it adapt and get stronger, while not doing it so long that you either stagnate (both mentally and physically) or over-fatigue yourself.   There are lots of different ways to structure the timing of that training, and that is often dependent on a cyclist’s riding history, strengths and weaknesses, and goals. 

As a very general example, a cyclist who wants to get ready for some Gran Fondo-type events through the summer and starting in June could do base training in January and February, lactate threshold training in March and part of April, VO2 training in late April and May, and then have a little bit of a taper (or easing-up of riding) prior to the event in June.  But that might vary for others – some riders who can ride forever but don’t have any “punch” when they need it might need to spend some more time on their VO2 systems.  Other riders who seem to be able to go fast for a while but then fatigue early may benefit from more time in the base or lactate threshold training periods.

If you’re confused, don’t worry:  this idea of periodization can be very complex.  But if you’d like to give it a try, there are books and online programs available that lay out periodized plans for cycling (books by Chris Carmichael and Joe Friel are popular, for example).  If you’d like a more personalized approach, you could seek out a local cycling coach to help you plan out your program.  Many coaches work with all levels of riders from beginner to elite, so don’t worry about where your starting point is.  And often coaches will have plans available at different price points to fit your budget and needs, so don’t be afraid to ask. 

Another option that is becoming more popular, particularly up here in the Midwest where our outdoor riding can be limited in the winter, is indoor cycling training classes led by cycling coaches.  These are different than standard “spinning” classes in that they are usually done on your own bike on a computerized trainer, the goals of the class are specifically set to help you get stronger for outdoor riding, they are usually led by a cycling coach, and the classes are often structured with the concept of periodization in mind. 

These can be enormously helpful for a few reasons.  First of all, they usually start in the autumn or winter months, which as I noted above is the ideal time to get that base training in (and exactly when a lot of people don’t ride because of the weather).  Secondly, they give you face time with a coach so that you can get a better understanding of training concepts and how to improve your own cycling fitness and skills.  Third, they can act as a great motivator as you’re riding with others who are working on similar goals.  There are a number of these indoor training studios popping up in the Twin Cities; two that I am affiliated with are at Balance Fitness Studio (www.seek-balance.com) in Minneapolis and Now Sports (http://nowbikes-fitness.com/) in St. Paul.

Hopefully that gives you something to think about over the medium to longer term with your cycling – it really can be a lifelong sport and continuing to find ways to feel strong on the bike while enjoying the process can be tremendously rewarding.  I hope you enjoyed the Gran Fondo and continue to enjoy ll of your riding endeavours!

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By Lyne Lamoureux, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Stillwater, Minn. – The Stillwater Criterium once again provided thrills and excitement to conclude the Nature Valley Grand Prix as defending champion Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) attacked the penultimate time up Chilkoot Hill Sunday to win the final stage.

With the assistance of his Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth teammates, Jesse Anthony survived all the attacks to finish second on the stage and claim the overall classification. Frank Pipp (BISSELL Pro Cycling) was third on the stage.

“Everyone here sees the crowd and how many people come out to cheer us on, it’s an awesome stage and it’s fantastic for the city of Stillwater to have such an event, there are not many like this in the country,” Sutherland said.

Anthony, perhaps better known for his cyclocross prowess until now, credited his team for helping him win the first stage race of his career.

“Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth has been working super hard all year,” he said. “We’ve been racing aggressively in every race we’ve done and we threw it down this week as hard as we could. Everyone went in 110 percent, everyone on the team was committed and it ended up working out for us.”

Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) powers up Chilkoot Hill Sunday to win the final stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix

Only the strong survive the notoriously brutal criterium course that features Chilkoot Hill’s 21 percent grade at its steepest point during a two-block climb to the finish line. Riders started falling off the fast pace set by Anthony’s green train as it controlled the front, quickly reacting and neutralizing dangerous attacks from Luis Amaran and Tom Zirbel (Jamis/Sutter Home).

