May 10, 2008 (Fayetteville, Arkansas) – Today’s stage (Friday) took the peloton from Fayetteville to the Ozark Mountains and back. After yesterday’s uphill time trial, which was won by Health Net’s Rory Sutherland, the race was controlled most of the day by team Health Net. A strong TT result by Dustin MacBurnie (12th), Joel Poitras (13th) and Dan Timmerman (21st), gave Team RACE Pro some good GC positions to protect, but also a good excuse to attack in the hope of improving their GC positions, or for a stage win.

An early break formed quickly and Health Net controlled the gap at two to three minutes, until about 50km to go, when the break started crack just before the climb. As soon as the road turned up, the attacks started. I felt strong covering the first attacks and continued attacking most of the way up the climb, splitting off the front two times, in groups that were both caught. In the last kilometre before the summit, a larger group escaped that included Team RACE Pro’s Dan Timmerman and Dustin MacBurnie. They got up to 45 seconds, but team Jelly Belly missed the move and brought it back.

As the break was being caught, Timmerman attacked with Richard England (Bissell Pro) and John Fredy Parra (Toshiba-Santo). The trio stayed away until four or five kilometres to go until they were caught by the Health Net chase. Meanwhile the rest of Team RACE Pro worked hard protecting me and Dustin for the sprint. I was really proud of all the guys today, because they all rode really strong at the end and I have rarely had so much help in a lead out for a bunch sprint. They rode like a top professional team, not like a small underdog team.

The sprint went pretty well for me. In the last km I had good legs because of the efforts of Team RACE Pro and finished 8th on the stage. Not bad for a non-bunch sprinter. Dustin, Joël and Dan all finished at “same time” safely in the bunch and maintained their GC positions.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is another road race (145km) with three circuits at the end. It will be a little less hilly than today. In past years this stage has finished in a bunch sprint. Team RACE Pro will be looking to form a break for a better shot at a stage win. If it’s a sprint I’ll try to pretend I’m a bunch sprinter again and hopefully improve on today’s result. GC coming.

Results

Pro Women

1. Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine) 2.52.47
2. Catherine Cheatley (Cheerwine)
3. Bri Kovac (Team Revolution)
4. Sue Palmer-Komar (Team Advil-Chapstick)
5. Denise Ramsden (Team Ultralink)
6. Mackenzie Woodring (Colavita/Sutter Home)
7. Jennifer Reither 0.07
8. Marisa Asplund-Owens (Cheerwine)
9. Tracie Akerhielm (LoneStarWorks.com) 0.11
10. Katharina Weber (Team Revolution)
11. Robin Farina (Cheerwine) 0.19
12. Julie Bishop (Team Revolution)
13. Shannon Koch (Metro Volkswagen)
14. Michelle Jensen (Mercy Cycling Team)
15. Anne Guzman (Team Kenda Tire)
16. Andrea Myers (Team Kenda Tire) 0.32
17. Allyson Brandt (Cheerwine) 0.36
18. Kirsten Robbins (Team Advil-Chapstick) 0.39
19. Christina Smith (LoneStarWorks.com) 5.26
20. Carrie Cash-Wootten (Team Revolution)
21. Kristin Wentworth (Team Kenda Tire)
22. Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire)
23. Tashony Noplos (Cheerwine)
24. Tammy Wallace (LoneStarWorks.com)
25. Samantha Schneider (Colavita/Sutter Home)
26. Ashley Anderson (Metro Volkswagen)
27. Irene Beyerlein (Colavita/Sutter Home)
28. Elisa Gagnon (Team Advil-Chapstick) 6.08
29. Laura Bowles (Team Advil-Chapstick)
30. Sydney Brown (Team Revolution) 6.13
31. Lee Farabaugh (Team Kenda Tire)
32. Nichole Wangsgard (Colavita/Sutter Home) 10.37
33. Celeste Jones-Baumgardt (Mazurcoaching.com) 17.52
34. Jenny Willhite (Metro Volkswagen)
35. Amy Mcguire (Team Kenda Tire)
36. Mary Downing (Team Kenda Tire)
37. Christy Keely (Priority Health) 18.01
38. Kathryn Clark (Team Kenda Tire) 18.2

