June 17/10 10:03 am - Nature Valley Grand Prix: Stage 2 Women's results

Posted by Editoress on 06/17/10
 

Team TIBCO/To the Top rode a near-perfect second stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix in downtown St. Paul this evening, achieving their ultimate goal of keeping Alison Starnes in the yellow leader’s jersey.

“We had a race plan going in and the girls executed it extremely well,” said team Directeur Sportif Emma Rickards. “We thought Shelley Evans (Peanut Butter & Co.) would try to scoop up all the time bonuses. We just wanted to keep her from getting enough to take the leader’s jersey.”

It was close. Evans came into the stage 0:23 down on Starnes. But after winning all three intermediate sprints and earning 0:15 in time bonuses, that gap narrowed significantly. First or 2nd on the stage would give her the lead. She took 3rd.

Brooke Miller of Team TIBCO took 4th while Joanne Kiesanowski took 6th. Australian Road Champion Ruth Corset finished 13th on the stage, but took a 2nd and 3rd at two intermediate sprints to pick up 0:04 in bonus time. She remained in 5th place overall, but is essentially tied on time with Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Columbia) who dropped to 4th with Evans’ ascension to 2nd overall. Linda Villumson (HTC-Columbia) is in 3rd at 0:04 back of Starnes.

The race continues Thursday with the hilly, 65-mile Cannon Falls Road Race.

Team TIBCO/To the Top press release