June 26/08 7:32 am - Tour of Pennsylvania: Stage 3: Veilleux 3rd, Lacombe 6th

Posted by Editoress on 06/26/08
 

Tour of Pennsylvania Stage 3

An prerace interview with David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast) by Amy Smolens.

Amy Smolens: Yesterday was a great day for Keven with his stage win, with today's profile could today be a great day for you?

David Veilleux: It might be, I don't know, we'll see how it goes the race. It's a pretty open race, it's down to 20 guys for the GC I think, so we'll be careful with these guys and we'll see up the road how things go. But definitely it's going to be a hard stage and things may change today so hopefully in a good way.

AS: With all the climbing do you feel confident that you could take five seconds from Van Vooren and you could be in the Yellow Jersey at the end of the day?

DV: I don't know, maybe I think this guy is really strong, without time bonuses it's kind of hard but we'll see at the end how things go.

AS: Your team's been riding really well, are you confident that they can support you on the climbs?

DV: Yeah, yeah, the team has been riding great since the beginning. We work a lot as a team on Kelly Benefits, so yeah, it's going to be good and Ben (King) is going to help me more on the climbs, it's gonna be a good day.

AS: Yesterday the racing was really aggressive, are you expecting more of the same today?

DV: Yeah, I think there's going to be a lot of attacks but a little bit less because maybe some guys get tired a little bit and the climbs are at the end. But I think it still is going to be pretty active so we have to be careful.


Post-race interview with Veilleux after he finished third on the stage.

Amy Smolens: Tough stage out there today, talk about how the race developed.

David Veilleux: Well yeah, it was really hard, the first 100 kilometres on the flat with some rollers. Lots of attacks, we tried to be in the big moves and it came down to basically the main bunch at the foot of the first climb and some guy drilled it in front and everything exploded and (Peter) Stetina attacked on this climb. I was in his group, I stayed in the front group but I didn't want to follow him and I knew that even with the two climbs there was like 35k from the last climb to the finish. I knew that it was really long and by himself even if he had like four minutes and a half, five minutes, I knew that everyone would chase him down and we would bring him back. So I just stayed with the groups and after the first climb the other three on my team came back to my group and then it was good, we stayed together on the second big climb and after that we just drilled it and we brought him back. And at the finish we tried to set Keven (Lacombe) up for the win but it was kind of confusing and the South African (Christoff Van Heerden of Konica Minolta) who's second on the Green Jersey (to Lacombe) was really following Keven so instead of leading the South African, Keven stayed a little bit further back and I came a little bit short for the win.

AS: What were the dynamics in the break? When Stetina had a 3:40 lead the people here at the finish thought he had a good chance to stay away. Who was working to make sure he didn't?

DV: It's super hard, the last section was so hard with the wind blowing, no way would one guy stay up there by himself. Yeah, the Belgian team, Johan Bruyneel, and then us, and then ZteaM and a couple of teams worked hard in front. The guys on our team did a really great job, too, just keep it rolling and have everyone working to bring him back.

AS: You certainly must have tired Peter out, leaving him out there until the last few hundred metres. So for tomorrow, another hilly day, he's got to have lost a lot in his legs.

DV: Yeah, yeah (laughs,) I hope so!! Yeah, it's going to be a really short and hard stage tomorrow so we need to watch tomorrow but I felt good on the climbs today so I'm looking forward to tomorrow. So it's going to be nice.

AS: And it's another chance to pick up those five seconds on Van Vooren, too?

DV: Ah, we'll see. We'll try to take him as late as we can. Yeah, we'll try to do our best and see how things go.

Report courtesy organizers

The longest stage of the American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania presented by Highmark Healthy High 5 was made even more epic when strong winds and rain threatened the international field at the starting line in Camp Hill. While the sun broke through the clouds, neither the remaining gusting winds nor the many kilometers ahead could hold back cycling’s U-25 world-class up-and-comers from their visions of a Stage 3 victory.

Starting in Camp Hill at presenting sponsor Highmark’s campus, Stage 3 featured a 165-kilometer road race with a classic European road race sequence, and it all began on the rolling country roads that Pennsylvania is known for.

A truly valiant effort on behalf of the breakaway rider from America Peter Stetina (VMG-Felt), who gained nearly four minutes on a 40 rider chase group, came to a dramatic closing on the streets of Bedford when the soloist was caught just 100 meters to the finish line.

“It was very tough out there on my own, but I felt really, really good,” said Stetina whose lengthy breakaway efforts earned him both the Forbes Trail Most Aggressive rider and the VisitPA.com KOM winners jerseys. “It was a pure headwind and a false flat and without this, I think I could have taken the win. All losing did was make me mad, and I’m going to come back tomorrow and win. It’s on, this is my race now.”

The dwindled field, a result of strong head winds and tough terrain, came barreling onto the finishing straight away with the triumph in sight. American Jamie Driscoll (Fiordifrutta) took a slim victory ahead of Sheldon Deeny (Sakonnet Technology/USA) and David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast/CAN).

“I was dying hanging onto the chase group while Kelly Benefits and Johan Bruyneel teams were doing all the work to catch Stetina,” said stage winner Driscoll. “I don’t know where my sprint came from, but I am really surprised to win here today.”

Belgian Steven Van Vooren (Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy) was surprised to have been presented the prestigious American Eagle Outfitters yellow race leader jersey for the third consecutive stage. “I’m very happy to be leading this event,” said Van Vooren who landed the leading role at the Stage 1 prologue and expected to have to give it up on the climbing stages. “My team worked really hard today to hold onto it but I’m not sure we can do it again tomorrow where the climbs are more difficult.”

The strong international field steadily increased to their maximum speeds as they passed through the first 60 kilometers. The sprinters were given their chance to play in the stage’s intermediate sprint competitions located in Carlisle and Chambersburg, before beginning the arduous ascent at the foothills of the Allegheny mountain range. Canadian Keven LaCombe (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast) continued to lead the Best Sprinter competition.

Mid-race, the peloton veered onto HWY 30, a historically significant route that the event was designed to follow along the Forbes Trail, forged in 1758 by British General John Forbes and the young Colonel George Washington.

The world’s strongest U-25 climbers rode past a plentiful following of fans who cheered as the cyclists battled against one another over the first VisitPA.com KOM located at kilometre 105, a 5.6-kilometers steep gradient to the top of Tuscarora Summit.

Stetina, a native of Boulder, Colo., and a descendant of a long line of championship bike racers, grew up climbing throughout one of the world’s steepest mountain ranges –The Rocky Mountains. The young climber proved true to his natural ascending ability when he stormed ahead of the peloton over the first mountain pass and became the virtual American Eagle Outfitters overall race leader, gaining more than a three minute lead over his nearest competitors.

Stetina continued to increase his lead over 40 chasers, riding into the second decisive VisitPA.com KOM, located at mile 82, 4.8 kilometres to the top of Sideling Hill, an elevation gain of 2,500 feet.

The technically skilled peloton descended at speeds of 80 km/h in a successful chase led by the yellow jersey Van Vooren and his Johan Brunyeel Cycling Academy along with help from Canadian Keven LaCombe’s team Kelley Benefit Strategies-Medifast (second place overall after Stage 2) and third place South African Christoff Van Heerden’s Konica Minolta trying to gain back valuable time while negotiating some very technical turns before racing for Bedford’s finish line.