February 22, 2005 – Tyler Farrar of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis got it right in the final stage of the Valley of the Sun race in Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday. After a disappointing second place in stage 2 — “I simply mis-timed the sprint,” he said — he waited for the right moment to pounce coming into the finishing straight Sunday.

“I sat on the Monex train until the last hundred meters or so then came around (Roberto) Gaggioli,” he said. In fact, he beat the veteran Italian sprinter by more than a bike length in the end.

The Pro/1/2 field went off under sunny skies, which was a bit of a contrast from the first two stages, which saw the opening time trial stage run under heavy rainfall, and the second stage raced under only slightly better conditions. After his 10th place in the ITT and the close call in the second stage, Farrar was motivated to get the win to close the race.

Time bonuses from the victory moved him up from 7th to 4th place overall, and put a good end to a solid effort to prepare for his upcoming trip to Europe with the Under 23 National Team. Farrar leaves Thursday, February 24 and will return to racing on U.S. soil at the Tour de Georgia, with the National team.

Race Note

Farrar’s Valley of the Sun itinerary was vaguely reminiscent of his five-day rip through the Under 23 nationals and the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix in August 2004 — he won the National U23 Time Trial crown in Park City, Utah, flew to Los Angeles and won in Manhattan Beach, then flew back to Utah and won the U23 Critierum Championship.

In this case, he finished second in stage two, flew to Denver and met up with teammate Gord Fraser for a photoshoot with VeloNews, which didn’t start until 10 p.m., then flew back to Phoenix in the morning and won the criterium in the afternoon. “I think I got about four hours of sleep Saturday night,” Farrar said. Oh, to be young — and talented.