With two laps to go, Robert Förster (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) upped the pace on Chilkoot, exploding the dwindling field as the battle for the stage win commenced. Sutherland, Anthony, Amaran and third-on-general classification Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) all went with the attack. Sutherland attacked the next time up the climb and was able to hold on to enjoy his second consecutive victory at Stillwater.

“Last year was beautiful,” Sutherland said. “But this year, being actually able to enjoy the climb on the last time instead of having to sprint up, was nice.”

Anthony battled until the last lap keeping his closest rivals close and then passing them on the final climb to the finish line.

“The crowd here in Stillwater is unbelievable,” he said. “It rivals the Mayanunk Wall in Philadelphia. The hill is unexplainable until you really do it, even if you’re having the best of days, it hurts so much. I had great legs today and all week, but it was a battle to stay up front and stay with my teammates and follow the wheels at the end.”

Halfway through the 20-lap race, Timothy Rugg (Nature Valley Pro Ride) and Jeremy Vennell (BISSELL) got away and built a gap of 25 seconds before being reeled in eight laps later.  Rugg was awarded the red Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider for his efforts.

Kyle Wamsley (BISSELL) won the Sports Beans King of the Hills jersey after a tough fight with Logan Hutchings (ELBOWZ Racing) for it the final two stages.

“It makes me that much more happier that I could hold on to the jersey when I have somebody racing me for it,” Wamsley said about his fight for the polka dot jersey.

Förster won the  Wheaties FUEL Sprint Competition. Chad Haga (Team Rio Grande) took home the final Nature Valley Top Amateur green jersey while Joseph Schmalz (ELBOWZ Racing) won the white TRIA Orthopaedic Center Best Young Rider jersey. The BISSELL Pro Cycling team won the team classification.

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By Cynthia Lou, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Stillwater, Minn. – Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light) attacked at the bottom of Chilkoot Hill Sunday to secure her third stage win at this year’s Nature Valley Grand Prix as Amber Neben (HTC-Highroad) held on to win the race overall.

Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) attacked the penultimate time up the leg-breaking climb that was packed with spectators, hoping to repeat her previous years’ success at the Stillwater Criterium. But Neben’s HTC-Highroad teammate, Evelyn Stevens, and Bronzini jumped after her. Bronzini’s win was the reigning world road race champion’s third of the five-day, six-stage race.

Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light) wins atop Chilkoot Hill Sunday at the Stillwater Criterium, the final stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

“I have no words for Evie (Stevens) – she made the race,” Bronzini said, laughing. “I tried to save my power for the last climb because I came here with all of the best climbers and I’m a sprinter. So I tried only to follow (wheels) and save my best sprint for the final.”

Between attacks from Team TIBCO/To The Top and Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 and the sheer difficulty of the 18 percent average grade on Chilkoot Hill, an elite group of riders quickly separated themselves from the peloton. The decisive breakaway group formed within five laps of the 13-lap race and featured a mix of experienced veterans and promising newcomers. It included Bronzini, Neben with teammates Stevens, Ally Stacher, and Amanda Miller, overall runner-up Erinne Willock (Team TIBCO/To The Top) and teammate Joelle Noumainville, defending champion Armstrong and teammate Kristin McGrath, Anne Samplonius (NOW and Novartis for MS), and Jade Wilcoxson (Nature Valley Grand Prix Pro Ride).

As the teams battled for the general classification, Armstrong and Bronzini were able to sit in the pack and save themselves for the finish.

“I wanted to sit and let Highroad do their work to protect the jersey,” Armstrong said. “I knew two minutes would be too much to gain today so we went for the stage win for the team. I tried my best, I tried to go with two to go but everyone out there was really strong. I just couldn’t get that extra acceleration.”

Neben said it actually was a very easy day for her because her team was so good.

“I didn’t really have to do anything but just watch them,” Neben said. “It went according to plan. I’m proud of them, they rode really well this week. I have the yellow, but really, we all won.”

The HTC-Highroad team protected overall winner Amben Neben on the way to also winning the team classification Sunday at the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Stevens’ performance earned her the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey.

“Ally, Amanda and Chloe raced their hearts out,” Stevens said. “Amanda and Chloe took it on the back, then I would take control on the climb. I think it was perfect teamwork – no one could get away. It was really exciting.”

