2009 Cascade Classic -  Stage 2 Men: Three Creeks Road Race
Rock Racing Duo Double-Up on Podium with Peter Stetina. Oscar Sevilla takes leaders Jersey.

The 80 mile course might have lulled racers into thinking Wednesday's road race would be another day for the sprinters save for the final ten miles that shot up nearly 2,000 feet to the finish line in the Deschutes National Forest. Bissell rode to protect racer leader Ben Jacques-Maynes but it was Rock Racing's Oscar Sevilla and Francisco Mancebo would took first and third, with Felt-Holwesko-Garmin's Peter Stetina in second.

Rock Racing's Oscar Sevilla coasts across the finish line to easily win the Three Peaks Road Race Wednesday at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic. Photo copyright 2009 Carson Blume

Stetina, who won the best young rider jersey at Cascade last year, showed his talent as he finished only seven seconds behind Sevilla and eighteen seconds ahead of Mancebo. Other GC hopefuls gained time on Jacques-Maynes; OUCH's Chris Baldwin and Rory Sutherland filled out the top five ahead of tour of Utah winner, BMC's Jeff Louder (6th) and Team Type 1s Darren Lill (7th).

Jacques-Maynes gave up 1:28 to Sevilla and came in twentieth. Floyd Landis (OUCH) was almost three minutes behind in 63rd. Sevilla moved into the race lead with twenty-seven second lead over his Rock Racing teammate Mancebo, followed by Baldwin, Louder and Sutherland.

Stage 2 winner Oscar Sevilla of Rock Racing (center) congratulates runner-up Peter Stetina (right) Wednesday at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic. Rock Racing's Francisco Mancebo (left) finished third. Photo copyright 2009 Bob Cullinan

Results below

Rock Racing
Sevilla Rocks Cascade With Victory And Race Lead
Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla threw down an attack that only Peter Stetina (Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin) could follow on the slopes leading to the Three Peaks Snow Park Wednesday.

The result was a stage win and the overall lead for the Spaniard at the 30th annual Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic. Rock Racing teammate Francisco Mancebo was third on the day and moved into second overall, 27 seconds behind. Chris Baldwin (OUCH presented by Maxxis) is third, 35 seconds back of Sevilla.

Rock Racing Team Director Laurenzo LaPage said after putting five riders in the 23-man breakaway that decided Stage 1 on Tuesday, it was no accident that Rock Racing was calling the shots again. “Our plan this morning was to send Victor Hugo Pena or David Vitoria into the breakaway to put pressure on the leaders and that’s exactly what we did,” LaPage said. “ It couldn’t have been more perfect.”

For much of Wednesday’s 80-mile (128 km) race, it looked like Sevilla’s Rock Racing teammate Vitoria was going to be the one climbing the victory platform and displacing yellow jersey wearer Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Pro Cycling). Vitoria and three others were part of a breakaway that gained as much as a two-and-half minutes lead before being reeled in on the final climb.

“Laurenzo laid out the plan and we did exactly what we had to do,” Sevilla said. “David had a great race and worked very hard in the break. The whole team worked hard. I’m very happy with today’s win and very happy for my team. We feel good going into tomorrow’s time trial and are confident we can hold onto the lead.”

Thursday’s Skyliner’s Time Trial is a 16-mile (25 km) out-and-back humpback course: climbing going out and descending coming back.

Sevilla’s win was his second of the season, following a victory on the second stage of the Vuelta a Asturias in Spain on April 29. It also marks the first time he has led a race in the United States since he wore the yellow jersey at the San Dimas Stage Race in March of last year.

Ouch/Maxxis Report
Baldwin moves up to 3rd overall on first of three
critical stages of Cascade Classic.
Bend, OR – The list of contenders for the overall title of the 2009 Cascade Classic got a much clearer and shorter during Stage 2, which ended with the first major climb of the race, a long slog up to the Three Creeks Snow Park.

Chris BaldwinChris Baldwin of the OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis was one of the animators on the final climb, waiting out a couple of attacks early on the 10-mile finishing climb before launching his own attack to bridge across to a four-rider break containing OUCH Presented by Maxxis teammate Pat McCarty, with Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla in tow.

“We got up to the break, and (David) Vittoria (Rock Racing) drilled it for Sevilla,” Baldwin said. “I stayed with him and we traded pulls for a while, but I overheated a bit and had to drop off.”

Sevilla continued on for the stage win, while Peter Stetina (Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin) held on for 2nd place on the stage. As Baldwin rode tempo toward the finish, Sevilla’s teammate Francisco Mancebo bridged up to him.

 “I basically dragged Mancebo to the line and he came around me to get 3rd place,” Baldwin said. “But I was more concerned about putting time on (Jeff) Louder (BMC) than anything.”

Louder was in the next group on the road, which also contained teammate Rory Sutherland. Baldwin and Sutherland both came into the stage just six seconds behind Louder. Sutherland took advantage of Louder’s need to chase to sit on his wheel for much of the finishing climb, attacking late to come around him for 5th on the stage, though the two riders finished equal on time.

Baldwin was able to finish 0:25 behind SEvilla, and 0:07 ahead of Louder to move up to 3rd overall, while Sutherland now sits 5th overall, just one second behind Louder in the standings. Sevilla took over the race lead, while Mancebo slotted into 2nd overall.

Break gives team a break
McCarty’s presence in the break that finally stuck took a bit of the pressure off the team and allowed the peloton to settle down for a bit. “It took forever for the break to get going,” McCarty said. “The first part of the stage was pretty flat and there were a lot of attacks, but nothing stuck.”

