Tvetcov wins Cascade Cycling Classic

On Sunday, Serghei Tvetcov (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) won the NRC’s sixth stop, the Cascade Cycling Classic. Kristen McGrath (Exergy) won the women’s race. Top Canadians were Adam de Vos (Trek Red Truck  presented by Mosaic Homes) in 38th overall on the men’s side and Lex Albrecht (NOW and Novartis for MS) in 21st overall in the women’s race.

Based in Bend, Ore., the Cascade Cycling Classic has a great atmosphere, which stems from the city’s strong culture of sport and recreation. The race is a major annual stop for some of the best domestic racers around. The courses and circuits are full of hilly terrain and technical sections that showcase the area’s beautiful, yet rugged topography.

Following a 4.5-km prologue, which was won by Robert Sweeting (5-Hour Energy/Kenda) in the elite men’s race and Shelly Olds (Tibco) in the women’s, the stage was set for another year of spectacular racing.

The first stage’s McKenzie Pass Road Race finished atop the brutal Mount McKenzie climb. Team Bissell demonstrated their dominance by guiding Phil Gaimon to an authoritative solo win. Team Tibco’s Claudia Hausler managed to join a three-rider break and take the win from that elite group. After a solid prologue performance a day earlier, Kristen McGrath took the overall lead in the women’s race as she finished in the same break as Hausler. Adam de Vos was the top Canadian men’s finisher in 29th on Stage 1. Lex Albrecht finished well down in 32nd as the top Canadian finisher in the women’s race.

The Stage 2 time trial was a tough test for all of the riders. At only 25.8 km, the stage was deceptively challenging as any rider vying for a high GC position could lose time. In the men’s race,  24-year-old Tvetcov stormed to a commanding win over Jonathan Teeter (Marc Pro-Strava) and U.S. national time trial champion Tom Zirbel (Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies). The overnight race leader Phil Gaimon lost a crucial 1:22 to Tvetcov and new GC leader Jakub Novak (BMC Development Team). In the women’s race, Allison Powers (NOW and Novartis for MS) won ahead of race leader McGrath, who was able to put over a minute into her closest GC Rival.

Stage 3 was won again by Tvetcov, who sprinted from an elite group of five riders to take the win ahead of Travis McCabe (Elbows presented by Boneshaker) and Chad Haga (Optum/Kelly Benefit Strategies). Tvetcov took over the GC lead after winning the race’s queen stage at the Mount Bachelor Ski resort after climbing Mount Bachelor itself. In the women’s race, Lauren Stephens (Tibco) won the stage while McGrath was able to hold her GC lead.

Stage 4 was a downtown criterium in the heart of Bend. Ty Magner (Hincapie Development) won ahead of two other under-23 riders racing in the pro men’s field: Jasper Stuvyn (Bontrager) and Ignazio Moser (BMC Development). Lauren Hall (Optum/Kelly Benefit Strategies) won the women’s race. The GC was unchanged in the top 10.

Usually, the final stage  changes the GC. However, that was not the case this past Sunday as Tvetcov was able to keep his overall lead finishing in the second group behind a break of four. The stage was won by Joey Rosskopf (Hincapie Development). The top Canadian was Stuart Wight (Hagens Berman Cycling) in 44th. Amanda Miller (Tibco) won the women’s stage, while McGrath was able to hold onto her GC lead. Top Canadians on the stage were Lex Albrecht in seventh.

Full results can be found on the Cascades Cycling Classic web page.

The next stop for the NRC for the men is the Thompson Bucks County Classic on Sept. 7; for the pro women,  it is Chicago at the Tour of Elk Grove, which runs from Aug. 7 to 4.