Before the race, Stacher was honored with the “Carla Swart Sportsmanship Award,” recognizing the female athlete at the race who sacrificed her own chances for the good of her team. Swart was a South African Olympic hopeful and the most decorated collegiate rider in U.S. history who died when she was hit by a truck during a training ride.

We raced how Carla would have raced,” Stevens said. “She was just an amazing woman, and I know Ally was her best friend. I can’t think of someone better than Ally to wear that jersey. The way she rode today, she rode her heart out. It’s just incredible, the whole team.”

Stacher’s performance also won her the Tria Orthopaedic Best Young Rider jersey, and HTC-Highroad won the Team classification.

Riding for the Nature Valley Pro Ride team, Wilcoxson finished with the front group of elite riders to win the Nature Valley Grand Prix Best Amateur.

“I was really nervous to start it, but it turned out to be a really good course for me,” Wilcoxson said. “I kind of shocked myself as well. I was really surprised to hang with the big dogs like that. I just wanted to be able to finish the race today, so, I’m really excited about the results.”

Leah Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D’Asolo) held onto her Sports Beans Queen of the Hill jersey and Wheaties Fuel Sprint Competition jersey.

Jersey winners of the Nature Valley Grand Prix Sunday (left to right): Sports Beans Queen of the Hill and Wheaties Fuel Sprint Competition winner Leah Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D’Asolo), Tria Orthopaedic Best Young Rider Ally Tria Orthopaedic Best Young Rider, Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider Evelyn Stevens, overall champion Amber Neben and Nature Valley Grand Prix Best Amateur Jade Wilcoxson.

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By Lyne Lamoureux, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Menomonie, Wis. — The Menomonie Road Race lived up to expectations Saturday at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. At the end of the more than 100 miles of hard racing in the lush rolling terrain of Wisconsin, the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team’s winning streak was stopped at four.

Amidst a shattered peloton that saw fewer than two dozen riders allowed onto the finishing circuit, Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) attacked his fellow escapees on the last of four laps around the two-mile course to claim the victory.

“I died a thousand deaths, but I ate plenty of Sports Beans in the race and also on the circuits and it all worked,” Van Ulden said. “Without my sponsors, none of this would be possible. I’m very happy. This is a dream come true.”

Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) celebrates his victory Saturday at the Menomonie Road Race that snapped UnitedHealthcare's string of four straight stage wins at the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Jesse Anthony (Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth) finished second on the stage and took over the yellow jersey as the general classification experienced a big shakeup.

“We’re really, really happy to have the lead in this race especially with OptumHealth, one of our title sponsors here,” Anthony said. “We’ve been racing aggressively and it’s awesome to finally see it pay off. This is a team effort, I wish all my teammates could wear the yellow jersey with me, we all worked for it equally.”

Jay Thomson (BISSELL Pro Cycling) was third on the stage.

After watching UnitedHealthcare win the first four stages – including a podium sweep in St. Paul on Stage 2 – the rest of the peloton was determined to try and wrestle control from the blue train. The course was equally as conducive for it, featuring plenty of twists and turns and four Sports Beans King of the Hills climbs. With an early break already off the front, the Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth squad lined up at the front heading up the the second tough climb and exploded the field.

“We knew today was going to be a decisive day as well as tomorrow,” Anthony said. “We just had to race real aggressively and use the strengths that the team has. Today was a good long road race of attrition and we raced as hard as we could. The guys threw down, as hard as they could, we just kept attacking and we didn’t give up.”

By the time the attacks ended, only 20 riders remained at the front, including multiple riders from Kelly Benefit Stategies, BISSELL, Jelly Belly, Team Exergy, Jamis/Sutter Home, and only one from UnitedHealthcare – defending champion Rory Sutherland.

The decisive move of the men's race is made with 15 miles to go in Saturday's 101-mile Menomonie Road Race at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Jay Thomson (leading) split an already select group with an attack that drew out seven riders who survived to the finish.

