Monday, June 30, 2014

Rebecca Sauber Wins Buck Hill Birch Bump

The Minnesota mountain bike family hit the trails on the slopes of the Buck Hill ski complex in suburban Burnsville on June 29, an unlikely location that served as the nursery for America's most successful skier, Lindsay Vonn. This time the slopes were dominated by speedy endurance star Rebecca Sauber, who shot away from a small women's elite field and won the event by a large margin.

A smile on her face as she crosses the finish line.
  

Alone on the last lap.

Monday, June 16, 2014

North Star Grand Prix Ladies 2014

A field of 106 lady cyclists signed up for the first stage time trial of the North Star Grand Prix in Minnesota on June 11 and when the agony was over on Sunday Durango, Colorado native Carmen Small of the Specialized-Lululemon team was the 2014 champion after taking the yellow jersey from United Health Care's Alison Powers in the Cannon Falls road race stage and holding her advantage through the final day's Stillwater criterium. Canadian champion Leah Kirchmann took the third spot on the podium for Optum Pro Cycling.

A number of the ladies had something to be proud of during the course of the contest. Californian Coryn Rivera won the field sprint in both of the flat criteriums in downtown St. Paul and Uptown Minneapolis in the kit of United Health Care. Vanderkitten rider Gillian Carleton won the Menomonie, WI road race and her team mate Lizzie Williams ran away from the field up Chilkoot Hill in the Stillwater criterium to win the festival's final stage. Local high school grad Kelly Catlin finished 15th in the GC for the Kakookies College All-stars.  photo c43819ac-8234-4143-a1a4-f6e3a5681657_zps3c0ec06d.jpg Overall winner Carmen Small talks over old times at the start line with former team mate Jade Wilcoxson.  photo fa597002-c19e-447c-9b3b-9253cf2d0411_zpsb69e3cb4.jpg Coryn Rivera, many times a junior national champion, has found a place on the new United Health Care squad.  photo 4fb16fb1-93ee-49dd-a44d-275988fe3e4d_zps6ba37bcd.jpg Aussie rider Lizzie Williams emerged from a ten year retirement to join Vanderkitten in late 2013 and win the Chilkoot Hill stage at Stillwater with an impressive breakaway.  photo e5572722-99b3-410f-8ed8-3e6d746394f7_zps90040c90.jpg Williams relaxes after her strenuous effort on Sunday afternoon.  photo 428143ed-6b65-424a-91ec-ebfaeb798885_zpsa2e66b1e.jpg Consummate pro and Olympic silver medalist Lauren Tamayo does the work for the new United Health Care team,chasing the breakaways and leading out the sprints for Coryn Rivera.  photo 23dd47fc-3141-482b-a519-d4616a9995b3_zpsfc91688a.jpg Canadian star Leah Kirchmann not only won third in the GC, she also took the best young rider jersey.  photo edc391aa-d82c-403a-b497-222612931587_zps931ffaf5.jpg Colavita-Finecooking rider Olivia Dillon placed ninth in the GC.  photo DSCN1388_zps2fb124f5.jpg Young Tibco veteran Samantha Schneider lines up next to new Optim rider Maura Kinsella.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Shamrock Capitol Criterium

Junior phenomenon Kelly Catlin leads the ladies field up the hill to the Minnesota State Capitol building as she wins the state criterium championship on June 1. Catlin finished 9th in last years world junior road racing championships in Tuscany, Italy. Abby Reuss and Melissa Dahlmann took second and third.
Jordan Cullen gets some company on his extended but failed breakaway. Grand Performance rider Tony Olson won the pro-1-2 event for the second consecutive year.