May 4/06 8:05 am - Vuelta a El Salvador: Stages 3, 4 & 5

Posted by Editoress on 05/4/06
 

Vuelta a El Salvador El Salvador
Report Courtesy Team Symmetrics

Symmetrics Wins Again In El Salvador: Randell Drops To Third After Stage 4

A mixed bag of results for the Symmetrics Cycling team Tuesday. The day was comprised of two stages - a team time trial in the morning, followed by an afternoon road race. With most of the team being some of North America's top time triallists, the team was confident that the stage should be theirs. With a tight formation and major horsepower, the S-Team, riding on their Norco TT bikes, handily took the 30km stage. Top Mexican team Tecos was 44 seconds behind, with the Colombian team losing 58 seconds.

A few short hours after the tough effort of the morning, the team hit the streets again for a 65km stage complete with a tough climb.

Team manager Bruce Wenting described the race to team co-owner Kevin Cunningham this morning. Cunningham said that "Yesterday's afternoon stage was a little crazy. The roads got very narrow with 5km to go and with all the press and photo vehicles out there it made it really dangerous. The race is being shown every night on TV so there are lots of camera's and photo vehicles out there. Eric got hit by one of the cars in the caravan (because it was blocked by a camera car) and taken down at the base of the last main climb while leading going into the climb." Cunningham said that it was difficult for the riders to gauge how far they were from the finish with all the chaos. Randell and the rest of the team could not discern how far they were from the finish, and the final climb. "We tried to convince them to take the stage results out of the GC as the race was altered by the press but they wouldn't. At least it was worth a try," Cunningham said.

Randell now sits second, 40 seconds behind the overall, with Wohlberg and Erker sitting sixth and seventh.

Stage 5

A very hot stage today saw some tough racing, with Symmetrics taking second on the stage. With the thermometer reading 42 C at the 1pm stage start, the team looked to protect Andrew Randell's second overall; Randell is only 11 seconds behind.

Covering a move, Andrew "Pinner" Pinfold got away with six other riders and put four minutes in front of the field. The team, like the rest of the racers, felt the effects of the heat. Pinner was extremely dehydrated by the finish - by the then the break was only two minutes in front due to some chasing by the Tecos team. Pinner was so dehydrated he couldn't even use his powerful sprint to take the stage: It was all he could do to cross the line, albeit in second. After the race, Pinner had to be helped onto the podium and was hydrated all through the night by doctors to help him recover from heatstroke. Today, Pinner is feeling much better and has recovered from his incredible effort. Several other riders were sick from the heat and unfortunately the temperature will be the same today.

Jake Erker had some bad luck, hitting a pothole and crashing with teammate Svein Tuft. Tuft is fine but Erker had some cuts and bruises - hopefully he is good to go for today. He was listed as DNF on the results because he rode a spare bike without a timing chip, but that should be corrected by today.

Thursday's stage is 200km along the shoreline, and is flat. There is a possibility of crosswinds, however, so the team will have be attentive and ride near the front. Tomorrow's very tough mountain stage looms with Randell in second, and Erker and Eric Wohlberg sitting seventh and eighth.

Stage 3 - May 2: Chalatenangoto Desvio De Amayo, TTT, 29km

1. Symmetrics Cycling, 31:42
2. Tecos, at, 0:43
3. Colombia es Pasion, 0:58
4. Bco. Cuscatlan, 1:10
5. Hino - Donde Jose, 2:49
6. Bicicletas Corsario, 3:08
7. Café Quetzal, 3:19
8. Seleccion de Panama, 3:26
9. Cable DX - Bicimania, 3:35
10. Seleccion de Ecuador, 3:51
11. Champion System, 4:32
12. M&M Engineering, 4:59
13. Coca Cola, 5:43
14. Federacion Nacional De Ciclismo, 7:56

Stage 4 - May 2: Multi Plaza (Las Colinas) - Nahuizalco, 64.6km

1. Livardo Nino (Col) Hino Donde Jose, 1:21:19
2. Gregorio Ladino (Col) Tecos De La Universidad Autonoma De Guadalajara, at 0:01
3. Fausto Esparza (Mex) Tecos De La Universidad Autonoma De Guadalajara, 0:36
4. Francisco Matamoros (Mex) Tecos De La Universidad Autonoma De Guadalajara
5. Enrique Avalos (ESa) BCO Cuscatlan Cogeas
6. Mario Contreras (ESa) BCO Cuscatlan Cogeas, all s.t.
7. Jairo Hernandez (Col) Colombian National Team, 0:37
8. Francisco Colorado (Col) Colombian National Team, 0:39
9. Jose Ruiz (Ecu) Ecuador National Team, 1:01
10. Hector Rangel (Mex) Tecos De La Universidad Autonoma De Guadalajara, 1:03

25. Andrew Randell (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team, 1:28
28. Jacob Erker (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team, 1.29
32. Eric Wohlberg (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team, 1:38
50. Lance Doherty (Can) Champion System, 2:39
61. Christian Meier (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team, 3:07
82. Andrew Pinfold (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team, 5:16
84 Svein Tuft (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team, 5:17
85 Jeff Sherstobitoff (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team, s.t.
86 Will Routley (Can) Symmetrics Cycling Team, s.t.

Stage 5 - May 3: Ilopango (San Francisco Gotera) to San Miguel

1. Ben Rabe Hino Donde Jose (USA ), 4:45:35
2. Andrew Pinfold Symmetrics Cycling Team (Can)
3. Marlon Castillo Cafe Quetzal (Blz)
4. Alexis Rojas Colombian National Team (Col), all s.t.
5. Fausto Esparza Tecos De La Universidad Autonoma De Guadalajara (Mex), 0:01
6. Ismael Sanchez Bicicletas Corsario Cuscatlan Cogeas (Dom), 0:02
7. Juan Rojas Villegas Bicicletas Corsario (CRc), 0:25
8. Paulo Vargas Cafe Quetzal (CRc), s.t.
9. Francisco Colorado Colombian National Team (Col), 0:32
10. Guillermo Miranda Panama National Team (Pan), 4:46:08

11. Andrew Randell Symmetrics Cycling Team (Can), both s.t.
49. Svein Tuft Symmetrics Cycling Team (Can), 0:40
59. Eric Wohlberg Symmetrics Cycling Team (Can)
60. Christian Meier Symmetrics Cycling Team (Can), both s.t.
79. Jeff Sherstobitoff Symmetrics Cycling Team (Can), 0:45
83. Lance Doherty Champion System (Can), 0:46
86. Will Routley Symmetrics Cycling Team (Can), s.t.
DNS. Jacob Erker Symmetrics Cycling Team (Can)