Greipel and Henderson scorch Philadelphia finale
Golden day for Columbia-Highroad on race's silver anniversary
André Greipel won the 25th Philadelphia International Championship on Sunday with an unmatched burst of speed over the final 200 metres of Benjamin Franklin Parkway to beat Columbia-Highroad teammate Greg Henderson and Bissell's Kirk O'Bee. It was the second win of the day for the American ProTour, who led out Ina-Yoko Teutenberg in the women's Liberty Classic.
Columbia-Highroad's pre-race plan was to deliver Germany's Greipel to the line in a field sprint. It executed the lead-out to perfection, despite confusion from a crash within the final kilometre, near Logan Circle.
"Every race we are at we are one of the best teams but that doesn't mean that we get the win easily," Greipel told Cyclingnews. "We always have to work hard and play our tactics correctly in order to win any race.
Henderson started his sprint with 400 metres to go and Greipel went on his own in the final 200 metres. The one-two finish was an unexpected bonus.
"I caught Kirk O'Bee and passed him," Henderson told Cyclingnews. "There was no one else there and I thought, 'Well heck, I have to keep going.' One guy passed me and it was Greipel so it doesn't get much better than that."
Bissell Pro Cycling made its bid for victory and hoped to elevate sprinter Kirk O'Bee one step higher on the podium following 2008's second place.
"Frank Pipp was in front of me and things started to swarm a little so I went early around," O'Bee told Cyclingnews. "I looked up and around, and I was already off the front a little bit with 300 metres to go and so I kept going.
"We were on the outside of the crash and thankfully my teammates put me out front and got me around all that. There are crashes all the time in the last part of the race because everyone is so tired. It's better to be at the front to avoid that."
Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefit Strategy) had his team's sprinter, Alex Candelario, on his wheel within the top 10 during a right-hand turn around Logan Circle. The duo was attempting to come around the lead-out train of Planet Energy when Mumford glanced back to make sure Candelario was on his wheel. At the same time, a Planet Energy rider moved over taking out Mumford's front wheel and sent Mumford and a handful of others to the asphalt.
A long day
The longest one-day race in the United States opened nearly six and a half hours earlier with the surprising turbo-charged start line acceleration of USA National Team rider Daniel Holloway. The 22-year-old Californian, a multi-US national champion on the track in 2008, leapt off the start line as if the finish line was at the end of the opening one-mile parade lap, not the longest race of his career.
"I didn't plan to go in the first 200 metres, I went off the line like I normally would [in a criterium]," said Holloway. "I heard I had a gap so I started picking it up and then I went out for the long haul."
Another young American, 20-year-old Andrew Talansky (Amore & Vita), set off in pursuit of Holloway on the opening one-mile parade lap, but was unable to join until nearly 60 miles and three ascents of the Manayunk Wall were ridden alone by each rider.
Another aggressively-minded duo, David Guttenplan (Team Mountain Khakis) and John Ebsen (Danish National Team), escaped the peloton in pursuit of Holloway and Talansky at the end of the opening 14.4-mile large circuit. The peloton showed no sense of urgency in its pursuit of the four escapees.
The women's peloton racing concurrently in the 57.6-mile Liberty Classic chopped its five-minute starting deficit to the men's race. For the first time in race history, with approximately 21 miles left in the Liberty Classic, the women caught and passed the men's peloton, neutralising the men in the process until the women's event finished.
Probably the only man on course wishing to be neutralised was race leader Holloway, but his stint off the front was only further extended since the four leaders still had the green light to race.
"I could see that my gap was opening and that the women were so close to the men's field," said Holloway. "I didn't worry about it. I was hoping to get neutralised so I could relax and stretch but they neutralised the men's field and not me."
Holloway's lead ballooned to over 13 minutes in front of the neutralised men's peloton and the ample cushion enabled the young sprinter to weave his way up the Manayunk Wall at his leisure to the raucous applause of "USA! USA!" inspired by his US National Team kit. Elsewhere on the parcours, Holloway frequently unclipped from the pedals to stretch his legs, which were beginning to feel the effects of his lengthy sojourn in the race lead.
Holloway found some relief once Talansky finally made contact as they concluded their third lap. The duo completed another full circuit encompassing the out and back trip to Manayunk along Kelly Drive.
Once the peloton was un-neutralised, they quickly got down to the business of absorbing the two pairs of riders.
