April 26, 2006 – The evening of Day One on the Tour of Shenandoah continued the excellent Spring conditions for the 6 p.m. start of stage 2, a 27-lap criterium race on a 1.1 mile circuit that amounted to a 30-mile race past the shops and restaurants located around downtown Harrisonburg’s Historic Court Square.

Fiorafrutta’s Dan Timmerman of Clay, New York credited his domestiques for helping him avoid a crash in the last turn of the last lap and find the lead to the finish in 1:07:14. A ten second sprint bonus placed Timmerman on top of the close pack of riders, most of whom scored the same 1:07:14. “I’m not so much of a crit rider; I’m more of a climber,” Timmerman said as he explained how his teammates protected him from peril.

Timmerman was obviously referring to his teammate Michael Cody of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts who was involved in the crash. The resulting ruby-red road rash on Cody’s lower left leg demonstrated the reason why cyclists shave their legs. “Sometimes it takes the littlest things to throw you off,” said Cody as he described how a minor bump with another rider ended up in a messy entanglement and a trip to the medic van. “I would’ve liked to have been up there [in the lead], but we’re here to protect Dan [Timmerman],” said Cody. What was the price of protecting the team leader? “Zero pain,” Cody said when a medic asked if his fleshy, street-burned leg hurt. “Well, it’ll hurt in the shower,” he admitted.

One of Byvik Financial Services – Trek/VW’s riders took a tumble in the crash too according to the team’s leader Jeremiah Bishop. Bishop said he got bumped himself during the crash, which knocked off his chain. Whether it was quick thinking or the reflexes he’s honed as a top mountain biker, Bishop reset his chain on the fly and finished 43rd with the same time as the winner,1:07:14.

Rite Aid’s Canadian track star, Zach Bell finished second in 1:07:14, scoring a five-second time bonus in one of the course’s 200 meter sprint zones. “It was pretty crazy, a lot of team fighting at the front,” Said Bell describing the aggressive finish. Bell said he was glad his team “had enough juice,” and added that, “The crowd was great. It kept the energy high.”

Third place Buck Miller, of Fiorafrutta complimented his teammate Josh Dillon of Stowe, Vermont for sitting in front of the pack and doing much of the work during the race, especially as the wind picked up. Miller, who hails from Bethel, Connecticut, had a finishing time of 1:07:14 and a four second sprint bonus.

Tom Zirbel retained his lead in the general classification. Zirbel finished stage 2 in 14th place in 1:07:14, while earning a five second sprint bonus. At the end of day one, Zirbel’s GC time total 1:13:24.

Sprint bonuses had an impact on the general classification. In 4th after stage 1, Dan Timmerman moved up to second place overall with a total time of 1:13:38 after two stages. In second place overall after stage 1, Team R.A.C.E.’s Ryan Roth drops to 3rd with a total time of 1:13:41 after two stages.

After a long day of hard riding, riders spoke well of the opening day of the Tour of Shenandoah. “The field is getting better each year, said Buck Miller. “It could become one of the country’s biggest races,” Miller said giving credit to a tough course.

The course gets even tougher tomorrow with Stage 3’s 101-mile endurance battle in the mountains between Staunton and the legendary Homestead resort.

Results

1 Dan Timmerman (Fiordifrutta cycling team) 1.07.14
2 Zach Bell (Rite Aid Pro Cycling)
3 Buck Miller (Fiordifrutta cycling team)
4 Bill Short (Pennsylvania Cycling Association)
5 Todd Yezefski (Team Nerac/Outdoorlights.com Pro Cycling)
6 Brad Viera (Rite Aid Pro Cycling)
7 Jacob Rytlewski (Priority Health Cycling Team)
8 Predrag Prokic (AEG-TOSHIBA-JetNetwork Pro Cycling Team)
9 Alberto Blanco (G.S.MENGONI USA)
10 Elliot Gaunt (Watchung Wheelmen/High Gear Cyclery)