2006 Nature Valley Grand Prix Preview
The North American Peloton peloton moves to Minnesota for the the 5 day Speedfest with the top competitors hungry for some wins and revenge after the PA Triple Crown.

The Nature Valley Grand Prix kicks off this Wednesday, June 14, in Minnesota. Rated at 2.2, this is one of the top three stage races in the United States. The men’s field includes strong squads from HealthNet, JellyBelly, Toyota United, Navigators Insurance, and KodakGallery. The women’s field is equally strong, with squads from Colavita / Cooking Light, TEAm Lipton, Webcor-Platinum and Victory Brewing attending. Nature Valley Grand Prix also kicks off the Women's Prestige Series.

This year’s edition of the Nature Valley GP has been reconfigured to increase the drama of the fight for the leaders’ jerseys. The races become progressively more vertical as the week wears on, changing the type of rider who will be in contention for the overall winner.

2006 Riders to Watch
The 2006 pro/elite fields are the strongest yet for this young race. The men’s field will include current and former US National Champions Dave McCook (Jelly Belly), Tim Johnson (HealthNet), Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance), Frank Pipp (Target Training) and Ben Jacques-Maines (KodakGallery) along with three-time Canadian national Champion Gord Fraser (HealthNet) and two-time Mexican National Champion Jose Garcia (Toyota United).

Watch for the very in form Greg Henderson coming to the race after two victories in the Pennsylvania Triple Crown. In fact the Health Net team will field strong contenders in both the sprint stages and later hilly stages fielding a strong team. Toyota/United will be out for vengeance after the Triple Crown series where they were shut out of victories during the series.

Kodakgalleries.com/Sierra Nevada, Jelly Belly and Navigators Insurance squads can't be counted out to be among the top rivals to challenge Toyota and Health Net for podiums during the week bringing their own selection of top sprinters to challenge Dominguez, Fraser and Henderson. Jelly Belly's McCook and Jones should weigh in with the best at the line. Navigator's Zajicek will be looking for a bit of revanche and reward after a strong performance at the Tour of Gila, and the Nav's are bringing a squad that of sprinters any of which make it certain it won't be an all Healtnet/Toyota show. If you're a fan of the young guns, keep an eye out for the Broadmark/Hagen team who always finds some fast and interesting talent to bring through development to join the pro's. Alex Candelario and Tyler Farrar are only two who came through their ranks as espoirs and went on to successful pro careers.

The women’s field is equally strong, including Olympic Gold Medalist Sarah Ulmer (Jazz Apple) and current and former US National Champions Tina Pic (Colavita / Cooking Light), Christine Thorburne (Webcor-Platinum), Laura Van Gilder and Kristin Armstrong (TEAm Lipton). With the first leg of the Women's Prestige Series the ladies will be looking to gain the advantage on points as the series rolls.

Nature Valley Grand Prix - The Stages:
Saint Paul Riverfront Time Trial
Racing begins in downtown Saint Paul with a new 4.5 mile time trial along the Mississippi River. This is a relatively flat, out-and-back course with a gradual climb as the riders approach the turnaround. Look for the top riders to finish within a few seconds of each other.

Cannon Falls Road Race
Cannon Falls is a new host city, but the roads will be familiar to riders who competed in the Red Wing Road Race last year. This is a relatively short 60-mile race through rolling countryside. There is little shelter on much of this course and winds may play a major factor, as they did last year. However, with no major climbs and a relatively short course, a field sprint is likely.

Minneapolis Downtown Classic
The Minneapolis Downtown Classic, held in the heart of the entertainment district, is a sprinter’s paradise. This is a flat, fast L-shaped course with a free outdoor concert and a huge crowd at the center. Technical corners and high speeds can favor small breakaways and the leader’s jersey has changed hands here in the past.

Mankato Road Race
Hard men and women will challenge for the lead at the Mankato Road Race. The course begins in Mankato and then winds through Blue Earth County, with 80 miles of relatively flat riding in wide-open country where wind could be a major factor. The race goes vertical when the riders return to Mankato, entering a challenging 2.3-mile finishing circuit. This circuit includes Main Street Hill, a stair-stepping 0.6 mile climb that averages 14% and is sure to break up the pack. With four laps on this tough circuit, the Mankato Road Race will establish the riders to beat for the overall title.

Stillwater Criterium
Dubbed “The Brutal Course in North America”, the Stillwater race is a criterium in name only. This challenging, 1-5 mile circuit features two climbs, including Chilkoot Hill, the climb to the finish that averages 18%. Major chunks of time can be gained or lost in this race, making it the most decisive stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Past Winners
2005 Christine Thorburn (Webcor) - John Lieswyn (HealthNet/Maxxis)
2004 Lyne Bessette (Can), Quark - Ben Jacques-Maines, Sierra Nevada
2003 Katie Mactier (Aus), Saturn - Trent Klasna, Saturn
2002 Laura Van Gilder, Trek Plus - John Lieswyn, 7UP
2001 Suzanne Sonya, Saturn - Frank McCormack, Saturn

Event web site: http://www.MinnBikeFest.com

Team Rosters
Bib Number FirstName LastName
Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling Team
1 Ben Jacques-Maynes
2 Jason Allen 
3 Michael Dietrich 
4 Martin Gilbert 
5 Dominique Perras 
6 David Robinson 
7 Dan Schmatz 
8 Jackson Stewart 

Health Net presented by Maxxis
11 Gordon Fraser
12 Greg Henderson 
13 Tim Johnson 
14 Mike Jones 
15 Karl Menzies 
16 Kirk O,Bee 
17 Doug Ollerenshaw 
18 Alberto Tiberio 