Pro Men

1. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Colavita/Sutter Home) 4.24.54
2. Rory Sutherland (HealthNet-Maxxis)
3. John Murphy (HealthNet-Maxxis)
4. Nic Sandersaon (Jelly Belly)
5. Ben Brooks (Team Type 1)
6. Anibal Borrajo (Colavita/Sutter Home)
7. Sheldon Deeny (CRCA/EMPIRE)
8. Mark Walters (Team RACE Pro)
9. Predrag Prokic (TOSHIBA-Santo)
10. Chad Cagle (Mercy Cycling Elite)
11. Anthony Colby (Colavita/Sutter Home)
12. Aaron Tuckerman (Jelly Belly)
13. Valeriy Kobzarenko (Team Type 1)
14. Alejandro Borrajo (Colavita/Sutter Home)
15. Edward King (Bissell Pro Cycling)
16. Mark Hekman (TOSHIBA-Santo)
17. Richard Geng (RiteAide-Shebell & Shebell)
18. Jake Rytlewski (RiteAide-Shebell & Shebell)
19. Tyler Wren (Colavita/Sutter Home)
20. Luis Amaran (Colavita/Sutter Home)
21. Glen Chadwick (Team Type 1)
22. John Durango (TOSHIBA-Santo)
23. Terrence Keenan (THF Racing)
24. Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly)
25. Roman Vanuden (Team Rubicon-Orbea)
26. John Fredy Parra (TOSHIBA-Santo)
27. David Sojo Diego (Mercy Cycling Elite)
28. Noah Singer (Kahala/LaGrange)
29. Mat Ankney (Mercy Cycling Elite)
30. Robbie King (RiteAide-Shebell & Shebell)
31. Dustin Macburnie (Team RACE Pro)
32. Ryan Knapp (Alderfer Bergen)
33. Nick Friesen (GS Mengoni)
34. Nolan Froese (THF Racing)
35. Logan Hunn (Team Rubicon-Orbea)
36. Garett Peltonen (Bissell Pro Cycling)
37. Stefano Barberi (THF Racing)
38. Michael Lange (Jelly Belly)
39. Jeremy Powers (Jelly Belly)
40. Alex Welch (Mercy Cycling Elite)
41. Brian Dziewa (THF Racing)
42. David Quist (Team Clif Bar)
43. Stefan Rothe (Mercy Cycling Elite)
44. Karl Menzies (HealthNet-Maxxis)
45. Troy Wells (Team Clif Bar)
46. Chris Jones (Team Type 1)
47. Dan R. Timmerman (Team RACE Pro)
48. Tim Johnson (HealthNet-Maxxis)
49. Kevin Miller (Team RACE Pro)
50. Joel Dion-Poitras (Team RACE Pro)
51. Michael Mathis (CRCA/EMPIRE)
52. Richard England (Bissell Pro Cycling) 0.35
53. Kyle Wamsley (Colavita/Sutter Home)
54. Keir Plaice (Team RACE Pro) 0.44
55. Mark Pozniak (Team RACE Pro)
56. Frank Pipp (HealthNet-Maxxis) 0.48
57. Kyle Gritters (HealthNet-Maxxis)
58. Chris Winn (RMCEF Racing/MOB Cyclery)
59. Matt Wilson (Team Type 1) 1.01
60. Brad Huff (Jelly Belly)
61. Bryce Mead (Jelly Belly) 1.14
62. Emile Abraham (Team Type 1) 1.25
63. Joao Correia (Bissell Pro Cycling) 1.27
64. Andrew Hunt (Team RACE Pro) 1.36
65. Carlos Alzate (TOSHIBA-Santo) 1.58
66. Mat Stephens (Mercy Cycling Elite) 5.18
67. Austin Allison (THF Racing)
68. Seth Meyer (Turin/Barker+Nestor)
69. John Loehner (CRCA/EMPIRE) 5.23
70. Greg Christian (Turin/Barker+Nestor)
71. Daniel Zmolik (CRCA/EMPIRE)
72. Yosvany Falcon (TOSHIBA-Santo) 5.29
73. Stephan Kincaid (RiteAide-Shebell & Shebell) 16.07
74. Joseph Kukolla (Mesa Cycles)
75. Gustavo Artacho (Colavita/Sutter Home)
76. Karl Kupecz (Velossimo Racing)
77. Joshua Bartlett (Team Rubicon-ORBEA)
78. Shaun Morris (Team Rubicon-ORBEA)
79. Guido Palma (RiteAide-Shebell & Shebell)
80. Matt Belcher (Turin/Barker+Nestor)
81. Eugene Boronow (GS Mengoni)
82. Ian Dille (Team Snow Valley)
83. Ben Raby (SRAM)
84. Bill Elliston (RiteAide-Shebell & Shebell)
85. Scott Zwizanski (Bissell Pro Cycling)
86. Ben Renkema (Turin/Barker+Nestor) 30.18
87. Noah Metzler (Solutions/Panther Expedited Services) 30.32
88. Kirk O’bee (HealthNet-Maxxis)
89. Jesse Anthony (Team Type 1)