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United HealthCare dominates penultimate day of the Joe Martin Stage Race

April 25, 2015
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United HealthCare picked up the double in Saturday’s penultimate day of the Joe Martin Stage Race in Northwest Arkansas. Coryn Rivera (USA/United HealthCare) got her satisfaction after coming runner-up to Canadian Leah Kirchmann Friday. On the men’s side, John Murphy took his second stage triumph in a row out of a bunch sprint.

The women faced a 107-km course that took in two 36-km loops southeast of the start and finish town of Prairie Grove. There were no breaks that stuck until the big climb of the first loop when Canadian Laura Brown (United HealthCare) got away with two others. Brown took the first intermediate sprint of the day before the escape submitted to the peloton.

On the second lap an even higher-powered breakaway formed. In it was race leader Lauren Stevens (USA/TIBCO-SVB), second place Amber Neben (USA/Visit Dallas Cycling), third place Linda Villumsen (New Zealand/United HealthCare) and Canadian Tara Whitten (The Cyclery-Opus), fifth on GC at the start of the day. Stephens was second at the second intermediate sprint to American Alexis Ryan of United HealthCare.

After the last lap there were 13-km of fairly flat roads leading into Prairie Grove. Before the end of the circuit the fugitives were brought to heel. Scotti Wilborne (USA/United HealthCare) tried her luck in the final 10-km but couldn’t make the gap stick. In the sprint Rivera stayed ahead of teammate Ryan at the line. Kirchmann was third.

Lauren Stevens (USA/TIBCO) still wears the pink leader’s jersey with only Sunday’s criterium stage to go. Kirchmann remains fourth on GC, two-seconds behind Linda Villumsen.

The men faced 175-km on a windy but sunny day. The breakaway that had staying power scuttled clear just before the second circuit. Colombian Andres Diaz (InCycle-Cannondale) lit out with Eric Young (USA/Optum) and Bradley White (USA/United HealthCare). By the end of the second circuit, the trio had a 3:30 lead, but Young dropped away on the final circuit and this spelled the escape’s doom.

There were no attacks for a half hour as the intact peloton rolled towards Prairie Grove. Oscar Clark (USA/Hicapie) burst up the road with 6-km to go but the peloton was having none of it. Optum mobbed the front in the final kilometre, but it was Murphy who was the first to the line ahead of Lucas Sebastian Henao (Argentina/Jamis-Hagen Bermans) and Hincapie’s Joseph Lewis (Australia).

Like Stephens, Gregory Brenes (Costa Rica/Jamis-Hagen Berman) will take the lead he’s held since the prologue into the final stage.

The Joe Martin Stage Race ends Sunday with a criterium on a 2-km course through the streets of Fayetteville.

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