PA Update: Stages 1b, 2, and 3!

TIME continued their strong performance in Pennsylvania in the two stages following the double top 10 finish in Stage 1a. The evening crit, Stage 1b, saw Eric Barlevav to yet another solid bunch kick finish, which was won by VMG-Felt's Daniel Holloway, who got the better of Kelly coming into the final turn.

Stage 2 was an even better day in terms of GC for TIME, as two made the front group of 25, which ended up putting over two minutes into the field. Nick Frey and Eric Barlevav made the crucial break in what was the first real GC shake-up of the week. Frey put his big engine to work to allow Barlevav an easy ride to the finish, but Eric was a little bit down in the end and finished 7th on the day. Erik Saunders commented afterwards, "He just upgraded to a Cat 2 last year, sometimes we expect a little too much." Still, another top 10 for TIME, two guys up high on GC, first on Team GC and some big hopes on Nick Frey's shoulders. Kelly Benefit's Kevin Lacombe took the small group sprint.

Stage 3 was where it all came apart though. The first day in the mountains saw the field strewn all across the Pennsylvania countryside, due in large part to the field's response to VMG's Peter Stetina who stormed away solo on the first big climb. The resulting chase put the whole team under pressure, and no one made the crucial group of 30. All GC hopes are gone now, but there are still two more opportunities to shine, as all energy is focused solely on what would be a tremendous stage win.

TIME Off To An Amazing Start In PA!

The Tour of Pennsylvania Stage 1a time trial just finished up, and TIME placed two in the top 10.

Andy Baker led home the team with a stellar 6th place finish and was the first U21 rider. Mike Stoop was right behind in 7th followed by Nick Frey in 15th!

Stage 1b is later this evening...

Follow TIME Pro Cycling on VERSUS!

Everyone can follow TIME Pro Cycling at the American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania on the VERSUS Network, the same channel that you already watch the Tour de France on.

Tune in June 25th-28th @ 6PM ET & June 29th @ 5:30PM ET

The very first Tour de France-style “espoirs” race in the United States (“Espoirs,” French for “hopefuls,” denotes the race is for up-and-coming riders under the age of 25). Six-day stage race televised around the world and covering more than 450 miles of Pennsylvania’s rolling hills and city streets. A total of $150,000 will be awarded in stage prizes, overall general classification and special competitions -- the world's largest-ever prize list for U25 riders. Comprised of at least 20 teams of six riders each from the United States and around the world. Racers of 15 nationalities will compete including at least one Pennsylvania-based team, the PA Lightning.

Maybe BBQ wins a stage... maybe National Champ Nick Frey wins the Time Trial... WATCH IT!

Capping Off A Great Week

TIME Pro Cycling was active on three fronts over the weekend: Tour of Ohio, Richmond's Working Man Stage Race, and the USA Crit stop in Austin.

At the Tour of Ohio, David Duncan and Jered Gruber wrapped up solid performances with 3rd place overall to Duncan and 6th place for Jered. Finishes of 1st, 5th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th between the two of them ensured that TIME was prominent throughout the race.

The Working Man Stage Race went solidly to Eric Barlevav and Mike Stoop who won all of the stages.

Moving on out west a bit, Adam Myerson was TIME's top finisher in 10th after another aggressive day of racing from the boys highlighted by some more break-work from Daniel Ramsey.

Up next, one of the biggest races of the season for the squad - the U25 Tour of Pennsylvania starting tomorrow in Philadelphia.

Another Win!

Mike Stoop won Stage 2 of the Working Man's Stage Race in Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday. Stage 2 in Ohio saw David Duncan and Jered Gruber to 5th and 6th place on the day and now 4th and 5th overall.

Duncan did his jersey proud in the latter part of the stage, but the two couldn't keep hold of the winning three-man break and rolled in a minute down. There are still three stages to go, so we're hoping for some more stage success and hopefully have a go at the overall!

SEE DUNCANS VICTORY TOO!

http://www.mountvernonnews.com/Sports/08/06/18/01.html

read the story and click on the embeded video too... you can see our wonderful oy david duncan in the leader's jersey at the tour of ohio!