Phase two
Phase two to the men's race unfolded as a powerful trio – Daniel Oss (Liquigas), Valeriy Kobzarenko (Team Type 1)and Tom Zirbel (Bissell Pro Cycling) – attacked just prior to Holloway being absorbed at nearly 81 miles remaining.
Oss, Kobzarenko and Zirbel, sharing the work equally, found themselves 7:20 ahead of the field after the completion of the seventh of 10 large circuits, or 103.8 miles. The three riders would prove to be a challenge for the sprinters' teams to bring back, but the unrepresented ProTour squads stamped their authority on the race, capturing Oss, the last of the original trio, with six miles and two of the closing short laps to go.
"I think getting neutralised when we did just meant that we had to rethink our tactics a bit," said Henderson. "We wanted to make the group a little bit smaller at the finish so we went hard on the last time up the climb. There were too many other teams who missed the break, however. From then on it looked like it was going to be a sprint from two laps out. We just made sure that we had Greipel and myself up front."
Several other teams with sprinters – Liquigas, Fuji-Servetto, Colavita Sutter Home and Planet Energy – all attempted to counter the Columbia's effort on each of the remaining three-mile short laps, but the team's speed proved too much inside the final kilometre.
Bissell was one of the teams able to sit back in the during the chase thanks to Zirbel's presence in the break.
"Tom [Zirbel] being off the front took pressure off us," said O'Bee. "Columbia controlled the front at the end and my teammates helped try to keep me at the front behind them, but I just went a little too early."
1 | Andre Greipel (Ger) Team Columbia - Highroad | 6:24:04 |
2 | Greg Henderson (NZl) Team Columbia - Highroad | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Kirk O'bee (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | 0:00:01 |
4 | Harald Starzengruber (Aut) Elk Haus | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | David Vitoria (Swi) Rock Racing | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Keven Lacombe (Can) Planet Energy | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Alejandro Borrajo (Arg) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Christofer Stevenson (Swe) Swedish National Team | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Lucas Haedo (Arg) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Andrew Pinfold (Can) OUCH p/b Maxxis | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Alex Candelario (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Soren Petersen (Den) Danish National Team | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Tony Cruz (USA) BMC Racing Team | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Johnathon Cantwell (Aus) Fly V Australia | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Evan Elken (USA) Land Rover-ORBEA | 0:00:02 |
16 | Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Racing Team | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Fred Rodriguez (USA) Rock Racing | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | David Tanner (Aus) Rock Racing | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Hagen Boasson (Nor) Team Columbia - Highroad | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team Columbia - Highroad | 0:00:03 |
21 | Wil Routley (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Vicente Reynes (Spa) Team Columbia - Highroad | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Bernard Sulzberger (Aus) Fly V Australia | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Chad Beyer (USA) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:04 |
25 | Frank Pipp (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Floyd Landis (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis | 0:00:05 |
27 | Kenneth Hanson (USA) Team Type 1 | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Jonathan Garcia (USA) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:07 |
29 | Chris Jones (USA) Team Type 1 | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Karl Menzies (Aus) OUCH p/b Maxxis | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Brian Vandborg DNK Liquigas | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Charlas Dionne (Can) Fly V Australia | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Peter Salon (USA) USA National Team | 0:00:08 |
34 | Peter Latham (NZl) Bissell Pro Cycling | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Bruno Langlois (Can) Planet Energy | 0:00:10 |
36 | Andreas Stillfors (Swe) Swedish National Team | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Moises Aldape (Mex) Team Type 1 | 0:00:11 |
38 | Nic Sanderson (Aus) Rock Racing | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Steve Bovay (Swi) BMC Racing Team | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Matthew Winstead (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Valeriy Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1 | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Neil Shirley (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Martin Gilbert (Can) Planet Energy | 0:00:16 |
44 | John Murphy (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis | 0:00:18 |
45 | Allesandro Bazzanna (Ita) Fly V Australia | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Georg Lauscha (Aut) Elk Haus | 0:00:24 |
47 | Scottie Weiss (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy | 0:00:25 |
