September 16/14 18:50 pm - Bell Finishes Season with Bucks County Classic Win

Posted by Editoress on 09/16/14
 

Team SmartStop concluded their exceptional year of racing with a double win over the weekend at the Thompson Bucks County Classic, where Zach Bell took the road race on Saturday and Shane Kline the Criterium on Sunday.

In the wet and cold Zach Bell raced away from a breakaway of six riders in the final 20 kilometres of the Bucks County Classic to solo to victory after 100 miles of racing.

Zach Bell wins - photo courtesy Team SmartStop

In a race filled with drama, rain and crashes, Team SmartStop's ultimate goal was to finish the year the way it started, hold onto the National Racing Calendar's leader's jersey and the UCI America's Tour.

With Kiel Reijnen (United HealthCare), our threat to the UCI America's Tour jersey, going down in an unfortunate crash early on in the race, the NRC and America's Tour were all but sealed up for Team SmartStop.

With only four riders left in the field from the team, both Julian Kyer (crash) and Adam Myerson had abandoned, it was up to Bell, Kline, Livermon and McCabe to control a field represented by Optum Pro Cycling, Team Jamis Hagens-Berman and United HealthCare.

The rain came down and the field was getting whittled down, with riders crashing and abandoning due to the conditions. Throughout the race there was a flurry of attacks and on the final of six, 14 mile circuits, Zach Bell would find himself in the winning move of six riders.

With 20 kilometres of racing left, Zach launched an attack on the climb and left the remaining breakaway riders in his wake. He would ride solo in the rain into New Hope to take his first UCI win of the season and the final road race win of 2014 for Team SmartStop.

Report courtesy Team SmartStop

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