June 12/09 12:30 pm - Nature Valley GP: Women's Stage 3 report, photos and full results

Posted by Editoress on 06/12/09
 

Erica Allar Wins Action-Packed Cannon Falls Road Race; Armstrong Retains Lead

Report by Cynthia Lou

Photos

It might have been a beautiful day in Cannon Falls, Minn., but racing in Stage 3 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix was active and stormy, with Erica Allar of Value Act Capital emerging triumphant through crashes, a missed turn, and endless breakaway attempts. Tina Pic (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) finished second, with Shelley Olds (Proman Hit Squad) third.

“We missed the turn [onto the 1-mile stretch of gravel road] so we had to stop, turn our bikes around, chase through the dirt section and make it back to the front,” Erica recalls, fresh off her win. “After I missed the turn I said to myself, ‘Well, there goes my race’, but I wasn’t willing to give up. Yesterday we didn’t have a very good day. We were itchin’ for a better day and it couldn’t be any better than this.”

The action started from the beginning, with the first Queen of the Hills (QOH) competition at 3.6 miles, won by Ruth Corset (Jazz Apple Women’s Cycling Team). An early attack by Christina Smith (Veloforma) launched after the first QOH marked the only notable break, gaining up to 20 seconds before getting caught within 4 miles.

“It was non-stop,” said yellow jersey wearer Kristin Armstrong, who stayed within the top 10 throughout the race, dropping back to 30 just briefly after reeling in several breakaways in a row.

“All the teams were represented in the breaks. Everyone looked at me [to bring back the breaks]. It was a lot of work for me at the end of the day, but you know what – that’s what I’m here for. I respect that everyone’s out there racing their bikes. It’s so much fun, that’s what bike racing is.”

Not only did breaks separate the field, there were several crashes that left chunks of the peloton chasing back to the field. (Note: There was a big crash in the women's field, took out the top centenders on Webcor team. They got back up, but all are now well down in GC. )

“I crashed a few miles before the turn onto the dirt road,” says Tina Pic (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light), who finished second today. “We were last onto the gravel part, and we missed the turn,” Tina said, noting that “If it wasn’t for my teammates, I wouldn’t have been able to do so well – I thought I was done after I chased back onto the pack!”

Tiffany Cromwell won the Sport Beans Queen of the Hills Jersey, and today’s winner, Erica Allar, took over the Freewheel Most Aggressive Rider Jersey. Kristin Armstrong maintained the leader’s jersey, while the Wheaties Sprint Jersey stayed with Kirsty Broun (Riverstone CDA). Jacquelyn Crowell (Team Type 1) will start tomorrow’s Uptown Minneapolis Criterium in the APC Best Young Rider Jersey, and Kate Veronneau (Altarum Women’s Cycling Team) in the Nature Valley Top Amateur Jersey.