Category Archives: Road

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

No Americans in Top 75 in Stage Two of Criterium du Dauphine

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Brent Bookwalter and Alexey Vermeulen managed top 100 finishes on Tuesday but neither one was near the leader as Bookwalter finished 5:30 back in 79th and Vermeulen was 93rd. This was the first hilly stage of the Criterium du Dauphine and it provided some separation over the 104.1 miles. Bookwalter remains the top American overall but dropped from 25th to 74th and is now 6:26 back overall. Vermeulen does remain in the top 100 overall as well in 92nd.

The Criterium du Dauphine continues Wednesday with a 113.1 mile flat stage while the overall race continues until Sunday.

Previous Criterium du Dauphine Coverage:
Preview
Prologue Recap
Stage One Recap

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Three Americans in Peloton of Stage One at Criterium du Dauphine

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Brent Bookwalter, Alex Howes , and Alexey Vermeulen all finished as part of a 129-man peloton on Monday at the Criterium du Dauphine as no one broke from the pack on a 115.6 mile flat stage. Vermeulen was nearly the last man in the peloton in 127th place while Bookwalter and Howes were further up in the pack in 58th and 64th. All three remain in the top 100 overall with Bookwalter in 25th, 58 seconds back while Vermeulen is 60th and Howes is 84th.

The Criterium du Dauphine continues Tuesday with a 104.1 mile hilly stage while the overall race continues until Sunday.

Previous Criterium du Dauphine Coverage:
Preview
Prologue Recap

Cycling, UCI Women's WorldTour

Megan Guarnier Makes it Two in a Row by Winning Philadelphia International Cycling Classic

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Megan Guarnier probably wishes all the UCI Women’s WorldTour events could be held in the states the way her two chances to win on home soil went this last month. Fresh off the win in the Amgen Tour of California Guarnier was three seconds better than the field in the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic on Sunday, holding off Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy. Guarnier wasn’t the only American who has been strong on home soil as Evelyn Stevens made it two top four finishes with a fourth place finish, nine seconds back, in this race. Brianna Walle, 11 seconds back in fifth, Heather Fischer, 11 seconds back in sixth, and Kristabel Doebel-Hickok, 14 seconds back in ninth, gave the US half of the top ten. It was a season best finish for Walle, Fischer, and Doebel-Hickok. The US also had riders in 13th, 14th, and 15th in Cory Rivera (25 seconds back), Katie Hall (26 seconds back), and Scotti Lechuga (27 seconds back and her first finish of the year). The ten Americans in the top 20 were wrapped up by Jessica Prinner in 18th and Janelle Cole in 19th, both competing in their first race of the year.

The tour heads back to Europe for the final eight events between now and mid-September. The next event is The Aviva Women’s Tour, June 15th-19th in the UK.

Previous Philadelphia International Cycling Classic Coverage:
Preview

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Brent Bookwalter Finishes 27th in Prologue of Criterium du Dauphine

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Brent Bookwalter was the top American in the prologue of the Criterium du Dauphine on Sunday as the American finished 27th in the 2.4 mile run, 58 seconds behind the leading 11:36 time of Spaniard Alberto Contador. Bookwalter was joined in the top 100 by Alexey Vermeulen who finished 65th and Alex Howes who finished 98th.

The Criterium du Dauphine continues Monday with a 115.6 mile flat stage while the overall race continues until next Sunday.

Previous Criterium du Dauphine Coverage:
Preview

Cycling, UCI Women's WorldTour

40 US Women to Compete in Philadelphia International Cycling Classic

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Another large field of Americans will compete in the second of the two Women’s WorldTour events held in the US this year, the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic on Sunday. Fresh off her wins in the Amgen Tour of California and the US National Championship Megan Guarnier is the headliner but she’s joined by plenty of other top competitors. Evelyn Stevens was third in California, Leah Thomas was fifth, Katie Hall was seventh, Coryn Rivera was ninth, and Lauren Stephens was tenth. The race is 73.8 miles long.

Previous UCI Women’s WorldTour Coverage:
Amgen Tour of California Recap

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Six Americans to Compete in Criterium du Dauphine

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Six Americans are in the field for the Criterium du Dauphine as it gets underway in France on Sunday. The race will begin with a 2.4 mile prologue on Sunday before seven more stages over the next week. The last three stages will all involve mountains so there could be a lot of excitement in the final stages of the race. The Americans in the field are headlined by Alex Howes who was 21st in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race and Brent Bookwalter who was 35th in the Tour de Romandie.

Previous UCI World Tour Coverage:
Giro d’Italia Recap

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Joe Dombrowski Finishes Giro d’Italia a Season High 34th

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All of the riders in the final stage of the Giro d’Italia finished together in the peloton so now ground was gained or lost. Joey Rosskopf was the only American who finished in the top 100, 41st overall.

The important standings on Sunday were the overall standings and that’s where Joe Dombrowski found himself 34th, 1:32:56 back. That finish was the best of the year for the 25-year-old, surpassing a 37th finish in the Volta a Cataluyna. 24-year-old Nathan Brown also finished in the top 100 in 48th. Ian Boswell finished 71st, Chad Haga was 78th and Rosskopf ended up 85th.