48 | Stefan Rucker (Aut) Elk Haus | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Alex Howes (USA) USA National Team | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | Jose Benitez (Spa) Fuji-Servetto | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | James Camut (USA) Land Rover-ORBEA | 0:00:26 |
52 | Tom Soladay (USA) Team Mountain Khakis | 0:00:28 |
53 | Matt Wilson (Aus) Team Type 1 | 0:00:34 |
54 | Philipp Mamos (Ger) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness | 0:00:35 |
55 | Darren Lill (RSA) Team Type 1 | 0:00:38 |
56 | Yuriy Metlushenko (Ukr) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness | 0:00:43 |
57 | Daniel Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:00:44 |
58 | Matthew Rice (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | 0:00:45 |
59 | Rory Sutherland (Aus) OUCH p/b Maxxis | 0:00:46 |
60 | Ryan Roth (Can) Planet Energy | 0:00:48 |
61 | Ermanno Capelli (Ita) Fuji-Servetto | 0:00:49 |
62 | Francois Parisien (Can) Planet Energy | 0:00:53 |
63 | Davide Vigano (Ita) Fuji-Servetto | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Columbia - Highroad | 0:01:03 |
65 | Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team | Row 64 - Cell 2 |
66 | Cladio Corioni (Ita) Liquigas | 0:01:05 |
67 | Richard England (Aus) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness | 0:01:10 |
68 | Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas | 0:01:11 |
69 | Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Liquigas | 0:01:12 |
70 | Gert Dockx (Bel) Team Columbia - Highroad | 0:01:18 |
71 | Jacob Erker (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:01:19 |
72 | Jonathan Clarke (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | 0:01:26 |
73 | Ben Maynes (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | 0:01:29 |
74 | Bernard Van Ulden (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | 0:01:55 |
75 | Jonathan Mccarty (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis | 0:02:00 |
76 | Hilton Clarke (Aus) Fuji-Servetto | 0:02:15 |
77 | Reid Mumford (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:02:34 |
78 | Davide Frattini (Ita) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light | 0:02:41 |
79 | Steffen Radochla (Ger) Elk Haus | 0:02:50 |
80 | Paolo Bailetti (Ita) Fuji-Servetto | 0:02:53 |
81 | Ricardo Serrano (Spa) Fuji-Servetto | 0:03:03 |
82 | Anibal Borrajo (Arg) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light | 0:03:22 |
83 | Daniel Summerhill (USA) USA National Team | 0:09:35 |
84 | Bobby Sweeting (USA) Land Rover-ORBEA | Row 83 - Cell 2 |
85 | Tomas Lofgren (Swe) Swedish National Team | Row 84 - Cell 2 |
86 | Chad Gerlach (USA) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness | Row 85 - Cell 2 |
87 | Lucas Persson (Swe) Swedish National Team | Row 86 - Cell 2 |
88 | Tom Zirbel (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | Row 87 - Cell 2 |
89 | Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas | Row 88 - Cell 2 |
90 | Roman Uden (NZl) Land Rover-ORBEA | Row 89 - Cell 2 |
91 | Russell Stevenson (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy | Row 90 - Cell 2 |
92 | Bennet Genugten (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy | Row 91 - Cell 2 |
93 | Tim Henry (USA) DLP Racing | Row 92 - Cell 2 |
94 | Andrew Guptill (USA) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light | Row 93 - Cell 2 |
95 | Adam Myerson (USA) Team Mountain Khakis | Row 94 - Cell 2 |
96 | Scott Tietzel (USA) DLP Racing | 0:12:38 |
97 | Taylor Tolleson (USA) BMC Racing Team | Row 96 - Cell 2 |
98 | Scott Davis (Aus) Fly V Australia | Row 97 - Cell 2 |
99 | Ben Day (Aus) Fly V Australia | Row 98 - Cell 2 |
100 | Anthony Colby (USA) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light | Row 99 - Cell 2 |
101 | Aaron Tuckerman (NZl) Land Rover-ORBEA | Row 100 - Cell 2 |
102 | Alexander Wetterall (Swe) Swedish National Team | Row 101 - Cell 2 |
103 | Caleb Fairly (USA) USA National Team | Row 102 - Cell 2 |
104 | Bradley White (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis | Row 103 - Cell 2 |
105 | Charles Huff (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | Row 104 - Cell 2 |
106 | Nicholas Reistad (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | Row 105 - Cell 2 |
107 | Tyler Stanfield (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy | Row 106 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Ivan Dominguez (Cub) Fuji-Servetto | Row 107 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas | Row 108 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Jackson Stewart (USA) BMC Racing Team | Row 109 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Wolfgang Murer (Aut) Elk Haus | Row 110 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Jochen Summer (Aut) Elk Haus | Row 111 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Volodymyr Starchyk (Ukr) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness | Row 112 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Andrew Talansky (USA) Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness | Row 113 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Andy Maynes (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | Row 114 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Cody O'reilly (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | Row 115 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Jeremy Vennell (NZl) Bissell Pro Cycling | Row 116 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Luca Damiani (Ita) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light | Row 117 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Daniel Vaillancourt (USA) Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light | Row 118 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Steven Gordon (USA) DLP Racing | Row 119 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Boyd Johnson (USA) DLP Racing | Row 120 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Phillip Martz (USA) DLP Racing | Row 121 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Andrew Olson (USA) DLP Racing | Row 122 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Tiagao Depaula (Bra) DLP Racing | Row 123 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Curtis Gunn (USA) Fly V Australia | Row 124 - Cell 2 |