The next round of hostilities were opened up as the breakaway approached the four finishing circuits with a gap of five minutes on the field. Seven riders (Van Ulden, Anthony, Thomson, Heath Blackgrove and Logan Hutchings (both of ELBOWZ Racing), Luis Amaran (Jamis/Sutter Home) and Freddie Rodriguez and Andres Diaz (both of Team Exergy) were battling for the stage win and the yellow jersey.

“Coming into the circuits here, I was dying a thousand deaths,” Murphy said. “I started cramping and I knew I didn’t have the legs to go against the sprinters so I figured my best chance was going to be either keep it together and try not to lose time because I was relatively high up there on GC, or to try to get off the front.”

In addition to the stage win, Van Ulden was also awarded the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey. His UnitedHealthcare teammate, Robert Förster, kept his lead in the Wheaties FUEL Sprint competition. Chad Haga (Team Rio Grande) retained the green jersey as the Nature Valley Top Amateur and Joseph Schmalz (ELBOWZ Racing) is the new leader in the white TRIA Orthopaedic Center Best Young Rider competition. Kyle Wamsley (BISSELL Pro Cycling) defended his Sports Beans King of the Hills in an early heated battle.

Sunday’s Stillwater Criterium is billed as “the most brutal criterium course in North America.” Last year, Kelly Benefit Strategies lost the overall in a battle to the wire with UnitedHealthcare. With a similar situation this eyar, Anthony said he is ready to defend his lead.

“It’s going to be an amazing race,” he said. “That course just explodes the race. It’s hard the whole time and hopefully I have the legs. We’ve been working on this for the whole year. We’ll go out there and see what we do.”

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by Cynthia Lou, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Menomonie, Wis. — It was a battle of a pair of former world time trial champions Saturday at the Menomonie Road Race as Amber Neben (HTC-Highroad) took over the yellow race leader’s jersey from Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) at the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Rising star Lisa Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light) took the stage win and rode aggressively enough to claim three classification jerseys: the Tria Orthopaedic Best Young Rider, Wheaties Fuel Sprint, and Sport Beans Queen of the Hills.

As Amber Neben (left) and Erinne Willock charge to the line, Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo presented by Cooking Light) begins to celebrate her win Saturday at the Menomonie Road Race of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Neben will start Sunday’s Stillwater Criterium with a 21-second lead over Erinne Willock (Team TIBCO/To The Top), 38 seconds over third-placed Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo presented by Cooking Light), and 52 seconds over Armstrong, who slid to fourth.

The atmosphere was reverent, but competitive, at the start of the race, as riders lined up with memories of Friday’s crash-cancelled stage still top of mind. Rolling out of the neutral start, Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 controlled the pace and set out to protect Armstrong’s jersey.

At first, it looked like a repeat of Thursday’s Cannon Falls race was on, with all early attacks being brought back. But within the first 14 miles the decisive break that would change the complexion of the race was launched.

Figuring in the break were: Inga Cilvinatte (Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan), Kirchmann, Megan Guarnier and Samantha Schneider (Team TIBCO/To The Top), Ally Stacher (HTC-Highroad), Anna Barensfeld (Missing Link Coaching Systems presented by Specialized), and Tayler Wiles (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12). The escapees quickly grew their lead to a minute.

“Immediately on the feed zone climb (at Star Hill), we were able to get her (Armstrong) isolated,” Neben said about her team’s strategy. “It was once I was able to get across to the break that I thought we would have a chance. There were enough numbers in the break to ride with me. It came down to the length of the day, and we were motivated at the front to keep going.”

Wiles dropped off the pace at the third Queen of the Hills competition and returned to the peloton to support Armstrong, who was beginning to slip out of the overall lead.

”It was really aggressive today,“ Willock said. ”We had two girls up in the break, and Joelle (Numainville) drove it hard over the top of the third KOH, and it was over the third KOH that I bridged across.”

”Before Erinne and Amber were in the break, I was the leader of the group and we all worked pretty evenly to keep it away,” Kirchmann said. ”But as soon as they got there, I wasn’t leading the race anymore so I could save my legs for the sprint.”