There will be a little break before the next UCI World Tour event, the eight-stage Criterium du Dauphine, which runs June 5th-12th in France.

Previous UCI World Tour Coverage:
Giro d’Italia Preview
Stage 1 Update
Stage 2 Update
Stage 3 Update
Stage 4 Update
Stage 5 Update
Stage 6 Update
Stage 7 Update
Stage 8 Update
Stage 9 Update
Stage 10 Update
Stage 11 Update
Stage 12 Update
Stage 13 Update
Stage 14 Update
Stage 15 Update
Stage 16 Update
Stage 17 Update
Stage 18 Update
Stage 19 Update
Stage 20 Update

Cycling, Road

Megan Guarnier and Greg Daniel Win Pro Time Trial National Championships

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Megan Guarnier didn’t compete in the time trial on Friday but she sure showed why she is the top American road racer right now with a national title on Saturday. Guarnier held off Cory Rivera, Mandy Heintz, and Brianna Walle to win the title in a time of 3:48:20. The other three all finished a second behind Guarnier in a race where the top 14 all finished within five seconds. Heintz was a bit of a surprise to find in the top four after posting an 82nd place finish in the Amgen Tour of California last week. Both Rivera and Walle finished in the top 15 in that event. Friday’s time trial winner, Carmen Small, finished seventh, two seconds back, runner-up Amber Neben was 21st, 14 seconds back, and Kristin Armstrong was 16th, seven seconds back.

On the men’s side Gregory Daniel took the top spot in a race that saw more riders drop out than finish.Daniel led the 25 riders who finished the race holding off Alex Howes, Travis McCabe, and Chad Beyer by five seconds.  Howes was 21st recently in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race which speaks well for the young 21-year-old Daniel. Yesterday’s time trial winner, Taylor Phinney, didn’t take part in the race while runner-up Thomas Zirbel did not finish. Bronze medalist Alexey Vermeulen finished 15th, 48 seconds back.

USA Cycling will host the Mountain Bike National Championships in Mammoth Mountain, California July 13th-17th. The next UCI World Tour event is in France, the Criterium du Dauphine from June 5th-12th. The women will stay stateside for the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic on June 5th.

Previous USA Cycling Pro Road & Time Trial National Championships Coverage:
Preview
Friday Update

Cycling, UCI Men's World Tour

Outstanding Ride for Joe Dombrowski, Third in Stage 20 at Giro d’Italia

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Joe Dombrowski hadn’t finished better than 58th and had finished outside the top 140 twice in the three stages since his run of four straight top 40 finishes. He rebounded in a big way on Saturday finishing the final mountain stage in 3rd place, the best finish by any American on the World Tour this year. Nathan Brown had finished fourth in the 10th stage of this race and Tejay Van Garderen had done the same in the Volta a Catalyuna, but no one had cracked the top three. Dombrowski was 1:17 back of winner Rein Taaramae of Estonia.

Dombrowski wasn’t the only American to find success as Joey Rosskopf, coming off his first sub-90 finish in six stages, finished a season best 33rd, 17:19 back, and Brown made it three in the top 50 for the first time in the event as he finished 41st, 20:17 back. Ian Boswell was 66th and Chad Haga 73rd as the US had all five of their riders in the top 75 for the first time in the Giro d’Italia as well.

Overall Dombrowski moved up a big to 34th overall (1:32:56 back) while Brown stayed in 48th (2:15:18 back). Boswell (71st) and Haga (78th) rose slightly while Rosskopf had the big jump rising 21 spots to 85th.

Things close out on Sunday with a 101 mile flat stage. Don’t expect the standings to change much.

Previous UCI World Tour Coverage:
Giro d’Italia Preview
Stage 1 Update
Stage 2 Update
Stage 3 Update
Stage 4 Update
Stage 5 Update
Stage 6 Update
Stage 7 Update
Stage 8 Update
Stage 9 Update
Stage 10 Update
Stage 11 Update
Stage 12 Update
Stage 13 Update
Stage 14 Update
Stage 15 Update
Stage 16 Update
Stage 17 Update
Stage 18 Update
Stage 19 Update

Cycling, Road

Taylor Phinney and Carmen Small Win Pro Time Trial National Championships

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Carmen Small didn’t compete in the Amgen Tour of California last week unlike most of her rivals for the top spot in the pro time trial national championship on Friday. It didn’t seem to matter though as Small performed at her best on the 33km course posting a time of 42:31.91 in the second to last run that took the top spot and wouldn’t be passed. Small finished 23 seconds ahead of Amber Neben, 24th in California, while Kristin Armstrong went last but was only able to place third with a time of 43:40.47. Rounding out the top five were Brianna Walle, 13th in California, and Lauren Stephens, tenth in California.

On the men’s side Taylor Phinney was the last to go and ended up winning by a minute and 10 seconds over fellow Boulder, Colorado native Thomas Zirbel. Alexey Vermeulen rounded out the medal winners 2.78 seconds behind Zirbel. Brent Bookwalter and Evan Huffman finished fourth and fifth.

Saturday will be the road races to wrap up the national championships.

Previous USA Cycling Pro Road & Time Trial National Championships Coverage:
Preview