DNF | David Kemp (Aus) Fly V Australia | Row 125 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Matthew Crane (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | Row 126 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Kiel Reijnen (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | Row 127 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Andrew Bajadali (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 128 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Zach Bell (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 129 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Scott Zwizanski (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies | Row 130 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Chad Burdzilauskas (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy | Row 131 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Jaime Gandara (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy | Row 132 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Jonathan Parrish (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy | Row 133 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Josh Bartlett (USA) Land Rover-ORBEA | Row 134 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Logan Hunn (NZl) Land Rover-ORBEA | Row 135 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Mike Northey (NZl) Land Rover-ORBEA | Row 136 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Tim Johnson (USA) OUCH p/b Maxxis | Row 137 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Mark Batty (Can) Planet Energy | Row 138 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Eric Boily (Can) Planet Energy | Row 139 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Andrew Randell (Can) Planet Energy | Row 140 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Jamey Driscoll (USA) Rock Racing | Row 141 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Spencer Beamer (USA) Team Mountain Khakis | Row 142 - Cell 2 |
DNF | David Guttenplan (USA) Team Mountain Khakis | Row 143 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Mark Hekman (USA) Team Mountain Khakis | Row 144 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Will Hoffarth (USA) Team Mountain Khakis | Row 145 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Charles Marzot (USA) Team Mountain Khakis | Row 146 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Dan Ramsey (USA) Team Mountain Khakis | Row 147 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Shawn Milne (USA) Team Type 1 | Row 148 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Rasmus Damm (Den) Danish National Team | Row 149 - Cell 2 |
DNF | John Ebsen (Den) Danish National Team | Row 150 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Kasper Malmkjaer (Den) Danish National Team | Row 151 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Anders Sibast (Den) Danish National Team | Row 152 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Martin Halvarsson (Swe) Swedish National Team | Row 153 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Daniel Holloway (USA) USA National Team | Row 154 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Walker Savidge (USA) USA National Team | Row 155 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Taylor Shelden (USA) USA National Team | Row 156 - Cell 2 |
1 | Valeriy Kobzarenko (Ukr) Team Type 1 | 38 | pts |
2 | Tom Zirbel (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling | 34 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Vicente Reynes (Spa) Team Columbia - Highroad | 14 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Columbia - Highroad | 10 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team Columbia - Highroad | 2 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Matthew Rice (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | 2 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Matthew Rice (Aus) Jelly Belly Cycling Team | 1 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
1 | Team Columbia - Highroad | 19:12:14 |
2 | Rock Racing | 0:00:03 |
3 | BMC Racing Team | 0:00:05 |
4 | Fly V Australia | 0:00:09 |
5 | Bissell Pro Cycling | 0:00:11 |
6 | OUCH p/b Maxxis | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Team Type 1 | 0:00:21 |
8 | Planet Energy | 0:00:25 |
9 | Elk Haus | 0:00:48 |
10 | Kelly Benefit Strategies | 0:00:54 |
11 | Fuji-Servetto | 0:02:05 |
12 | Jelly Belly Cycling Team | 0:02:12 |
13 | Liquigas | 0:02:21 |
14 | Amore & Vita Pro Racing Team Presented by Life Time Fitness | 0:02:26 |
15 | Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light | 0:02:41 |
16 | Swedish National Team | 0:09:44 |
17 | Land Rover-ORBEA | 0:10:01 |
18 | USA National Team | 0:10:06 |
19 | Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy | 0:10:09 |
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