May 27/11 11:09 am - National Calibre Racing Returns to Killington

Posted by Editoress on 05/27/11
 

2nd year of the reincarnation of the Killington Stage Race returns this weekend

After a very successful first year, race promoters and the town of Killington are ready to welcome back over 600 riders to central Vermont for the 2011 Killington Stage Race.  This year’s professional fields are full of quality, and should provide for great racing for this year’s event.

Even with most of the domestic professional riders heading to South Carolina for this year’s professional national championships, the men’s field is full of regional and international quality.  Leading the way this year will be the man to defend his title from last year, Canadian Hugo Houle.  But riding alone this year, he will have his hands full with several top U.S. and Canadian teams looking to take the top spot in this year’s race.  One rider on great form is Brett Tivers  (Garneau-Club Chaussures-Norton Rose), having taken the top of the podium in this year’s Tour of the Battenkill.  Brett will have a full squad at his disposal, and will look to take top honors once again in 2011.  But the Canadian’s based Garneau squad will have a couple of New England regional teams nipping at their heels, including BikeReg/Cannondale, sporting Josh Dillon, who took 5th in last year’s race, and CCB Racing, who will back their hopes on last year’s King of the Mountain winner Dylan McNicholas.

The women’s field is one of the deepest in recent memory, with a field of 65+ to contest the 3-day event this year.  Last year’s winner Sue Schlatter (Stevens Racing p/b the Cyclery) will be looking to her team to get her back on the top step, but Team Juvederm-Specialized will be bringing a full squad to the race, and have multiple choices for the GC, including Denise Ramsden, who took a podium spot in Redlands this year, this year’s Tour of the Battenkill winner Lex Albrecht, and last year’s 4th place finisher Veronique Labonte.  But they better not look back, because they will find several regional elite riders that will challenge these top riders, including 2 recent U.S. collegiate national champions, Anna McLoon (Harvard) and Laura Ralston (NorEast Cycling), last year’s 3rd place finisher Audrey Scott (Team Bikeway), last year’s 5th place finisher and Queen of the Mountain winner Silke Wunderwald (Team Kenda p/b GearGrinder), and Anna Barensfeld (Missing Link Coaching Systems/Specialized)

Stage 1 begins Saturday morning at 8am with the Mountain Times Circuit Race, a challenging 18 mile circuit that includes a very fast 2 mile finish to Killington’s Sunrise Base Lodge.  The men will do 73 miles, the women 55.  Look for a sprint finish here with the top sprinters contesting for the first green jersey of the weekend.  Stage 2 on Sunday is the 11 mile Long Trail Brewery Individual Time Trial, where riders will be looking to challenge for all the time they can get before the very difficult day on Monday.  The queen stage is Monday’s Stage 3 Champion Systems Road Race, a 62 mile parcours with 3 major climbs including the grueling East Mountain Rd and the finishing climb up to the K1 Base Lodge on the top of the Killington Mountain Resort.  Race updates will be posted on both Twitter (@KillingtonSR) and on Facebook (Killington Stage Race) throughout the weekend. (ed note: depending on internet availability)

The 2011 Killington Stage Race is brought to you in part by the Town of Killington Economic Development and Tourism Board, Long Trail Brewery, The Mountain Times, Champion Systems, Raw Revolution natural and organic food bars, and by Vermont Pure Spring water. 

Courtesy Alan Atwood for Killington Stage Race