May 2, 2005 (Roswell, GA) “” The Quark women that took the line at the Roswell criterium yesterday and felt as though they had something to prove after dominating the Athens Twilight criterium but coming up short at the finish line.

All four Quark riders put on their game face and the action started right from the gun as Helen Kelly set out on her own with four laps completed. Kelly was kept in check by the peloton and as soon as she was brought back Grace Fleury attempted a getaway.

The repeated attacking softened up the field enough so that when Fleury was brought back, Candice Blickem was able to counter with a strong attack that gave her a 20 second gap after one lap. When the gap approached 30 seconds, the Travelgirl team went to the front and brought the field to within 15 seconds of Blickem. Several riders tried to break away and bridge up to Blickem but her faithful teammates policed the front and covered every attempt.

With five laps to go, Meagan Esmonde of Colavita went to the front and took a huge chunk of Blickem’s lead and, with only two laps to go, the pack was just seconds behind. The bell seemed to give Bleckem a boost of energy. When the pace car came around the final corner and everyone expecting a bunch sprint, it was Blickem who crossed the line alone with plenty of time to zip up her Quark Jersey and raise her arms high in victory. Behind Blickem was Quark’s Sarah Uhl who made it a one-two win as she won the field. The victory was especially sweet as Roswell is only a few miles from Quark’s bike sponsor, Blue Competition, proving that their light weight carbon fiber bike is able to deliver the top riders to the finish line.

Roswell Criterium
1. Candice Blickem (Quark Cycling Team)
2. Sarah Uhl (Quark Cycling Team)