The seven entered the finishing circuits with a 33-second lead that increased to 45 seconds, then stretched to more than a minute, thanks to Neben and teammate Stacher working to extend the lead over the hilly four-mile finishing circuits. Back in the second group, Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 was doing the majority of the chasing.

”I knew there was a chance to move up onto the podium on GC, and that was our goal,“ explained Willock. ”Leah didn’t do any work all day, and that’s fine, and that’s the way the game goes.“

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Waking up this morning there is a lot of positive energy in our large host house in Hudson, WI, and for a good reason: Every member of the Kowalski’s Markets Collegiate All-Star Team is starting stage 4 of the NVGP. Yesterday we raced the Cannon Falls road race.   After the previous day with a time trial and criterium I was feeling a bit stiff and sore especially from the crit crash, and woke up with whole new eyes to the world of professional cycling. 

This race was the first road race where I have been able to use the full road, and the full road was actually used. We started out rolling through the neutral zone, and then it was on! The first QOM (Queen of the Mountain) was 3 miles in so there was a bit of a tension you could feel in the field as everyone got rolling into the race.  It was hot and humid but the race rolled on. I felt myself wanting to go to the front or off to a side just to get a breeze blowing across my face as I got hotter and hotter sitting in the field. Attacks were thrown back and forth between different teams in the rolling hills we encountered.

For me, the most memorable section was the gravel. I was told way before arriving in Minnesota to make sure I was towards the front on the gravel section. Not having a computer/powermeter on my bike, I didn’t know what mile we were at or how long we had been riding so the only way I knew we were about to enter the gravel was by the lead car’s trail of dust in the air.  I moved up as many positions as I could, putting me in the top 30 of the peloton going through, and I just mashed through the section. I witnessed riders crashing across the gravel, but I was not one of them, which was great.  I came out of the gravel in the back on the first group, and I gave it everything I had, but in the end, my legs got me. I had a full bottle on my bike I was wishing I could get rid of but when you are done, you are done.  I tried to stay with the groups that came by me, and I did for a little while, but once again, I popped.

The best part of the stage yesterday, was riding along in the peloton and seeing my teammates around me.  At one point, 5 of us (as far as I could see) were riding within a few riders of one another, staying with it, and making our presence known in the peloton. Also, I am very proud of myself for not only making it into the final circuit, but being able to finish the race, and not getting pulled.  The hardest part of the stage was the finishing circuit.  I came into it perfectly: In the first group, made it through clear without any crashes or injury, but after the first lap, I suffered on the rise to the finish. With 5 more laps to go I found myself getting farther and farther back getting passed by groups as they went by.

Almost everything I encounter in this race is a learning experience. Yesterday was the first time I have gone back to a car to get feed bottles, for not only me, but also members of my team.  I also found out what the smell of burning brake pads was like. I found myself riding next to Bronzini (Current World Road Champion), and Shelley Olds, not to mention Kristin Armstrong, or Olivia Dillon.  I have found how important it is to set small goals for myself. Looking out of a smaller window, instead of a large one, and realizing that I’m riding for today, to learn from these experiences, and not for anything else.

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By Lyne Lamoureux, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Cannon Falls, Minn. – The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team made it three in a row Thursday night by winning the Stage 3 Cannon Falls Road Race at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Robert Förster took top honors and the race lead, while teammate Jake Keough was second and Ken Hanson (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) finished third.

Just like Förster said it was drawn up at his team’s pre-race meeting, the German sprinter took the race lead from teammate Rory Sutherland with the help of a 12-second time bonus at the finish.

“I knew that I was only 11 seconds behind Rory, so we tried to make the leadout for me today, Förster said.

With a slim, one-second lead over three-time Nature Valley Grand Prix champion Sutherland, Förster said he wants to defend. But he also said he has no problem passing the leader’s yellow jersey on to one of his teammates. “I want to hold the jersey as long as possible but when Rory comes back or another rider, I don’t care as long as it’s the team, the main thing is the team.”

Robert Förster (UnitedHealthcare) takes the race lead with a 12-second time bonus. Teammate Jake Keough takes second and Ken Hanson (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) finished third.