HERE IT IS.... THE HARLEM ROCKS BARLEVAV CRASH

http://youtube.com/watch?v=15OpLQOKQLk

embed was not available on you tube... but this video shows the sprint unfolding, adam with BBQ on his wheel hitting out around freddy rodriguez.

A Great Tuesday!

The run of success continues for TIME Pro Cycling with two more wins on Tuesday.

In Richmond, Eric Barlevav made it two wins in three days, as he took the first stage of the Working Man's Stage Race.

Over in Ohio, David Duncan won the first stage of the Tour of Ohio out of a four-man break. The 'prologue' was run on a fairly technical 700meter course and saw only 30 or so finish out of a starting field of 120. TIME raced well with Jered and David active and represented in most of the moves. David bridged up to the winning move in the final third of the race and took the small group sprint after leading out from the last turn. Duncan carries the overall lead into tomorrow's tough Hocking Hills Road Race. He had a great day there last year (4th), so we're hoping for big things again.

Pictures coming soon!!

Adam's Take On Harlem

If you haven’t seen it already:

http://velonews.com/article/77753/time-s-eric-barlevav-wins-the-35th-annual-harlem-classic-in

My favorite part of those photos is me getting ready to put my hands up after leading Eric out when I realized he was going to win, and then having to put them back down to avoid not running him over.

The original plan was for Andy, Jon, Stoop, and Jackie to hit it all day long. We wanted to be aggressive, because we knew that Rock Racing had the biggest team, the fastest sprinters, and the responsibility to do the lead out at the finish. We were going to save Eric and me for the sprint, with the guys leading me out with Eric sweeping. The guys were amazing; they were crushing it all day, making every move, winning primes, and forcing other teams to go after us. At one point I sprinted for a $250 prime and got completely smoked by Rahsaan. At that point I realized that while I was feeling strong, I probably didn’t have the speed to win, and I was going to try to hit out early for Eric. I went with a few moves, and then linked up with Eric at about 10 laps to go when Rock put all 8 of it’s guys on the front.

With only 3 guys in the race, Toshiba did a good job of riding parallel to Rock’s train, with Mark Heckman riding probably 8 of those last 10 laps in the wind for Falcon and Travieso. It was really impressive. I tucked in behind them, which allowed me to ride equal with the back of Rock’s train with Eric on my wheel. Hammy came up and took a pull which kept is in the action, too. At times we got a little swarmed by Hopkins, Dominguez, or Borrajo, but Eric and I were often able to split up, jump around, and come back together at the back of Rock’s train.

Going into 1 to go I shouted back to Eric to make sure he was still there, and when I go the A-OK I started to hit out. Rock was just not going fast enough, and they had left too many guys for the last lap. I was able to attack up the left side of their train through the first corner, and at the second corner I was able get into 3rd wheel with Magnell and Rodriguez in front of me, Eric behind me in 4th, and Rahsaan and Justin Williams behind him battling with Dominguez and Borrajo for wheels. It couldn’t have gone more perfectly.

Going into the 3rd turn, Magnell skipped his pedal and almost took Freddy and me down. It caused us all to pause for a second, but he got his act together and took back over. Freddy came around going into the last corner, with Eric and I in 2nd and 3rd wheel. Freddy went to the right fence and I followed, hoping Eric was coming around to the left. Some tried to slide through on my right, I think it was Borrajo, and I shut the door, until I realized Eric was coming through on that side as well. I shifted back to the left just enough to let Eric through, and moved back over to make sure no one else came through on his wheel.

From there Eric was amazing. He punched through the gap like he was riding around cones in a parking lot. At 50 meters I realized he was a half bike length ahead and we were actually going to win. I started to put my hands up as he crossed the finish line, and, well, you know the rest.

Embedding was disabled for these videos, so you gotta go watch them and come back. The second one is great because you can see me bringing Eric up as we hit one to go!

view.aspx?ContentID=520953

watch?v=15OpLQOKQLk

Still, it was a spectacular win at a historic event. It was huge for the team on a day where every rider contributed, and it was a big day for Eric. I’m sure he’ll be nursing his wounds all week, but he’s got a nice trophy to comfort him.

