21rst Tour of the Gila - Stage 3 & 4
Team Slipstream's Young Gun Tom Peterson opened his pro account at the Fort Bayard Stage 3. Jelly Belly's Brice Jones takes Criterium.  Dotsie Bausch victory at Bayard Inner Loop. A surprise in Silver City Criterium with Jill Mclaughlin winning at the front of the successful break.

The initiative was taken by the Slipstream/Chipotle team in stage 3 with the team launching a full scale attack from the start at Fort Bayard. by the time the riders reached the climbs in the Gila National Forests the peloton was shattered with a group of about 20 riders in the lead.

A break of four was launched from the lead group with 20 miles to go. The quartet, Toyota/United's Ivan Stevic, Tom Peterson (Slipstream), Nick Reistad (Jelly Belly) and David Salomon (P&S-Halcones) gap went as high as three minutes before a chase was organized behind them. 

By the finish the chase was on the heels of the quartet but they managed to finish five seconds ahead with Tom Peterson taking the victory in spite of a flat tire. Riestad, Stevic and Salomon

Women's Race
Like the men's race the Women's had no major changes to the top of the general classification with Colavita's Dotsie Bausch taking the stage moving 24 seconds closer to the race leader Mara Abbott with the help of the 15 second bonus. Webcor's Rachel Heal of the UK finished second and Gina Grain third, and team mate and countrywoman Anne Samplonius in fourth. Mara Abbott and Rachel Heal are still one, two on the G.C. with Dotsie Bausch closing the gap to 1:05.

The Silver City Criterium was won by Jill McLaughlin of Touchstone Climbing who led a break of five, Helen Kelly (Webcor), Ander Dvorak (Colavita/Sutter Home) Melissa Holt (expresscopy.com), and TIBCO's Victoria Bastide to the line one minute ahead of Alex Wrubleski who took the field sprint for sixth place. The G.C. remains much the same as yesterday with the final decisive Gila Monster to come on Sunday.

Toyota/United Pro Report
Ivan Stevic Gains Toyota-United’s Third Straight Podium Finish
Bayard, N.M. – The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team garnered its third consecutive podium finish at the Tour of the Gila when Ivan Stevic finished third on the Inner Loop Road Race Friday.

 Toyota-United’s Ivan Stevic (left) found himself in a long breakaway for the second consecutive day wit companions David Salomon, Nick Reistad, and Tom Peterson leading.  Photo c. Tom Spross

Stevic was part of a four-man breakaway that escaped a shattered peloton approximately halfway through the 80-mile (129.6 km) race. A concerted attack from the gun by Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle decimated the field down to 18 riders, from which Stevic, Tom Peterson (Team Slipstream), Nick Reistad (Jelly Belly Cycling Team) and David Salomon (P&S-Halcones) eventually powered away to build a maximum lead of three minutes.

That advantage evaporated quickly in the closing miles, but the quartet managed to hold off the fast-closing field. Peterson took the win on a flat tire, ahead of Reistad and Stevic, respectively. Toyota-United’s other finishers in the lead group were Chris Baldwin (third-place finisher on Stages 1 and 2), who was eighth, Justin England (13th), Burke Swindlehurst (17th) and Stefano Barberi (26th).

Justin England (right) crossed the finish line in 13th place, just ahead of Scott Moninger (BMC Professional Cycling Team) and Toyota-United teammate Burke Swindlehurst. Photo c. Tom Spross

For Stevic, it was the second consecutive day he found himself part of a long breakaway.
“I’d say he has spent close to 240 km (150 miles) riding on the front,” Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett. “He’s got a nose for getting into breaks. He’s always good at finding himself in the right one. He’s got the punch to jump across when it looks like it’s going to work.”

Feeling the exhaustion afterwards, Stevic was a man of few words. “I wasn’t necessarily going to be in a break, but it was good for the team,” the Serbian national champion said. “They didn’t have to work at all.”

With the overall standings remaining relatively unchanged, Toyota-United maintained its lead in the team classification. In the individual classification, Baldwin is second, 1:59 behind of overall leader Nathan O’Neil (Health Net presented by Maxxis). Three other Toyota-United riders are in the top 11 overall: Stefano Barberi (8th, 3:43 behind), Burke Swindlehurst (9th, 3:45 behind) and Justin England (11th, 3:56 behind). Prior to Friday’s stage, race officials corrected Barberi’s placing on Stage 2, which moved him up from 12th place to eighth overall.

