June 19/10 9:57 am - Nature Valley GP: Stage 4 women's results

Posted by Editoress on 06/19/10
 

Results from the 4th stage in Minneapolis MN

Second Professional Win For Hosking at the Minneapolis Uptown Crit; Evans Claims Yellow Jersey

Stage 4 photos

Chloe Hosking (HTC-Columbia) captured her second professional stage win at today’s Minneapolis Uptown Criterium. Shelley Evans (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12) won all three intermediate sprint competitions and took third in the pack sprint to gain an additional 21 seconds worth of time bonuses and secure the yellow jersey.

The race was active, with HTC-Columbia’s Kim Anderson, Emilia Fahlin, and Linda Villumsen seen attacking at the front alongside Team Vera Bradley Foundation, Team TIBCO, and Colavita/Baci. Breakaways only got a few seconds away, and lasted at most one lap. As the time bonus laps were announced, Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 took to the front to deliver Evans to her time bonuses.
 
“We wanted to make Shelley really work for the sprints so I was jumping long to try to get her to have to go early,” said Brooke Miller (Team TIBCO). “The first two time bonuses I had some long sprints out there, we were jumping before the corner!” Miller captured a total of 16 seconds of time bonus, 10 for taking second in the stage and six additional sprint competition seconds.

“The battle was on today, some different people were going for it, some competitive sprinters,” Evans said about the fierce sprint points competitions, which saw Evans drive all the way to the line to take the wins. “It took a little out of my snap, but you know, big picture always in mind, the team did an amazing job for getting it. We had our goal, we accomplished it and we’re happy.”

With four laps to go, the peloton slowed down and went from strung out to spreading across the width of the road.

“It slowed a bit in the last 3 laps, so it was a bit of jumping from wheel to wheel just to try to stay up front,” said Hosking. “Luckily for me it really picked up in the last lap. We [the team and I] rode the course before, and we thought that going into that last corner - if you were more than second wheel back - your race was over. Coming into the last right hand corner was a bit chaotic. I was second wheel, but it was three people wide. Not ideal, but it worked out!”

“Chloe had a great run on my wheel and flew around me right at the end, timed it perfectly,” said Miller, who drove out of the final corner with a small gap. “There’s a difference between losing and getting beat, and I got beat today, she had a great sprint.” Miller was making an attempt to three-peat at the Minneapolis Criterium, which she won in both 2008 and 2009.

Evans now leads the yellow jersey charge with 19 seconds over the second place Starnes. Villumsen (HTC-Columbia) maintains third, while Ruth Corset (Team TIBCO) moves up to fourth with a one second intermediate sprint time-bonus. Kim Anderson (HTC-Columbia) was awarded the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider Jersey. Evans widens her Wheaties Sprint Jersey lead, Starnes keeps the Fruit By The Foot Best Young Rider Jersey and the Jelly Beans Sport Beans Queen of the Hills Jersey, and Chloe Forsman (Specialized D4W/Bicycle Haus) keeps the Nature Valley Top Amateur Rider Jersey.

Nature Valley Bicycle Festival report