Giro d'Grafton: Alfredo Rodriguez moves into American Crit Cup lead with Wisconsin victory

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Skylar Schneider wins women's Grafton crit while sister Samantha uses podium to move into third overall on ACC

With victory at Tour d'Grafton, Alfredo Rodriguez (centre) moves into men's overall lead of 2023 American Criterium Cup
With victory at Tour d'Grafton, Alfredo Rodriguez (centre) moves into men's overall lead of 2023 American Criterium Cup (Image credit: American Criterium Cup 2023)
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Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) and Alfredo Rodriguez (Miami Nights) won the pro races at Tour d’Grafton on Saturday. The Wisconsin criterium is the third stop in the week-long KwikTrip Tour of America’s Dairyland and a new addition to the 10-race American Criterium Cup series. 

Rodriguez vaulted to top spot in the men’s ACC overall standings with the victory, jumping past previous leader Danny Summerhill (American Cycling), who finished 14th. Summerhill, who retained the sprint lead in the ACC, was second overall between Miami Nights pair Rodriguez and Bryan Gomez.

Samantha Schneider joined her sister and L39ION of Los Angeles teammate on the podium with a one-two punch in the Tour d’Grafton, boosting Samantha from ninth to third overall in the summer-long American Criterium Cup individual standings. Andrea Cyr (Miami Nights) finished sixth to maintain her overall ACC lead on the fourth stop of the series. Her teammate Paola Muñoz remained second overall with her fourth-placed finish on Saturday night.

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The field in the women’s race Saturday night was whittled down from 42 to 32 riders as a series of attacks throughout the 75 minutes of racing on a six-turn course led to attrition and heavy legs. On home turf in the Badger State, the Schneider sisters were led to the line by Kendall Ryan, wearing the US Pro criterium national champion’s jersey. The Wisconsin-based duo held off Harriet Owen (DNA Pro Cycling) at the line for the win. 

The men’s pro race also saw multiple attacks at the front in the first half of the race, with Automatic-ABUS Racing’s Thomas Gibbons and Nic Carter snagging mid-race sprint bonus points. Then a trio of riders finally escaped - Kody Bäbler (Above + Beyond Cancer p/b Bike World) with 19-year-olds Oliver Watson-Palmer (Mitoq NZ Cycling Project) and Preston Eye (Work Hard Be Humble cycling) - but with under 10 laps to go they were pulled back into the 70-rider bunch.

Rodriguez hit the line for the win, his Miami Nights teammate Gomez edging Florenz Knauer (54X11) for second place. The American Cycling duo of Jaime Castañeda and Robert Sierra trailed in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Results

Pro Women's results provided by Tour of America's Dairyland - click here

Pro Men's results powered by FirstCycling

Jackie Tyson
Jackie Tyson
North American Editor

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.

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