Australia Day as Clarke finishes in style

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Hilton Clarke (Bahati Foundation) made it a day for the Australians in downtown San Dimas as he took out the Incycle Bike Stores-Cannondale Bicycles criterium while countryman Ben Day held on for the overall win following the final stage of this year's San Dimas Stage Race.

The former Toyota-United Pro and Fuji-Servetto rider outpaced Argentina's Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis-Sutter Home) in second and young Dutchman Raymond Kreder (Holowekso Partners) in third. "It was a little chaotic at the finish and I was helping Rahsaan," said Clarke. "That's the beauty of our team. He got caught out at one stage and I had to have a go for myself and it worked out.

"I sat on Fly V Australia and had a free ride all race. I came out of the corner in third position and two guys had a gap on me. I had a run at it and was able to come around them."

Ben Day (Fly V Australia) took hnis second consecutive San Dimas title, having climbed his way into the leader's jersey when he won the opening Glendora Chevrolet uphill time trial. He then added some extra padding to that lead by sprinting for several time bonuses located in the stage two circuit race and the final criterium.

He eventually finished 18 seconds ahead of Australian national mountain bike champion Sid Taberlay (California Giant Berry Farms) and 21 seconds ahead of Paul Mach (Bissell) in third.

"I did it last year and to be able to do it again was good," said Day. "This is a very important milestone in my preparation for other races coming up. I leave this race in a good frame of mind and with some good motivation.

"The boys were awesome, they did such a great job," Day continued. "I think I did my first turn in the wind with two laps to go so I really couldn't have asked for anything more. They were incredible. Congratulations to Hilton and the Bahati team for their win today."

Brad White (UnitedHealthcare) captured the best sprinter jersey and Adam Switters (Yahoo!) solidified the event's best climber jersey during the stage two circuit race. The best young rider jersey went to Andrew Talansky (California Giant Berry Farms).

With 100 riders starting the closing criterium in downtown San Dimas under sunny skies and warm temperatures, Day took the first intermediate sprint for time bonuses, adding an additional 10 seconds to his race lead.

"The first sprint worked out to our advantage," Day explained. "The boys set me up for the sprint and we were able to get first, second and third. We were very content to let the break be away but the racing itself brought them back with about 10 minutes to go."

More than 30 minutes into the race Alex Howes (Holowekso Partners) attacked on the gradual climb located on the backside of the course. He was quickly followed by Tyler Wren (Jamis-Sutter Home), Jorge Alvarado (Bahati Foundation), Jonny Clarke (UnitedHealthcare), Daniel Holt (Team Type 1) and Lucas Euser (SpiderTech).

Fly V Australia held the breakaway riders between 15 and 30 seconds before reeling them back in with 20 minutes remaining in the race. François Parisien (SpiderTech) was the next to make a solo move but he too was brought back two laps later. The field picked up the pace in the final five laps as teams Bahati Foundation, UnitedHealthcare, Team Type 1, Jamis-Sutter Home and Bissell moved their sprinters to the front of the field.

Borrajo and Kreder rounded the final corner first only to be passed by Clarke at the line. "It's a new team and we're looking to gel together and I think this weekend we really showed that," said Clarke, praising his teammates on a job well done. "We didn't win the overall but we were involved in everything in the race. We are really happy."

Teutenberg stuns the crowds

Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (HTC-Columbia) put forth a performance that wowed the crowds when she rode away from a dangerous breakaway to win solo in the women's criterium. Her effort brought her to the line 38 seconds ahead of escape companions Meredith Miller (TIBCO) and Carmen Small (Colavita-Baci) and delivered HTC-Columbia the overall title.

"I just though I would go and try to win the stage, I didn't think I would make the time up," said Teutenberg. "The crit victory might not be that surprising but the fact that I won the whole stage race again..."

The German-powerhouse started the day nearly a minute and half down in the overall classification but made more than that back through her hard-fought effort to widen the time gap to the peloton that contained race leader Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12).

The gap, coupled with an additional 30 seconds in time bonuses, boosted Teutenberg to another San Dimas Stage Race title, for the second consecutive year. Teutenberg finished 18 seconds ahead of Abbott.

"I was at a minute twenty back today and as I said yesterday Peanut Butter did a strong ride." she said. "I was surprised that we could get the time out of them today."

Abbott won the opening uphill time trial on Glendora Mountain Road for the third consecutive year and held the leader's jersey until the final stage. Teutenberg's teammate, Evelyn Stevens, rounded out the podium in third place, 34 seconds back.

"This is the third time that I've started out leading the San Dimas Stage Race and not actually finished it in the leader's jersey," said Abbott. "Racing is a process and if you win a race you learn stuff and you celebrate. If you lose a race you learn too and you probably learn more.

"Even though it is disappointing to lose, I wanted to win... you can't win them all. You have to try to take what you can from the loss."

Alexis Rhodes (Vera Bradley Foundation) earned the event's best sprinter jersey while Heather Logan (Colavita-Baci) solidified the best climber jersey and Rebecca Much (TIBCO) rode away with the best young rider title.

Some 50 women barreled off the start line in pursuit of the first intermediate sprint for points and time bonuses. Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 riders assumed their rightful position at the front of the field, setting a quick tempo to protect the race leader. The team rolled through the first set of time bonuses with Coryn Rivera and Katharine Carroll taking the most time. Emilia Fahlin took the seconds on offer for third.

With 25 minutes elapsed of the 60-minute race, Ina Teutenberg made her first winning move followed by the current US road race national champion Meredith Miller and general classification riders Robin Farina (Vera Breadley Foundation), who sat in third place, Carmen Small (Colavita-Baci) in fifth place and Katharine Carroll (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12) eighth place overall.

"At first the gap wasn't that big and having them up there was good to take away time bonuses," Abbott continued. "But as the gap got bigger, it was really aggressive at the front and it was hard to keep a consistent pace with the team in the chase. Everyone worked really hard."

Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 rallied at the front in an attempt to reduce the time gap but the margin increased to over a minute almost instantaneously. Teutenberg won the second intermediate sprint for time bonuses, followed by Carroll and Small, all three moving further ahead in the general classification.

The odds-on favorite to win the overall shifted towards Teutenberg, who was the most likely rider in the break to win the criterium and capture the additional 20 seconds offered at the line.

Carroll was called out of the break and back to the peloton to help organise her young team together to help pull time back from the breakaway. She did the lion's share of the work in a desperate, valiant attempt to save the leader's jersey.

Meanwhile, Teutenberg rode the breakaway companions off her wheel. What started as a pursuit to win the stage turned into a hunt for the overall title. "I knew they were in front of me [in GC] and if something goes wrong in the last corner," Teutenberg added.

"It's really hard to hear so I knew I was really close [to the overall] with the time bonus but I didn't know how close and I thought this was the safest way to do it."

Small, Miller and Farina pushed on to stay as far ahead of the peloton as possible. Farina took an unfortunate flat tyre inside five laps to go with no free laps for mechanicals remaining. She was reabsorbed back into the peloton with three laps to go.

"We were all working pretty well together but of course Ina wanted to be faster," said Farina. "I flatted and I didn't have any other option, I had to come in [to the wheel pit]. Everyone was working and it was in all of our best interests to work it."

Fatigue set in for the Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 chase. Miller and Small in limbo between the lone leader and the field. Teutenberg held strong and seemed to get faster as she passed the final two laps. She crossed the line over half a minute ahead of Miller and Small and more than one minute ahead of the peloton that contained the race leader.

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