More Photos from Tom Spross from the Tour of the Gila

Men's Stage 3 results
Fort Bayard Inner Loop RR.
1 3:15:09 0:00:00 - 00:15 94 Peterson  Tom Team Slipstream
2 3:15:09 0:00:00 - 00:20 100 Reistad  Nick Jelly Belly Cycling
3 3:15:09 0:00:00 - 00:05 113 Stevic  Ivan Toyota-United Pro
4 3:15:09 0:00:00     106 Salomon  David P&S-Halcones
5 3:15:14 0:00:05     31 England  Richard Priority Health/Bissel
6 3:15:14 0:00:05     54 Jacques-maynes  Benjamin Priority Health/Bissel
7 3:15:14 0:00:05     16 Candelario  Alex  Jelly Belly
8 3:15:14 0:00:05     1 Baldwin  Chris Toyota-United Pro
9 3:15:14 0:00:05     84 Munoz  Hernan P&S-Halcones Columbia
10 3:15:14 0:00:05     51 Howes  Alex Team Slipstream

Men's Stage 4 Results
Silver City Downtown Criterium
1 1:38:43 0:00:00 - 00:15 135 Jones  Brice Jelly Belly
2 1:38:43 0:00:00 - 00:10 31 England  Richard Priority Health/Bissel
3 1:38:43 0:00:00 - 00:05 16 Candealrio  Alex Jelly Belly 
4 1:38:43 0:00:00     54 Jacques-Maynes  Priority Health/Bissel
5 1:38:43 0:00:00     113 Stevic  Ivan Toyota/United Pro

Individual GC after stage 3 & 4
1 9:24:12 0:00:00 87 O'neil Nathan Health Net/Maxxis 
2 9:26:11 0:01:59 1 Baldwin Chris Toyota-United Pro
3 9:27:00 0:02:48 78 Moninger Scott BMC
4 9:27:01 0:02:49 84 Munoz Hernan P&S-Halcones
5 9:27:36 0:03:24 48 Hesjedal Ryder Health Net
6 9:27:37 0:03:25 94 Peterson Tom Team Slipstream/Chipotle 
7 9:27:47 0:03:35 54 Jacques-maynes Priority Health/Bissel
8 9:27:55 0:03:43 8 Barberi Stefano Toyota-United Pro  696
9 9:28:00 0:03:48 18 Colby Anthony Colavita/ Sutter Home 
10 9:28:08 0:03:56 30 England Justin Toyota-United Pro 

Women's Results
Women's Pro 1 2 3 Stage 3 results
1 4:04:10 0:00:00 - 00:15 206 Bausch  Dotsie Colavita/Sutter Home
2 4:04:13 0:00:03 - 00:20 223 Heal  Rachel Webcor Builders 
3 4:04:13 0:00:03 - 00:05 219 Grain  Gina Team expresscopy.com 
4 4:04:16 0:00:06     242 Samplonius  Anne Team expresscopy.com
5 4:04:16 0:00:06     200 Abbott  Mara Webcor Builders

Women's Stage 4 Result
Silver City Criterium
1 1:13:27 0:00:00 - 00:15 234 Mclaughlin  Jill Touchstone Clmbing
2 1:13:27 0:00:00 - 00:10 229 Kelly  Helen Webcor Builders
3 1:13:27 0:00:00 - 00:05 213 Dvorak  Andrea Colavita/Sutter Home
4 1:13:27 0:00:00     227 Holt  Melissa Team expresscopy.com
5 1:13:27 0:00:00     205 Bastide  Victoria Team Tibco
6 1:14:35 0:01:08     246 Wrubleski  Alex Colavita/Sutter Home
7 1:14:37 0:01:10     240 Rachetto  Liza Team Tibco
8 1:14:37 0:01:10     219 Grain  Gina Team expresscopy.com
9 1:14:37 0:01:10     223 Heal  Rachel Webcor Builders
10 1:14:37 0:01:10     220 Hambleton  Marni Symmetrics Cycling Team

Women's Pro 1 2 3 Individual GC after stage 3
1 8:28:27 0:00:00 200 Abbott Mara Webcor Builders
2 8:29:02 0:00:35 223 Heal Rachel Webcor Builders
3 8:29:32 0:01:05 206 Bausch Dotsie Colavita/Sutter Home

Women's G.C. after Stage 4
1 9:43:04 0:00:00 200 Abbott Mara Webcor Builders 
2 9:43:39 0:00:35 223 Heal Rachel Webcor Builders 
3 9:44:09 0:01:05 206 Bausch Dotsie Colavita/Sutter Home 
4 9:45:37 0:02:33 242 Samplonius Anne Team expresscopy.com 
5 9:46:05 0:03:01 241 Rais Amber Webcor Builders 
6 9:46:19 0:03:15 238 Ourada Brooke Cheerwine 
7 9:46:33 0:03:29 225 Hobson Leigh Cheerwine 
8 9:46:49 0:03:45 214 Evans Nicole TEAm Lipton 
9 9:47:14 0:04:10 217 Goldstein Leah Symmetrics 
10 9:48:34 0:05:30 213 Dvorak Andrea Colavita/Sutter Home