Huge Weekend!

More in a little bit, but for now, TIME Pro Cycling had by far the best weekend of the year with a string of great rides at both Nature Valley and the Harlem Skyscraper Classic.

In Minnesota, the team started picking up steam in Stage 4's Minneapolis Downtown Crit with Tom Soladay spending 16 of the 40 laps off the front. Jered Gruber picked it up the next day in the tough Mankato Road Race and spent a good 50km off the front for the day and managed to pick up the Most Aggressive Rider Jersey - the team's first jersey at an NRC race!



Not to be outdone, the contingent racing in Harlem took it to the next level as Eric Barlevav outsprinted Bahati, Keough, and Freddie Rodriguez to take a huge victory at the highest level. Eric threw his bike so hard for the line that he tumbled as he crossed the line the winner. The pictures and news from the crash are everywhere, and we will certainly link to them, but for now, just a little picture of the happy aftermath...



Again, more to come, but for now - the whole team is ecstatic over the past week's progression: Ramsey in the break at Philly, Soladay in the big break in Minneapolis, Gruber with the Most Aggressive Rider Jersey, and then Barlevav with the spectacular victory in Harlem!

Philly Week Recap!

Philly Week was a huge learning event for the young TIME Pro Cycling team, and a few days after the crowning race in Philadelphia, we can look back at it and take stock. Erik Saunders takes a look back at Philly Week:


Day 1: Lehigh
The race was fast. We thought it would be flat, but it wasn't. It was a lot like the old course in Lancaster. It's just the right distance for all the European riders to go full gas the whole day, so nobody had to pace themselves. For us, to have a whole bunch of first year professionals with really only successful regional backgrounds, it was a tall order. It was exciting though, guys like 19-year-old Jackie Simes showed that they were there and ready to play with the best. We raced to make the breakaway, but nothing stuck. At this point, we are not necessarily racing to play for the end of the race, so we have to play for our race which admittedly has a small chance of success. We are a young team. When they started the race, the thought was that it would be like many of the NRC events that we had contested throughout the year, but they found out quickly that this was racing at a whole other level. It was a good day for setting the level. Nobody finished in the sprinting group - out of 200 starters, only 60 or so made that front group.

Results
1. Yuri Metlushenko (Amore e Vita)
2. Karl Menzies (HealthNet)
3. Brad Huff (Jelly Belly)


Day 2: Reading
More of the same, but the guys knew where they stacked up. Nobody felt like they were making any particular sacrifice to their result if they made an effort. We held Ramsey and Stoop back to see if they could finish higher up. Six guys made the early break, which we missed, after being present in nearly everything leading up to that one. Nick Frey saw a lot of action at the front, along with the rest of the team, all doing everything they could to make that move. The guys got a lot of experience on how to ride at the front of a fast bike race, and if you sit on and don't attack, you don't learn that rhythm of racing at a high level - a fast bike race.

The race took in Mt. Penn three times - and finished with a bunch kick of 60 guys. It was not a climb. The typical younger rider would think that was a climber's course, but if you're fast, you're fast and you get over it. They learned the difference between a climb and a hill in Reading.

Results
1. Oscar Sevilla (Rock)
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (High Road)
3. Bernhard Eisel (High Road)


Day 3: Philly
By the time Philly rolled around, everybody was calmer. It was long, and it was the hottest I've ever seen. We knew it was going to be a slow race - it was going to be a six hour to six and a quarter hour Philly, and for Guttenplan (the only finisher) it was six and a half hours. It was a little bit better opportunity for everybody. We went into it as a learning day and the imperative was to make the early break. We needed to show everybody that we were present and ready to take opportunities. Once the guys knew they had nothing to lose, they went hard and took it seriously and rode hard until the first breakaway and we made it.

Check out some great pictures of Daniel working hard in the break: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

It was a great experience in terms of racing as a team for each of the rider, as they all took turns looking after each other - getting bottles, doing whatever they needed to do to help out. Baker, Soladay, and Guttenplan came back to the car for bottles and took care of everybody. Guys understood that it was going to be hard and they were cohesive...

