Tvetcov, Powers claim Prineville Time Trial

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Serghei Tvetcov (Jelly Belly-Kenda) and Alison Powers (NOW & Novartis for MS) used their skills in the race against the clock to take the wins Thursday during the stage 2 Crooked River Time Trial at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic.

The third day at the Oregon race greeted riders with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit along the 27.5km out-and-back course outside of the small town of La Pine northeast of Bend.

Tvetcov covered the route in 30:39 to finish ahead of Jonathan Teeter (Marc Pro-Strava) and US national time trial champion Tom Zirbel (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies). The 24-year-old stage winner from Moldova said having the team car following him this year made the difference.

"It was a big help to have the follow car honking at me," Tevtcov said. "I remember last year when I was alone and I was, 'meh,' some parts were lazy, and this year was good, steadier."

Race leader Phil Gaimon (Bissell Pro Cycling) finished 22nd, 1:21 off Tvetcov's pace and surrendered his yellow jersey to BMC Development Team's Jakub Novak. The 22-year-old Czech Republic rider started the day eighth overall and finished fourth on the stage, lifting him into the race lead by 18 seconds over Tvetcov. Optum's Chad Haga is now third overall, 20 seconds behind Novak. Gaimon slipped to seventh, 36 seconds back.

"I knew today was my day because in [Tour de] Beauce I was pretty good in the TT," Novak said. "So I was counting that I could do a good TT and move more to the front of the GC. I was thinking that I would do well, but I wasn't thinking I would move into first. Now there are still three days ahead, so we are going to try and keep the jersey. I'm looking forward to fighting for the jersey."

Powers gains time, but GC hunt is 'over' 

Powers covered the course in 34:07 to take the women's win ahead of race leader Kristin McGrath (Exergy-Twenty16), who finished nine seconds down. DNA Cycling's Amy Thornquist, who won the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic in Oregon last month, finished third, 1:07 behind Powers.

"I was pretty motivated after the disappointment from yesterday," said Powers, who lost the leader's jersey during Wednesday's stage 1 McKenzie Pass Road Race. "I looked at what I did well last year at this TT and what I could do better. I remember last year I started out too hard and really suffered on the way back. So I tried to do the opposite of that, go out a little easier and be super strong coming back. I had a fast time, and thank goodness I did because [Kristin McGrath] was only nine seconds behind. So I'm super pleased with my ride."

The top three in the women's overall battle remained in the same order, although McGrath added more than a minute to the gap over her main GC rival. Claudia Häusler is now 2:20 behind, while McGrath's teammate, Mara Abbott, is 2:48 down. Powers jumped to fourth overall, 4:14 down.

McGrath said that keeping the jersey – and putting significant time on her overall rivals – made up for the disappointment of not winning the stage. And she praised her teammates for soft-pedaling through the stage in order to save energy for Friday's stage 3 yellow jersey defense.

"You always come out to win," McGrath said. "But I knew Alison would put in a really good ride today. It was definitely motivating to try and get more time on everybody. The team worked really hard yesterday, and today they gave up their races in hopes of keeping yellow, so I owed it to them."

Friday's stage 3 Cascade Lakes Road Race is a classic course that starts and finishes in the parking lot of the Mt. Bachelor Ski Area west of Bend. The route circles around the mountain and its glacier-fed alpine lakes for 148km and 1,321 meters of total elevation gain. The stage ends with a gradual 32km climb that ascends 563 meters to the finish. The women cover a shorter version of the route for 112km.

Powers said she believes her hopes for an overall win are over, but she said the team will continue to hunt stage wins.

"We're going to be opportunistic now," Powers said. "I mean you never know what will happen. Lots of stuff can happen. But yeah, I think GC is over."

McGrath and Exergy-Twenty16 now have the daunting task of defending yellow in the talent-stacked field on a difficult course.

"Tomorrow is historically a really hard stage," the race leader said. "There are a lot of rollers, ups and downs, and typically aggressive riding by the pack, so even though there aren't any huge climbs in it, the rolling terrain makes it a tough stage, so it will definitely be another tough day in the saddle.

"This is a big pack and a very motivated pack," McGrath said. "Breaks can go and get a lot of time very quickly on that course. We've seen that. So we're going to have to be really attentive and make sure we keep the field in check."

Pro men - Full results

Pro women - Full results