Once the four-man break developed, they worked well together and opened a gap that reach over a 2:30 at one point. But by the time the main portion of the final climb had started, the gap was under a minute.

“If we had still had 2:30 starting the climb, I think I could’ve done something,” McCarty said. And he never really had a chance to help his teammates once the break blew. “Chris and Rory were already attacking when they came up to the break.”

Instead, he rode in a small group with teammate Cam Evans, who is showing already a good return to form after recovering from his crash at the Tour of the Gila. McCarty and Evans finished 1:07 behind the stage winner, taking 18th and 19th on the stage respectively, with Evans moving up to 11th overall. The stage one winner and race leader, Ben Jacques-Maynes, was a further 0:21 back and dropped to 7th overall.

“Chris and Rory rode really well today,” McCarty added. “It was a really good day for us.” Evans’ ride also helped move him into the top 10 overall.

Menzies takes win at Superweek
While the stage race squad is mixing it up in Oregon, Karl Menzies is getting warmed up for the next round of national criteriums by racing the final week of the International Cycling Classic, also known as Superweek, in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Karl MenziesMenzies took the win in today’s 150km road race in a two up sprint, seconds ahead of the remnants of a 12-rider break he had attacked a couple miles before the finish of the race.

“The race had a strange dynamic,” he said. “A big group would get off the front and come back, then another would go. It was hard to figure out which would be the one that stuck.”

He guessed right, joining a group of 12 that formed out of an already split field that saw a front group of 35 riders form about mid-race. With 2.5 laps to go, Menzies attacked with Sean Sullivan but that move was caught with a lap to go. Menzies attacked again with a couple miles remaining. Heath Blackgrove (Hotel San Jose) tried to bridge and joined Menzies with just under 1 km to go.

“We worked a bit together right when he caught me,” Menzies said. “I didn’t want to just time trial to the line with him on my wheel. But with a downhill, tailwind finish, the sprint started from over 200 meters out, and Menzies was able to hold off Blackgrove, as well as the remnants of the break, who were only a couple seconds behind.

“I’ve been here a couple days,” he said. “I’m starting to feel good but this is the first result I’ve gotten here. It’s good to get the win.”

Menzies will race the next couple days of Superweek before taking on the Chicago Criterium Sunday with John Murphy and Bobby Lea. Jonathan Chodroff has been with him for a couple races during Superweek, gaining more experience in the criteriums.

Stage: 2 Bend Bike N Sport Three Creeks Road Race
80.00 (128.72 km) - 27.54 mph (44.31 kmph)
Individual Stage Placings
 1 97 Oscar Sevilla Rivera Rock Racing 2:54:17 0:00:00 -10 
2 41 Peter Stetina* Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin :00:07 -6 
3 95 Francisco Mancebo Perez Rock Racing :00:25 -4 
4 21 Chris Baldwin OUCH Pro Cycling Team 2:54:42 0:00:25 
5 27 Rory Sutherland OUCH Pro Cycling Team 2:54:49 0:00:32 
6 1 Jeff Louder BMC Racing Team 2:54:49 0:00:32 
7 11 Darren Lill Team Type 1 2:55:11 0:00:54 0 0 0
8 8 Steve Bovay BMC Racing Team 2:55:24 0:01:07 0 0 0
9 15 Moises Aldape Team Type 1 2:55:24 0:01:07 
10 14 Matt Wilson Team Type 1 2:55:24 0:01:07 0 0 0
11 7 Brent Bookwalter BMC Racing Team 2:55:24 0:01:07 
12 77 Bjorn Selander* Livestrong 2:55:24 0:01:07 
13 2 Ian Mckissick BMC Racing Team 2:55:24 0:01:07 
14 17 Chris Jones Team Type 1 2:55:24 0:01:07 0 0 0
15 63 Anthony Colby Colavita Sutter Home 2:55:24 0:01:07 
16 96 Victor Hugo Pena Rock Racing 2:55:24 0:01:07 
17 186 Scott Stewart* Team Waste Management 2:55:24 0:01:07 
18 25 Patrick Mccarty OUCH Pro Cycling Team 2:55:24 0:01:07 
20 32 Ben Jacques-Maynes BISSELL Pro Cycling Team 2:55:45 0:01:28 
Stage 2 Result .pdf

General Classification After Stage 2
1 97 Oscar Sevilla Rivera Rock Racing 5:17:20 
2 95 Francisco Mancebo Perez Rock Racing 0:00:27
3 21 Chris Baldwin OUCH Pro Cycling  0:00:35
4 1 Jeff Louder BMC Racing Team  00:36
5 27 Rory Sutherland OUCH Pro  :00:42
6 14 Matt Wilson Team Type 1 5:18:37 0:01:17
7 32 Ben Jacques-Maynes BISSELL Pro  :01:18
8 11 Darren Lill Team Type 1 5:18:42 0:01:22
9 8 Steve Bovay BMC Racing Team 5:18:55 0:01:35
10 17 Chris Jones Team Type 1 5:18:55 0:01:35
11 22 Cameron Evans OUCH Pro  01:35
12 96 Victor Hugo Pena Rock Racing 01:35
13 2 Ian Mckissick BMC  :01:51
14 64 Davide Frattini Colavita Sutter Home :01:52
15 38 Jeremy Vennell BISSELL Pro  :02:04
16 4 Tony Cruz BMC Racing Team 5:19:54 0:02:34
17 62 Anibal Borrajo Colavita Sutter Home  03:50
18 41 Peter Stetina* Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin 04:50
19 98 David Vitoria Cano Rock Racing 5:22:48 0:05:28
20 73 Guy East* Livestrong 5:22:59 0:05:39
Coplete GC Results .pdf

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