Racing was fast and aggressive on the 66.5-mile road race as the riders sped  through gently rolling, but wide open farmlands. Attacks and counter-attacks were flying at the front but no one was able to escape until 30 miles into the stage. Four riders – Tom Zirbel (Jamis/Sutter Home), Andy Jacques-Maynes (BISSELL Pro Cycling), Marsh Cooper (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Optumhealth) and Mat Stephens (ELBOWZ Racing) – sped free, but never managed more than a 35-second gap.

UnitedHealthcare riders worked hard to control the front for most of race and were content to let the four-man group dangle off the front. But the break was doomed from the start and the field was all back together before making the right-hand turn into the gravel road section on its way back to Cannon Falls. The fast pace was even higher on the six finishing circuits that included a short, steep climb to the finish line.

The United Healthcare Team put in some hard work in Cannon Falls to continue to control the peloton.

“It was a fast race, with a 48 kph average speed,” Förster explained. “All the teams tried to attack us and it was difficult to stay together. We lost some boys from the hard work in the first 70, 80 kilometers and then we came to the loops.”

Once on the circuit, the battle for control at the front was on between several teams, with the Jelly Belly squad taking over with four laps to go.

“We knew our best chance was to just ride the front and keep me out of trouble and then UnitedHealthcare was going to take over and try to lead out the sprint.” Hanson said. “Jelly Belly rode really great to get organized.”

Chaos reigned with the sprinters fighting for position behind the leadout train of UnitedHealthcare on the final lap. Sutherland was at the front, followed by Karl Menzies, Förster, Keough and Hanson. The battle to stay on the train intensified and Hanson said he had to work hard to close down a gap. After reconnecting to Keough’s wheel, he got boxed in when the leadout riders peeled off at the front.

“Once I lost the momentum on the hill, that was it. So I ended up third,” Hanson said. “I’m happy to get on the podium, but it could have been better.”

Kyle Wamsley (BISSELL) will be wearing the polka-dot Sports Beans King of the Hills jersey after taking top points in the first two sprint lines. Tom Zirbel (Jamis/Sutter Home) was awarded the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey. The other special  jerseys remain the same: Carlos Alzate (Team Exergy) in the black Wheaties FUEL Sprint Competition jersey, Chad Haga (Team Rio Grande), in the green jersey as the Nature Valley Top Amateur, and Joey Rosskopf (Team Type 1-Development) in the white jersey for the TRIA Orthopaedic Center Best Young Rider.

Racing continues Friday with the Minneapolis Uptown Criterium, the marquee event of the Nature Valley Grand Prix, attracting what many observers consider to be the largest criterium crowd in the country. Uptown is a major entertainment district that abuts dense, upscale residential neighborhoods. The flat, six-corner course and a pumped-up crowd traditionally makes for high speeds. A long drag up Lake Street leads to a short dash from the final corner to the finish line on Hennepin Avenue.

Förster hopes to make it four straight for UnitedHealthcare with another performance like Wednesday’s 1-2-3 sweep of the Downtown Saint Paul Criterium.

“We’ll try to do the same as yesterday, but since we lost one rider, Hilton (Clarke), who separated his shoulder, we are only seven tomorrow,” he said. “We used all the guys today to do the sprint, so maybe it can be a little bit different. But the guys are good, they are all in good condition, we all work well together and we know what to do.”

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By Cynthia Lou, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Cannon Falls, Minn. – World champion Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light) sprinted to victory in Thursday’s Nature Valley Grand Prix Cannon Falls Road Race to win her third race on American soil in 11 days.

Giorgia Bronzini takes the sprint finish in the Cannon Falls Stage 3 road race.

Having two very strong sprinters on one team is an advantage, giving the team more options in chaotic sprint finishes, Cliff-Ryan said.

“The sprint was going to be for me today,” she said. “I lined up behind Shelley (Olds) with Giorgia behind me as a sweeper. That gives us a chance if I screw up the sprint so Giorgia can come. I chose to be on the left side and had to go onto the curb because the peloton came up the left. Halfway up the hill I yelled to Giorgia to ‘go.’ With Giorgia first and me third, it’s a good result.”

