August 17, 2015 (Rochester, New York) – Olympic Bronze medalist Tara Whitten put an exclamation point on her comeback season as she soloed away from a field containing the top criterium racers in North America at this Saturday’s Rochester Twighlight Criterium in Upstate New York.
Supported by a full squad of teammates Whitten let her team animate the first half of the race before launching a decisive attack with 25 minutes of racing left. Whitten clocked near identical lap times as she time trialed in front of a chasing field. Her break hovered at just 10 seconds for several laps before the elastic snapped and her winning margin ballooned out to 30 seconds.
The Edmonton rider has been slowly finding her form as the season has progressed with an 8th place GC finish at the Joe Martin Stage Race and a silver medal in the time trial at the Pan-American Championships, but this is her first win since she returned to racing.
For the Ottawa based The Cyclery-Opus team the win builds on a string of podiums by riders at big criteriums as both Ellen Watters (Sussex, NB) and Annie Foreman-Mackey (Kingston, ON) scored podiums during BC Super Week. While Watters took home the overall title at the Killington Stage Race earlier this year, this NCC Win is the first National Calendar win in the team’s history.
Whitten will captain a smaller squat at this weekend’s Chris Thater NCC event as the squad will be split between the American Pro criterium in New York and the Ontario and Quebec Provincial Championships. The complete team will then contest the Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont.
To learn more about The Cyclery-Opus women’s team visit here.
Results
Women
1. Tara Whitten (The Cyclery-Opus) 0:57:53
2. Samantha Schneider (Iscorp Cycling p/b Smartchoice MRI) 00:26
3. Erica Allar (Colavita Bianchi)
4. Tina Pic (Pepper Palace Pro Cycling p/b The Happy Tooth)
5. Skylar Schneider (Iscorp Cycling p/b Smartchoice MRI)
6. Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom)
7. Yussely Soto (Iscorp Cycling p/b Smartchoice MRI)
8. Lauretta Hanson (Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels Racing)
9. Amy Cutler (Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels Racing)
10. Marie-Soleil Blais (DNA Cycling p/b K4) 00:30
11. Jamie Gilgen (Rise Racing p/b Cyclepath Woodbridge)
12. Lenore Pipes (Van Dessel Factory Team)
13. Carrie Cartmill (The Cyclery-Opus)
14. Tiffany Pezzulo (DNA Cycling p/b K4)
15. Jeannie Kuhajek (Psimet Racing)
16. Lexie Millard (Iscorp Cycling p/b Smartchoice MRI)
17. Ellen Watters (The Cyclery – Opus)
18. Nicolle Bruderer (Iscorp Cycling p/b Smartchoice MRI)
19. Ashley Barson (Rise Racing p/b Cyclepath Woodbridge)
20. Miriam Brouwer (Giant Toronto/ Liv Pb Powerwatt)
21. Julie Kuliecza (Pepper Palace Pro Cycling p/b The Happy Tooth)
22. Tess Senty (QCW Breakawaybikes.Com p/b Felt)
23. Suzie Brown (Holiday Inn Express and Suites)
24. Kristen Lasasso (Mellow Mushroom) 00:44
25. Erin Wittwer (Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels Racing) 01:59
26. Emily Flynn (The Cyclery-Opus)
27. Amelie Bruneau (The Cyclery-Opus)
28. Meredith Uhl (Farm Team Elite Women’s Cycling)
29. Lauren Leclaire (Pedalpowertraining.Com)
DNF Ariane Bonhomme (The Cyclery-Opus)
Men
1. Aldo Ino Ilesic (Altovelo Seasucker Factory Racing) 2:02:26
2. Carlos Alzate Escobar (Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling) 0:01
3. Ryan Aitcheson (Astellas Cycling Team)
4. James Laberge (Champion System/Stan’s Notubes)
5. Adam Farabaugh (Isagenix/Seasucker/Guttenplan)
6. Jeff Schiller (To Wheels Epic Sports Performan)
7. Ryan Roth (Silber Pro Cyling)
8. Adrian Hegyvary (Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling) 0:06
9. Clay Murfet (Astellas Cycling Team) 00:07
10. Kevin Mullervy (Champion System/Stan’s Notubes) 0:12
11. Daniel Holloway (Altovelo Seasucker Factory Racing) 0:20
12. Adam Myerson (Astellas Cycling Team)
13. Hilton Clarke (Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling)
14. Brandon Feehery (Astellas Cycling Team)
15. Karl Menzies (Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling)
16. Anton Varabei (Garneau-Quebecor) 0:23
17. Isaac Howe (Champion System/Stan’s Notubes)
18. Darren Matthews (Sante Universelle/Marin)
19. Luke Keough (Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling)
20. Gaelen Merritt (Wheels Of Bloor/Graywood Development)
21. Steven Perezluha (Isagenix/Seasucker/Guttenplan)
22. Ryan Dewald (Teamskyline)
23. Wes Kline (Teamskyline)
24. Martin Vecchio (Netherland Rubber p/b MVP)
25. Benjamin Perry (Silber Pro Cycling)
26. Gavriel Epstein (Champion System/Stan’s Notubes)
27. Matt Zimmer (Credit Velo)
28. Craig Nichols (Team Alliance Environmental)
29. Dominic Caiazzo (Green Line Velo Driven By Zipca)
30. David Dawson (Teamskyline)
31. Sam Rosenholtz (Green Line Velo Driven By Zipca)
32. Bill Elliston (EC Devo Cycling)
33. Justin Purificati (Ride With Rendall p/b Biemme)
34. Grant Erhard (Summit Pro Cycling)
35. Guillaume Nelessen (Van Dessel Factory Team)
36. Sammy Moseley (Crca/Foundation Elite Team)
37. Chris Meacham (EC Devo Cycling)
38. David Hoyle (Ct Cycling Advancement Program)
39. Alan Royek (EC Devo Cycling)
40. Joshua Friedman (Green Line Velo Driven By Zipca) 0:44
41. Brendan Housler (Nalgene/Borah Teamwear p/b IQDentistry.com)
42. Bradley White (Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling) 1:07
43. Tim Savre (Credit Velo) 1:08
44. Peter Olejniczak (Astellas Cycling Team)
45. Thomas Barnett (EC Devo Cycling)
46. Bryan Gomez (Champion System/Stan’s Notubes) 1:40
47. Conor Mullervy (Champion System/Stan’s Notubes)
48. Cole Archambault (Green Line Velo Driven By Zipca)
49. Marco Aledia (Altovelo Seasucker Factory Racing)
50. Chad Hartley (Altovelo Seasucker Factory Racing)
51. Trevor O’Donnell (Real Deal Gears)
52. Ross White (Credit Velo)
53. Evan Hartig (Credit Velo)
54. David Richardson (Nalgene/Borah Teamwear p/b IQDentistry.com)
DNF Andrew House (Wheels Of Bloor/Greywood Development)
DNF Daniel Tokarczyk (Spin/Litzler Automation)
DNF Peter Morse (Octto)
DNF Ian Whaley (EC Devo Cycling)
DNF Chris Tveter (EC Devo Cycling)
DNF Shane Feehery (Summit Pro Cycling)
DNF A.J. Moran (Green Line Velo Driven By Zipca)
DNF Dave Warner (Green Line Velo Driven By Zipca)
DNF Andrew Buntz (Credit Velo)
DNF Craig Polston (Projekt)