For Andy, he was 3rd in Junior Crit Nats last year, and he really impressed maybe the most of all. He went for it on the front and then went back and got bottles and distributed. For somebody that's 19, he was a model teammate. He stuck it out for awhile and didn't finish, but he doesn't have 153 miles of racing in his legs the way others might, but he did a lot with what he had. Guttenplan gets credit for sticking it out and making it over the Wall all ten times.

This isn't the top of the mountain - they've seen a good level they need to get to within a year or two.

Results
1. Matti Breschel (CSC)
2. Kirk O'Bee (HealthNet)
3. Fred Rodriguez (Rock)


There was no time for rest following a great Philly Week. Immediately following the tough day in Philadelphia, a squad of six headed on to the Nature Valley GP in Minnesota. More on that on Monday!

Ramsey In The Break At Philly!

The 24th edition of the Philadelphia International Classic started hot early in the morning and ended hotter over six hours later. The racing was incredibly aggressive throughout with TIME active at the front actively pursuing the day's main break. The break didn't roll until about 50 miles in, but when it did, TIME was well represented in Daniel Ramsey. Ramsey was joined by: Teddy King (Bissell), Davide Frattini (Colavita), Brad White (Successfulliving), Benjamin Kneller (Jittery Joe's ), Richard Geng (Rite Aid), and Tyler Hamilton (Rock Racing).

The break did not go the full distance, but Ramsey's day off the front was incredible. The rest of the team rode great and did their best amongst the world's best as well as against the worst heat that could be mustered.

In the end, only David Guttenplan managed to endure the 153 miles and make it through to the finish. He was the final finisher.

Results:
1. Matti Breschel (CSC)
2. Kirk O'Bee (HealthNet)
3. Freddie Rodriguez (Rock)
4. Bernhard Eisel (High Road)
5. Alex Candelario (Kelly)

Ricola And CSC Update

TIME Pro Cycling completed two races in the past week in final preparation for the three-race series commonly known as Philly Week. After the Tour of Somerville, the team had a brief rest on Tuesday before getting back to racing on Wednesday in Basking Ridge, New Jersey for the Ricola Twilight GP. The tough midweek race drew a great field. The racing was aggressive, and TIME was active and represented well throughout the race.

After innumerable breakaways, attacks, and counterattacks, the race came down to a field sprint, which was won by Dominique Rollin. Eric Barlevav once again showed his sprinting prowess as he rolled in to a quality 10th place. Mike Stoop followed in 20th. Most of the field took an early exit and only a small portion of the starters finished - TIME managed to finish all but one.

Following Ricola, it was back down south a bit to Arlington, Virginia for the CSC Invitational. Sunday's CSC Invitational is traditionally one of the hardest criteriums of the year, and this year once again lived up to its reputation, as the usual starting list of the country's best showed up along with riders from High Road, CSC, and Slipstream.

A break of 13 went up the road early led by Magnus Backstedt, and eventually lapped the field. TIME nearly had a man in the move with Eric Barlevav, but Barlevav couldn't quite hold on at the hardest moment, but again, TIME was in the middle of the action.

Mike Stoop rode a solid race as usual and made a hard effort as the race wore on to try and make it across to the break and stayed out for a good seven laps on his own. CyclingNews has two pictures of the effort...HERE and HERE.

In the end, five riders from TIME finished, of which three managed to finish in the money - all in order - 23rd for Stoop, 24th for Guttenplan, and 25th for Myerson. Tom Soladay finished just outside of the money in 33rd and Jackie Simes rode impressively for being all of 19 years old, to finish 60th on the day.

Colavita's Luca Damiani took the win over Toyota's Dominique Rollin and HealthNet's Karl Menzies.

Up next for TIME Pro Cycling are arguably the three biggest races of the year: Lehigh, Reading, and Philadelphia - the three making up the Commerce Bank Triple Crown Of Cycling. Although we may not be poised to win any of these three major events, we have set realistic goals for our team and are excited that our young riders have the opportunity to race with some of the world's best. We hope they seize the opportunity and really showcase themselves and the team.