Toyota-United Pro Cycling team
21 Stefano Barberi
22 Ivan Dominguez 
23 Justin England 
24 Bobby Lea 
25 Sterling Magnell 
26 Ivan Stevic 
27 Sean Sullivan 
28 Josh Thornton 

Jelly Belly Cycling Team
31 Andrew Bajadali
32 Brian Jensen 
33 Brice Jones 
34 Caleb Manion 
35 Dave Mccook 
36 Nick Reistad 
37 Matt Rice 
38 Corey Steinbrecher 

Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
41 Ben Brooks
42 Siro Camponogara 
43 Hilton Clarke 
44 Oleg Grichkine 
45 Shawn Milne 
46 David Oloughlin 
47 Bernard Van Ulden 
48 Phil Zajicek 

TARGETRAINING
51 Josh Bezecny
52 Anthony Colby 
53 Eneas Freyre 
54 Daniel Greenfield 
55 Andrew Guptill 
56 Wes Hartman 
57 Frank Pipp 
58 Matt Shriver 

Team Einstein's Cycling
61 Kyle Colavito
62 Jason Donald 
63 Jonathan Garcia 
64 Ryan Hamity 
65 Jack Seehofer 

Mercy Cycling
71 Mat Ankney
72 Chad Cagle 
73 Steven Cate 
74 Brian Dziewa 
75 Doug Greek 
76 Stefan Rothe 
77 Mat Stephens 
78 Alex Welch 

CRCA/Sakonnet Technology U25
81 Guy East
82 Johnny Hayes 
83 Chris Kuhl 
84 Lee Rosenthal 
85 Chris Ruhl 
86 Jonathon Swain 

LSV/Kelly Benefit Strategies
91 Matt Cooke 
92 Brian Fouche 
93 Thomas Soladay 
94 Andrew Wulfkuhle 

Broadmark / Hagens-Berman
101 Adam Curry
102 Andrew Fischer 
103 Owen Gue 
104 Pleasure Jackson 
105 Evan Lawrence 
106 Justin Morgan 
107 Chad Nikolz 
108 Ian Tubbs 

ABD Cycling Team
111 Frank Dierking
112 Mike Ebert 
113 Dylan Lewis 
114 Bryce Mead 
115 Reid Mumford 
116 John Puffer 

BMC Racing Team
121 Kyle Barbary
122 Justin Hale 
123 Ken Hanson 
124 Hector Hernandez 
125 Jason Klikna 
126 Owen Laine 
127 Osvaldo Olmos 
128 David Rodriguez 

Rio Grande/Sports Garage
131 Paul Esposti
132 Scott Nydam 
133 Barkley Robinson 
134 Jacob Rosenbarger 

Abercrombie & Fitch p/b Inferno
141 Andrew Applegate
142 Ryan Gamm 
143 Jered Gruber 
144 Mark Hekman 
145 Abraham Mcnutt 

Wheel & Sprocket
151 John Acker
152 Andrew Crater 
153 Brandon Gavic 
154 Shawn Willard 
155 Morgan Wiswall 

Hincapie Sports/Bianchi/ Dasani
161 Chris Harkey
162 Shane Weaver 
163 Scottie Weiss 

VMG Racing
171 Spencer Beamer
172 Zach Bolian 
173 Alexander Boyd 
174 Chase Fullerton 
175 Phillip Gaimon 
176 Todd Henriksen 
177 Rudy Robaina 
178 Zach Taylor 

ALL9YARDS.COM CYCLING TEAM
181 Lane Anderson
182 Ralph Henderson 
183 Jon Randall 
184 Kurt Refsnider 
185 Chad Vandelune 

Bianchi/Grand Performance
191 Terry Beenken
192 Duane Dickey 
193 Peter Fairbanks 
194 Pete Hanna 
195 Pat Lemieux 
196 Eric Marcotte 
197 Ben Raby 
198 Dale Sedgwick 

FLANDERS/MBRC
201 Erik Dahl
202 Chris Doig 
203 Adam Froemming 
204 David Zimmerman 

GrandStay/Out-N-About Gear
211 Daniel Casper
212 Michael Grabinger 
213 Chia Kung 
214 Troy Scherer 
215 Matt Williams 

Hollywood Cycles/Silver Cycling
221 Tone Coughlin
222 Aric Hareland 
223 Jay Henderson 
224 Tim Mulrooney
225 Banning Ostrow 
226 Jason Snider 

HRRC/CollegePoint/Specialized/BikeSource
231 Derek Goerke
232 Jason Knight 
233 Thomas Luke 
234 Bill Stolte 

Mercy-Specialized
241 Paul Deninger
242 Brian Eppen 
243 John Meehan 
244 Ryan Nenninger 
245 John Olney 

Nature Valley Racing Team
251 Kruse Andy
252 Jake Defresne 
253 Matt Henry 
254 Andy Minier
255 Matt Muyres 
256 Ian Stanford 
257 Dan Swanson
258 Doug Swanson

 Subaru Cycling Team
261 Brian Bibens
262 Hayden Brooks 
263 David Guttenplan 
264 Jed Schneider 

271 Michael Anderson Endeavour
272 Cole House Endeavour
280 Shawn Brick Birchwood\GIS
281 Jonathon Page Colavita Olive Oil - Sutter
282 Jonathan Parrish LANDIS/TREK/VW
283 Mike Olheiser MMW/CARVE
284 Philip Wikoff Team Hotel San Jose
285 Kevin Attkisson Texas Roadhouse Cycling
286 Steve Tilford Trek/Shimano
287 David Sachs Vision Quest