Chris Baldwin (OUCH-Maxxis) figured in to the break right from the start.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Tom Zirbel (Bissell) takes it easy in the bunch with team-mates up the road.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Chris Baldwin (OUCH-Maxxis) was riding well today and racked up some KOM points.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Victor Hugo Pena (Rock Racing) made a long trip back to the US and all the way in to today’s break.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Jeff Louder (BMC) made the break and will be one to watch in the overall this week.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
The break continued to work well together throughout the day.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Rock Racing continues to drive the pace at the front.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) attacked far out and got a gap quickly.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) took the early lead of the Cascade Classic six-stage race after a solo victory in the opening stage on Tuesday.The California native is hoping that a new set of tactics will bring his squad an overall title after Sunday’s finale in Bend, Oregon.
"I hope we are able to have a good time trial here," Jacques-Maynes said. "But we aren’t fully depending on the time trial anymore because that has bitten us in the ass the last couple of weekends. We want to come out here to race aggressive and have a good one."
Jacques-Maynes took a strong early lead in the overall by virtue of a 10-second margin over a chase group being combined with the time bonuses allocated at the finish line. He heads into stage two with a 14-second advantage over Jeff Louder (BMC) and a 16 second cushion to Francisco Mancebo (Rock Racing).
Jacques-Maynes teammate, Tom Zirbel, leads the National Racing Calendar (NRC) series after an impressive string of time trial victories. However, the overall title has eluded the specialist, who placed second in the Nature Valley Grand Prix and third in the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic. The Bissell squad will no doubt leave a lasting impression at the stage 3 time trial, with Zirbel's presence bound to play a big factor.
The Bissell squad racing this week includes Jacques-Maynes and Zirbel along with New Zealand national time trial Champion Jeremy Vennell, Paul Mach, Omer Kemp, Kirk O’Bee, Morgan Schmitt and Burke Swindlehurst.
For images of stage one of the Cascade Cycling Classic click here
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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