“We tried to do the same sprint today as we did yesterday,” Bronzini said of her plans with teammate Cliff-Ryan. “She is strong, and I hope she win tomorrow.”

Bronzini sprinted to victory in Wednesday’s Paul Downtown Criterium Wednesday night to go along with her victory June 5 at the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia.

The majority of Thursday’s 66.5-mile race traveled through gently rolling farm lands surrounding Cannon Falls. Several teams set out to make the race hard and attacks were launched nearly continuously.

“We’re going to be aggressive and race smart,” Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Highroad) said before the start. “We have a really incredible team here, and we’re sitting in second and fourth overall, so we have a lot of options. We’re going to see how the race plays out, what the other teams do, and take it from there.”

The most prominent break of the day gained nearly a minute’s lead in anticipation of the first Sport Beans Queen of the Hill competition. Leah Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D’Asolo), Rachel Warner (Missing Link Coaching Systems/Specialized), and Amity Elliot (Team Kenda presented by Geargrinder) took the top points, respectively, up the first QOH. But they were caught shortly afterwards.

Women's Peloton - Cannon Falls Road Race

From then on, no other breaks were allowed more than 20 seconds of freedom, with all teams contributing to the chasing. Yellow jersey wearer Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) even brought back two herself.

“It was a really good race and there was always something going on,” said Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita Forno D’Asolo), wearer of the Trio Orthopaedic Best Young Rider jersey. “The race went really fast, we were always concentrating. I think every team was out today to draw everybody out. It was good out there and the wind wasn’t too strong. We knew we had good sprinters in the bunch, so either way we knew we had good cards to play.”

All of the jerseys remained the same after today’s race, including the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey that went to Shelley Olds (Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan). The jersey typically changes shoulders on each stage.

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By Elle Anderson, Dartmouth College, and Robin Bauer, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Kowalski’s Markets Collegiate All-Stars Team

A beautiful sunny evening in St. Paul was interrupted by a storm that blew in an hour before our race. With the high winds and rain now coming, the race suddenly took a different turn. It was the first of many fast changes in the course of the night’s event.

Even without the rain, this 6-corner course is difficult. With the rain, all of the manhole covers, bricks, concrete slabs, cracks, and curbs were much more dangerous and slippery. Although the rain dissipated during the race, the roads were very wet and set the stage for many pack crashes. The first crash was 15 minutes into the race and took out at least 20-30 riders. In a split second, nearly one third of the field was down.

Elle’s thoughts about the crash: I think it was a manhole cover that caused it, but at the apex of the turn a racer to my inside just slid out and started a domino effect throwing me over the curb and onto the highway median.

Robin’s thoughts about the crash: As I came into the turn, I saw a line of riders down. I tried stopping and then maneuvering around it but instead was taken out by a girl who slammed into me from behind.

Elle: After untangling my bike from the pile-up I hurried to the pit. My shoulder was aching from hitting the concrete and I had also somehow landed on my face. At the pit, I was comforted to see Robin and Laura (Bauer and Ralston, respectively, both are Kowalski’s Collegiate Allstar team mates) there too, who were also ok. As the rush of the peloton went by we accelerated and blended in.

Robin: The race got going again and there were few more crashes. Thankfully none of them too bad since the rain buffers the falls some. But those manhole covers! I must have hit one because my rear wheel started to slide before I thankfully regained my balance… but I did not regain the wheel in front of me. Again, in a blink of an eye my race completely changed. I was no longer with the main peloton but was instead chasing.

Elle: The pace continued to be insanely high for the later part of the race. I had to grit my teeth as I slowly counted down the laps. I was incredibly relieved to see one lap to go and still be with the main pack.

Robin: It was a great race but things that were totally unexpected happened. I am excited to move on to stage 3.

Elle: Yes – a pretty spectacular race and I’m really glad we survived! Queuing up on the start line I had no idea what was ahead of us. Looking forward, Stage 3 is going to be a blast.

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